Woman questions Ganesh Visarjan in London, says, ‘Our traditions are beautiful, but…’

A woman’s sarcastic reaction to Ganesh Visarjan in London has gone viral on social media after she questioned whether religious traditions should be followed without considering their impact on the environment.The woman highlighted the cleanliness of the river before shifting to the subject of Ganesh Visarjan. (Instagram/@neelanjanahazarikaverma)In an Instagram video, Neelanjana Hazarika Verma said that she was “proud” of being an Indian and believed that people should carry their culture with them wherever they go. She then pointed towards the River Thames and highlighted the cleanliness of the area.“Look at this neighbourhood. It’s one of the most pretty and neatest neighbourhoods in London. Aur yahan pe na, aapko is paani mein ek bhi gandagi nahi milegi. Ek patta tak nahi milega (Here you won’t find dirt in this water, not even a single leaf)” she said.Verma also pointed out that several activities are restricted around the river, including swimming and bird feeding.She then shifted to the subject of Ganesh Visarjan, where devotees immerse the idol to mark the end of Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations. “Hum logon ko kya karna hai visarjan toh karna hai (What can we do we have to immerse the idol),” she said sarcastically.“Because we have to promote a culture, right? Toh hum log kya karenge? Ganesh ji ki murti ko lenge aur bas Thames mein phenk denge, because Thames ko bhi toh pavitra karna hai aur apni responsibility se mukt ho gaye hum log, right? (So what we will do is, we will take Ganesh ji’s statue and throw it in the Thames, because we have to purify the Thames as well and we are free from our responsibilities, right?)” she added.“Wow! I am so so proud,” she said in the video.In the caption of the post Verma clarified the message behind her post. “You don’t have to promote your culture this way. Our traditions are beautiful, but so is respecting the environment around us. Please, wherever we go, let’s celebrate our culture responsibly,” she wrote.(Also Read: ‘15,000 km away from home’: Indian scients make snow Bappa for visarjan in Antarctica)Social media reactionsThe video sparked discussion on social media, with several users agreeing with her message about responsible celebrations.Reacting to the post, one user wrote, “Devotion without responsibility towards nature defeats its own purpose.”“Seriously first Ganga Arti at Thames, and now Ganesh Visarjan… I don’t know why people don’t learn from their makes,” commented another.“Indians can move out of India, but India can’t move out of Indians,” wrote a third user.“This is disrespecting our God too. Visarjan needs to be done the right way,” said another.“Very well said. No wonder we get hate because of this behaviour,” wrote one user.(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)