Whether it was the case of featuring deities and holy graffiti on shoes or toilettries, or Heidi Klum’s Kali outfit for Halloween, the West has often managed to hurt religious and cultural sentiments. The latest case in point is a video on Playboy’s website that features playmate Sara Jean Underwood performing yoga poses in the nude.
A Hindu society in the US leads protests against Playboy in what it claims is a misuse of yoga for “mercantile greed”. Opinion in the capital weighs heavy against Playboy as many feel it is a serious case of hurting religious and cultural sentiments as yoga is well embedded in our religious fabric.
Though some view it as a case of overzealous moral-policing, a large section feels it was totally uncalled-for to club yoga with erotica. Sharanya C., pathologist, avers, “I can’t imagine how or why someone would think of doing something like this knowing full well that it could raise a storm. People in the West must think twice before taking liberties with our religion. I say our religion because we still consider many things sacred and seeing others exploit it for commercial gain is infuriating.”
Many of those who don’t like the concept admit that it is a clever business ploy. Abhay Anand, journalist, says, “Initial reaction of many like me would be to go and check the video first. And that satisfies the purpose behind creating such a video in the first place.” He adds, “I’m sure the people involved had no idea what yoga stands for.”
Most believe it’s Hugh Hefner’s way of cashing in on yoga, and on a lighter note feel that the positive side to this is that it would get some youngsters interested in yoga. Saptarishi Mondal, associate engineer with an MNC, avers, “Neither the organisation nor anybody else would have reacted in such a manner if the words ‘Yoga’ and ‘Playboy’ hadn’t been brought together. Personally, if it gets people to take to yoga, then it does more good than bad!”
Psychologist Sakshi Manocha offers a more balanced perspective and sums up, saying, “I believe that every practice has certain patterns; and as far as yoga is concerned, it’s an art for a healthy body and mind. If the postures (asanas) are performed correctly, keeping intact the ethos of the art, then nudity shouldn’t be an issue. The rationale behind it is that Hindu culture itself considers intimacy as an essential component of life. Our temples are examples of that. But one can certainly reject to it on grounds of obscenity.”