Obnoxious anti-Hindu comments in Walters Art Gallery booklet about Ganes'a sculpture

[Guest guest]

Open Letter to Trustees of the Walters Art gallery, Baltimore, Maryland, USA:

 

I request devotees of Ganes'a worldwide, to contact and/or write to the Trustees

of Water Art Galley museum authorities to withdraw their book about Asian Art

and/or expunge the derogatory remarks made in the book which hurt the sentiments

of Hindu worldwide:

 

"Asian Art in The Walters Art Gallery: A Selection," by Hiram W.

Woodward, Jr. Publisher: The Trustees of The Walters Art Gallery, 600 North

Charles Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21201; Excerpts from Page 20:"Ganesa, is a

son of the great god Siva, and many of his abilities are comic or absurd

extensions of the lofty dichotomies of his father...Ganesa's potbelly and his

childlike love for sweets mock Siva's practice of austerities, and his limp

trunk will forever be a poor match for Siva's erect phallus."

 

It appears that, Hiram W. Woodword, the author and The Trustees of the Walters

Art Gallery, who are the publishers, are basing these obnoxious anti-Hindu

comments on the 'academic' work of Prof.Courtright (Emory University) recently

withdrawn from circulation by Motilal Banarsidass.

 

The Art Gallery trustees should be aware that Ganes'a is venerated not only in

India but also in many other parts of the world. Ganes'a is a cultural icon, for

example in Indonesia where Ganes'a adorns the 20000 rupiah currency note (the

obverse of the note shows a classroom with children) and Ganes'a icon adorns the

entrance of Bangkok Institute of Technology as a divinity of education, and in

Thailand, Ganes'a is venerated in Buddha Dhamma.

 

Such derogatory comments about divinities, Ganes'a and S'iva, in a public museum

hurt the sentiments of millions of Hindu worldwide and damages the image of the

Waters Art Gallery which should be an institution for objective public display

of art from many parts of the world. The damage caused to the psyche of the

students, children and parents alike who visit the Art Gallery with such

unauthenticated and baseless comments is incalculable. Art Gallery is obligated

to the world citizens to present the art forms as ennobling representations of

human thought and should not be presented to demean Hindu dharma or hurt the

sentiments of many people of the world who hold Ganes'a in great adoration and

devotion.

 

The Art Gallery should not only offer a public apology to all Hindu and all

world citizens who venerate Ganes'a and S'iva, but also compensate for the

damage caused by donating to the promotion of Hindu dharma.

 

Dr. S. Kalyanaraman kalyan97 Sarasvati Research Centre, Chennai, India

600015

 

4 January 2004

 

Walter Art Gallery

600 North Charles Street Baltimore, MD

Phone: 410-547-9000.

Gary Vikan is Museum Director.

http://www.artcom.com/museums/vs/sz/21201-51.htm

 

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

Dear Sri Kalyanaraman,

 

The subject passage you quote from the book in question is

outrageous, to say the least. It is in poor taste and utterly un-

scholarly.

 

You may be right to call for a public outcry against the book and the

Walter Art Gallery and perhaps there will be one in the USA and India

too if the matter is sufficiently publicized. In my opinion, however,

no great purpose will be achieved by doing so.

 

Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore and Hiram WOodward Jr. are utter non-

entities and non-descript ciphers to the vast numbers of Ganesha

devotees in the world at large. They don't give a farthing for what

art-gallery, coffee-table intelligentsia writes about Indian gods and

modes of worship.

 

Let Walters and Woodward remain as they are. Let us not get unduly

worked up and pay them the tribute of public attention they don't

deserve but which they would gleefully see coming their way through

our shrill condemnation or outcry.

 

Let us ignore M/s Walters and Woodward completely. Let us give them

no more than what we know they deserve viz. cold indifference and

silent contempt. That way they will remain caged and confined just

where they now are and where they truly belong -- the dustbin of

oblivion.

 

Regards,

 

dAsan,

Sudarshan

 

 

 

, "S. Kalyanaraman" <kalyan97>

wrote:

> Open Letter to Trustees of the Walters Art gallery, Baltimore,

Maryland, USA:

>

> I request devotees of Ganes'a worldwide, to contact and/or write to

the Trustees of Water Art Galley museum authorities to withdraw their

book about Asian Art and/or expunge the derogatory remarks made in

the book which hurt the sentiments of Hindu worldwide:

>

> "Asian Art in The Walters Art Gallery: A Selection," by Hiram W.

> Woodward, Jr. Publisher: The Trustees of The Walters Art Gallery,

600 North Charles Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21201; Excerpts from

Page 20:"Ganesa, is a son of the great god Siva, and many of his

abilities are comic or absurd extensions of the lofty dichotomies of

his father...Ganesa's potbelly and his childlike love for sweets mock

Siva's practice of austerities, and his limp trunk will forever be a

poor match for Siva's erect phallus."

>

> It appears that, Hiram W. Woodword, the author and The Trustees of

the Walters Art Gallery, who are the publishers, are basing these

obnoxious anti-Hindu comments on the 'academic' work of

Prof.Courtright (Emory University) recently withdrawn from

circulation by Motilal Banarsidass.

>

> The Art Gallery trustees should be aware that Ganes'a is venerated

not only in India but also in many other parts of the world. Ganes'a

is a cultural icon, for example in Indonesia where Ganes'a adorns the

20000 rupiah currency note (the obverse of the note shows a classroom

with children) and Ganes'a icon adorns the entrance of Bangkok

Institute of Technology as a divinity of education, and in Thailand,

Ganes'a is venerated in Buddha Dhamma.

>

> Such derogatory comments about divinities, Ganes'a and S'iva, in a

public museum hurt the sentiments of millions of Hindu worldwide and

damages the image of the Waters Art Gallery which should be an

institution for objective public display of art from many parts of

the world. The damage caused to the psyche of the students, children

and parents alike who visit the Art Gallery with such unauthenticated

and baseless comments is incalculable. Art Gallery is obligated to

the world citizens to present the art forms as ennobling

representations of human thought and should not be presented to

demean Hindu dharma or hurt the sentiments of many people of the

world who hold Ganes'a in great adoration and devotion.

>

> The Art Gallery should not only offer a public apology to all Hindu

and all world citizens who venerate Ganes'a and S'iva, but also

compensate for the damage caused by donating to the promotion of

Hindu dharma.

>

> Dr. S. Kalyanaraman kalyan97 Sarasvati Research Centre,

Chennai, India 600015

>

> 4 January 2004

>

> Walter Art Gallery

> 600 North Charles Street Baltimore, MD

> Phone: 410-547-9000.

> Gary Vikan is Museum Director.

> http://www.artcom.com/museums/vs/sz/21201-51.htm