Row over Kolkata artist's 'goddess in burqa' painting ahead of Durga Puja

Ahead of the much celebrated Durga Puja, Kolkata-based visual artist Sanatan Dinda’s painting captioned ‘Ma aschen’ or ‘Mother is coming’ has received backlash for hurting the religious sentiments of the Hindus.

Sanatan Dinda’s painting that went viral on social media showed a woman with a third eye, peeking from inside the veil.

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The image was interpreted by many netizens as ‘Durga in a burqa’. West Bengal BJP Mahila Morcha Vice-President Keya Ghosh took to Twitter to slam the artist and said ‘he knows he can get away because many intellectual Bengalis are going gaga over it.’ Others also “condemned” Dinda's painting, slamming him for misusing “artistic freedom”.

Dinda's Facebook post has been flooded with hate comments ever since the painting went viral. The artist said he was “forced” to take down the image and issue an apology on his social media platforms.

He has however clarified his stance saying the term hijab or burqa was never used. He added the painting was a plain representation of a feminine face, protecting her elegance from the gaze of a chauvinistic male society.

Calling his work a ‘secular painting’ he blamed the ‘propaganda of a particular sect’ for creating communal disharmony.