Texas Republics learnt a hard lesson in Hinduism. Out to please the Indian voters, the ruling Republican in the USA has drawn major criticism after featuring Lord Ganesha in a newspaper ad, apparently to pay respect to the sacred festival, Ganesh Chaturthi. However, it left the Asian-American community in an uproar.
With a Ganesha picture, the advertisement read, ‘Would you worship a donkey or an elephant? The choice is yours.’ After much controversy, the Fort Bend County Republican party in Texas issued an apology to the Hindu community.
Americans need to move beyond the reductionist image of India to understand and please the Indian diaspora. Indians are garnering morerespect and leverage everywhere, one of the largest groups being in America. This can be seen with the Rockstar welcome laid out for our Prime Minister Modi, or the financial returns that Shahrukh Khan movies harvest there.
But now it is time for them to understand the essence of Indian culture. Even their pop culture reflects this. For instance, the character of Raj in the series, ‘The Big Bang Theory’, found a new self-respect. No more jokes on Indian eccentricities or the way Indians speak English. And this is just a small instance reflecting the larger change that Indians fare in the world.
Asking Hindu-Americans if they would rather vote for a donkey or an elephant by comparing Ganesha, a religious figure, to a political party is highly inappropriate.
The Fort Bend County Republican party must retract this ad. https://t.co/zHyqux9Soc pic.twitter.com/z1Us2oVQ5L
— Sri Preston Kulkarni (@SriPKulkarni) September 18, 2018
The ruling Republican Party’s symbol is the elephant while the donkey is the sign of its opposition, the Democrats. As Hindus in India and staying overseas are celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi, the party thought it to be the accurate time to gain the Hindu’s support. But they need to learnmore about what Ganesha represents for Indians. He is not just an elephant headed God. He is a beloved Lord, close to people’s homes and hearts, amidst the wide array presented by Indian mythology.
From Sundar Pichai to legislators like Dalip Saund and Kamala Harris, Indian Americans are going places. If Americans see a role for the Indian diaspora in their politics and business, the soup bowl of the country needs to get their spices right to understand the Indian taste and palate.
