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'No Bindi, No Talk': Indian Activist in Hot Water After Refusing to Speak to Female Reporter
'No Bindi, No Talk': Indian Activist in Hot Water After Refusing to Speak to Female Reporter
Sputnik International
A “bindi” is a decorative dot sported by women in India in the middle of their foreheads. The practice of wearing a bindi is described in sacred Hindu texts... 03.11.2022, Sputnik International
2022-11-03T13:26+0000
2022-11-03T13:26+0000
2022-12-19T14:05+0000
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Maharashtra Women's Commission chief Rupali Chakankar is seeking an explanation from Hindutva activist Sambhaji Bhide after he refused to speak to a female reporter for not wearing a "bindi" on her forehead.The commission feels that his remarks were demeaning to the female journalist. The incident itself was caught on camera outside the state secretariat in Mumbai, where Bhide had traveled to meet with Maharashtra state chief Eknath Shinde.In her notice to the Hindutva activist, Chakankar said, "You refused to talk to a woman journalist because she had no bindi on her forehead. A woman is known by the quality of her work. Your statement is demeaning to a woman’s pride and her social stature.""You are hereby asked to explain your position of not speaking with a woman journalist because she was not wearing a bindi," the notice further added.On the other hand, the concerned journalist took to Twitter to slam Bhide for his act before stating that whether she applied a bindi or not was her personal choice. This is not the first time that Bhide has courted controversy: in 2018, he was slammed for a bizarre claim about couples who ate mangoes from his farm in the Sangli district being blessed with sons.In the 1980s, Bhide formed the Shiv Pratishthan Hindustan organization advocating for Hindu causes in the state.
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bindi, hindutva, sambhaji bhide, maharashtra women's commission, bharat mata, shiv pratishthan hindustan organization
'No Bindi, No Talk': Indian Activist in Hot Water After Refusing to Speak to Female Reporter
13:26 GMT 03.11.2022 (Updated: 14:05 GMT 19.12.2022) A “bindi” is a decorative dot sported by women in India in the middle of their foreheads. The practice of wearing a bindi is described in sacred Hindu texts and signifies the marital status of a woman, and is believed to ward off bad luck.
Maharashtra Women's Commission chief Rupali Chakankar is seeking an explanation from Hindutva activist Sambhaji Bhide after he refused to speak to a female reporter for not wearing a "bindi" on her forehead.
The commission feels that his remarks were demeaning to the female journalist.
The incident itself was caught on camera outside the state secretariat in Mumbai, where Bhide had traveled to meet with Maharashtra state chief Eknath Shinde.
"Every woman is like 'Bharat Mata' and 'Bharat Mata' ('Mother India') is not a widow," Bhide could be seen telling the female journalist in the video, adding that she should not look like a "widow" and ought to sport a bindi before approaching him.
In her notice to the Hindutva activist, Chakankar said, "You refused to talk to a woman journalist because she had no bindi on her forehead. A woman is known by the quality of her work. Your statement is demeaning to a woman’s pride and her social stature."
"You are hereby asked to explain your position of not speaking with a woman journalist because she was not wearing a bindi," the notice further added.
On the other hand, the concerned journalist took to Twitter to slam Bhide for his act before stating that whether she applied a bindi or not was her personal choice.
"We respect people seeing their age. But people should also be qualified for the respect. It is my personal choice whether to wear a bindi or not. This is a democracy," she posted.
This is not the first time that Bhide has courted controversy: in 2018, he was slammed for a bizarre claim about couples who ate mangoes from his farm in the Sangli district being blessed with sons.
In the 1980s, Bhide formed the Shiv Pratishthan Hindustan organization advocating for Hindu causes in the state.
