Right-Wing Group Cancels Miss Rishikesh Pageant Rehearsal, Calls It ‘Against Uttarakhand’s Culture’; Netizens Defend Event

An incident filled with hypocrisy has gotten our nation’s attention. Peaceful rehearsals for Miss Rishikesh were taking place in Uttarakhand when someone interrupted them unexpectedly. The rehearsal was stopped by a right-wing group on the grounds that this is against the culture of Uttarakhand. Multiple videos of this incident have been doing the rounds on the internet, and netizens are giving the right-wing group a piece of their mind. Let’s take a closer look at how this incident occurred and what caused netizens to defend the Miss Rishikesh Pageant Rehearsal!

How The Rehearsal Was Interrupted

This ramp was organised by Lions Club Rishikesh Royal as part of their upcoming Diwali fair. The rehearsal was taking place at a hotel on Saturday. The incident started with members of a Hindu organisation objecting to the attire a participant had worn while walking the ramp at rehearsal. The argument made by this right-wing group was that the Western outfit worn by the girl was against their culture and religious values.

 

 

 

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The right-wing group behind this incident were members of the Rashtriya Hindu Shakti Sangathan. This group was being led by state president Raghvendra Bhatanagar, who arrived at the venue mid-rehearsal and started objecting to the event. The argument made by Bhatnagar was, “Sanatan Dharma teaches women to dress modestly. Such events hurt social and religious sentiments.”

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Dhiraj Makhija, the director of Lions Club Royal, has been hosting this pageant for the last five years. The director commented on the situation, saying, “We have been conducting the show as part of the Lions Diwali Mela and have never faced such objections before.” The pageant aims to provide a platform for local women to further compete in bigger beauty pageants. Makhija also said that the top five winners of this pageant will get to take part in the Miss Uttarakhand pageant.

Netizens’ Reaction To The Incident

When videos of this heated exchange reached social media, netizens didn’t shy away from calling out the hypocrisy of the Rashtriya Hindu Shakti Sangathan. The comment section of this video was filled with comments on how the group was dressed in Western attire while calling out the pageant participants on the same grounds. It's comical how these are the same men who watch these pageants and later objectify the same women for their choices.

A user on Instagram commented on this video saying, “Tell women their outfits are against culture, while your whole look screams Western mall. Classic 😆”. Another comment suggested that these members should also wear a dhoti-kurta instead of their western attire.

 

 

 

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The hypocrisy of the right-wing members was seen clearly by netizens. Netizens even came forward to talk about how the clothes we wear don’t diminish our existing culture. Everyone should be treated with equal respect, no matter the clothes they wear. The right wing was talking about our culture and religion, but does that religion give these men the power to do anything in its name? Absolutely NOT!

Members of the right-wing group should focus on making this country safer for women rather than tearing them down. From an increase in rape cases every year to daily eve-teasing, women go through a lot, many of which are inflicted by men, and are definitely not as per “cultural standards”.

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If moral policing can take a backseat, maybe members of all religious factions can aim to make the world safer and more equal for women, and not question their personal choices.

Image Credit: Instagram

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