Cops get mahatma off soda outlets
Police force shopowners selling soda, fruit beer to remove images of Gandhi, Sardar and Vivekanand from their establishments’ hoardings
By Yogesh Avasthi and Hemington James
Posted On Monday, March 01, 2010 (http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20Latest§id=2&contentid=2010030120100301041306812fa8129)
Soda, fruit beer, and Gandhi? Flavoured drinks and Sardar Patel or Swami Vivekanand? Ram, Ram!
For the past one month, police teams are scouting every alley in the city looking for soda and fruit beer shops bearing images of Gandhi, Sardar Patel and Vivekanand.
So far, minders of around 100 such shops have been forced to remove images of these three great personalities from their establishments.
This shop in Ghatlodia had Swami Vivekanand on its hoarding. It has now been covered by Lord Ganapati. How ironic... something considered insulting to Vivekanand is not so to God!
Ironically, many of these shopowners have covered Gandhi, Patel and Vivekanand’s images with those of deities, which the cops don’t object to. How funny, that something considered objectionable to human beings is found fit for Gods!
Shopowners claim the cops have told them they are acting on the directives from the police commissionerate, though there is no confirmation to that effect.
The police top brass, however, confirm the idea is to prevent “commercialisation” of great personalities like Gandhi, Sardar Patel and Vivekanand.
Said DGP Shabbir Khandvawala, “Nobody can insult our legendary leaders by putting their images alongside sodas and fruit beer. The police teams responsible for forcing shopowners to remove our leaders’ images are going on the right track.”
Soda and fruit beer shop owners are a perplexed lot. Said Ashwin Joshi, who has around 50 soda and fruit beer shops in the city, “Does this rule apply only to Ahmedabad? I see shops in Mumbai and other big cities keep images of Gandhi, Nehru, Vivekanand and other such personalities. Why, even the famous Coffee House has images of Gandhi in its outlet at Chandigarh, Bangalore, Nagpur, etc! I never meant to offend our leaders. This was my way of paying tributes to them.”
Another soda shop owner, Sunil Rathod from Judges Bungalow, said his establishment had to compile with the police order as he had no choice. He said, “A few days ago, a police team came to my shop and asked me to remove Mahatma Gandhi’s image. I did so. Who wants to argue with the police!”
Another shopowner, Vasudev Mistry from Ghatlodia, wants to know who has issued this order. He said, “If people, the government or the police find we using Mahatma Gandhi or Swami Vivekanand’s image offending, we will surely remove it, as I have already done. But at least, I should know the reason.”
Mistry had Swami Vivekanand’s image on his shop hoarding. The question that begs an answer is, what will the cops do to the likes of the poor poster sellers all over the city, who make two ends meet selling images of great personalities?
Are we taking restrictions here a bit too far?
By Yogesh Avasthi and Hemington James
Posted On Monday, March 01, 2010 (http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20Latest§id=2&contentid=2010030120100301041306812fa8129)
Soda, fruit beer, and Gandhi? Flavoured drinks and Sardar Patel or Swami Vivekanand? Ram, Ram!
For the past one month, police teams are scouting every alley in the city looking for soda and fruit beer shops bearing images of Gandhi, Sardar Patel and Vivekanand.
So far, minders of around 100 such shops have been forced to remove images of these three great personalities from their establishments.
Ironically, many of these shopowners have covered Gandhi, Patel and Vivekanand’s images with those of deities, which the cops don’t object to. How funny, that something considered objectionable to human beings is found fit for Gods!
Shopowners claim the cops have told them they are acting on the directives from the police commissionerate, though there is no confirmation to that effect.
The police top brass, however, confirm the idea is to prevent “commercialisation” of great personalities like Gandhi, Sardar Patel and Vivekanand.
Said DGP Shabbir Khandvawala, “Nobody can insult our legendary leaders by putting their images alongside sodas and fruit beer. The police teams responsible for forcing shopowners to remove our leaders’ images are going on the right track.”
Soda and fruit beer shop owners are a perplexed lot. Said Ashwin Joshi, who has around 50 soda and fruit beer shops in the city, “Does this rule apply only to Ahmedabad? I see shops in Mumbai and other big cities keep images of Gandhi, Nehru, Vivekanand and other such personalities. Why, even the famous Coffee House has images of Gandhi in its outlet at Chandigarh, Bangalore, Nagpur, etc! I never meant to offend our leaders. This was my way of paying tributes to them.”
Another soda shop owner, Sunil Rathod from Judges Bungalow, said his establishment had to compile with the police order as he had no choice. He said, “A few days ago, a police team came to my shop and asked me to remove Mahatma Gandhi’s image. I did so. Who wants to argue with the police!”
Another shopowner, Vasudev Mistry from Ghatlodia, wants to know who has issued this order. He said, “If people, the government or the police find we using Mahatma Gandhi or Swami Vivekanand’s image offending, we will surely remove it, as I have already done. But at least, I should know the reason.”
Mistry had Swami Vivekanand’s image on his shop hoarding. The question that begs an answer is, what will the cops do to the likes of the poor poster sellers all over the city, who make two ends meet selling images of great personalities?
Are we taking restrictions here a bit too far?
