One Image, Thousand Interpretations And, An Idea That Is India

They say music has the power to transcend boundaries. Yesterday, it did exactly that.

Mumbai: They say music has the power to transcend boundaries. Yesterday, it did exactly that. The whole nation mourned the demise of the musical doyen Lata Mangeshkar. Political bigwigs and several Bollywood superstars were present. All paid their respects to the legend who left behind a rich musical legacy. What went insanely viral on social media though, was an image of two Indians praying for the soul of the departed.

Shah Rukh Arrives At Shivaji Park To Pay Last Respects To Lata Didi

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In visuals from the cremation ceremony on Sunday evening, Shah Rukh Khan and his manager Pooja Dadlani were photographed paying their last respects to Lata Mangeshkar. While SRK offered dua, Pooja Dadlani folded her hands in a pranaam.

(Source: Twitter)

The image itself isn’t extraordinary. But when put in the context of India’s history of communal riots and disharmony – the image is, in fact, quite special. It sends across a message, a powerful one at that. The message: that there’s still hope. Hope that love and peace would triumph over hatred and bigotry. Hope that division of India along communal lines wouldn’t erase the ethos of the country. But with hope comes despair!

Photograph of SRK ‘Blowing Air’ Causes Outrage

Along with the photograph of Shah Rukh Khan praying went viral, several videos of the actor also went viral. While paying his respect, SRK was seen taking off his mask for a brief moment, and immediately placing his mask back on. The state in charge of BJP Haryana, Arun Yadav, was one of the first to make this allegation, tweeting “Kya isne thuka hai (Did he spit)?” along with a video clip.

Disgusting as the allegation may sound, there were people who fell for it – so much so, that several news websites ran fact-check articles debunking the news. Several internet users came to SRK’s defense and schooled the trolls. After the recital of Ayats in the Holy Quran, Muslims blow air on the mortal remains to ward off evil. A common practice in Islam was, therefore, misinterpreted as sacrilege. As stated earlier, hope and despair go hand in hand!

Two Indias – Divided By Religion, United By Dua

It turns out, the controversial recital by Indian stand-up comic Vir Das on ‘Two Indias’ was, in fact, correct. There are two Indias – one where there’s hope and the other where there’s despair. One, where a Muslim actor is celebrated for offering dua alongside a Hindu and the other where he is accused of spitting on one’s mortal remains.

Which India do you belong to? Sound off in the comments below!