New Campaign Against Domestic Violence towards Women Using images of Devi
Namaste all,
I came across this story today about a new campaign being commissioned in the wake of the rape cases that made worldwide headlines in Delhi last year, and more recently in Mumbai last month. Apparently this anti-domestic abuse campaign is using images of various depictions of Goddesses.
Please find reference to the campaign here: http://www.thehindu.com/features/the...cle5129205.ece
http://www.buzzfeed.com/regajha/indi...mpaign-condemn
What is your opinion of using images of Devi to convey this message to the people of India? I know for myself being a sincere devotee of Mother Goddess that I felt quite shocked and upset on seeing these depictions. On the one hand, I can completely understand what the campaigners are driving at here. It is an issue worthy of being brought right to the social and cultural fore of people everywhere, perhaps moreso in India. But is the shock value the only way to educate people who engage in violence against wives and womenfolk? It is a crude method, if this is what they were going for, if not ironic - Devi is seen as the universal energy, Shakti, the embodiment of God's power. How can She be harmed? But something tells me this was not what was in the mind of the campaigners who are using Her as an example of the victim of abuse.
Has anyone on this board here living in India seen any posters of this campaign yet? It is a sad fact that domestic violence against women happens everywhere. I have seen campaigns against it in my own country, but never with a slant on religion or on people's beliefs. Is it because the campaigners are aware that Indians pay so much respect to Devi that they have decided this might be the only way to shake things up a bit and drive the message home?
Although personally I believe anyone who is a true devotee to the likes of Maa Durga and Lakshmi would never raise a hand against anyone, man or woman. Those that do engage in physical violence regularly against a woman or are involved in the sex trafficking trade are surely godless creatures who will think no more of disrespecting God in the form of a woman as they would were they human?
Interested in hearing what others have to say about this.
Om namah Shivaya
"Watch your thoughts, they become words.
Watch your words, they become actions.
Watch your actions, they become habits.
Watch your habits, they become your character.
Watch your character, it becomes your destiny."
ॐ गं गणपतये नमः
Om Gam Ganapataye namah
लोकाः समस्ताः सुखिनो भवन्तु ।
Lokaah SamastaaH Sukhino Bhavantu
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