Madhu Patel
CHICAGO: A chorus of protest from Hindus is voiced against the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA) in Sydney, “Australia’s leading museum”, for marketing Lord Ganesha Finger Puppet in its Store; calling it highly inappropriate.
Lord Ganesha highly revered in Hinduism is meant to be worshipped in temples or home shrines and not to be manipulated by finger. Inappropriate usage of Hindu deities or concepts or symbols or icons for commercial or other agenda was not okay as it hurt the devotees, said Rajan Zed President of Universal Society of Hinduism He urged Elizabeth Ann Macgregor and Lorraine Tarabay, MCA Director and Board Chairman respectively, to offer a formal apology, besides withdrawing Lord Ganesha Finger Puppet from its Store.
It is saddening for the devotees to see Lord Ganesha reduced as a finger puppet under the mercy and control of the owner; while in reality, the believers put the destinies of themselves in the hands of their deities; Zed indicated.
Although MCA claims to take a leadership role in “demonstrating the social impact of contemporary art”, but it seemed that Museum executives themselves needed some urgent cultural/religious sensitivity training to substantiate this claim; Rajan pointed out.
A taxpayer-supported institution like MCA should not be in the business of trivializing a highly venerated deity, Zed added.
MCA, opened in 1991, receives over a million visitors annually and its collection contains over 4000 works by Australian artists. Ganesha Finger Puppet was priced at $15.50 at MCA Store, which claims to be “Recognized as one of the best museums.”
