New Delhi (Sputnik) — The New York Times has landed in the soup after publishing an opinion piece that unsuccessfully relates the revival of the saree — traditional Indian attire — as high-end fashion to the rise of Hindu nationalism in the multi-faith country.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made the traditional dress a priority and hence the fashion industry has followed along."
The New York Times tried to explain sari fashion — and became the laughingstock of India #fashionista #bhive https://t.co/ciaz5kDwtv
— BridgeBlogs2 (@FashonistaLove) 17 ноября 2017 г.
"This kind of idiotic story in The New York Times confirms the Modi government's suspicion that foreign newspapers lie about it," writes noted Indian journalist Tavleen Singh on Twitter.
This kind of idiotic story in the New York Times confirms the Modi government’s suspicion that foreign newspapers lie about it. pic.twitter.com/Xoj0oeL7Lc
— Tavleen Singh (@tavleen_singh) 13 ноября 2017 г.
The article claims that ever since the current Modi-led BJP government came to power in 2014, "the Indian fashion industry has been pressed to aggressively promote traditional attire and bypass western styles." It further says that "the effort aligns with the party's broader political program: to project multi-faith India, a country of more than 1.3 billion, as a Hindu nation."
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However, it is not the first time that The New York Times is facing the ire of Indian readers. In 2016, it called the singing icon of India Lata Mangeshkar a "so-called playback singer" and in the same year, it commented on Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalitha as a "former starlet" when she died.
In 2013, when Indian Diplomat Devyani Khobragade was accused of visa fraud, the NYT called it a "clash of cultures." In 2014, when India launched its Mars mission, the publication printed a cartoon that showed an Indian man with a bull, trying to enter an "Elite Space Club" of Western men.
