Indian Woman Strikes At US Pub For Having Hindu Gods On Toilet Walls

A Night out with her friends, Ankitha Mishra an Indian American Girl was having fun at A Pub named, ' House of Yes, in Bushwick, New Yo...

A Night out with her friends, Ankitha Mishra an Indian American Girl was having fun at A Pub named, ' House of Yes, in Bushwick, New York. The pub is known for being 'Weird. Wild. Wonderful'. The wonderfulness was the performances in the occasionally shining lights. Wild was the enjoyment the visitors have while they are there. What was weird was very hurtful to Ankitha.

Ankitha and her friends bought a $600 grey goose martini, and so were entitled to use the VIP Bathroom. That is not weird, it has just begun. While she was in the bathroom minding her business, she happened to overlook Lord Shiva's Image on the wall, decorated with lights and jewels. She was shocked and took a look around the whole toilet. Not only Shiva but also Ganesha, Saraswati, Brahma, Shiva, Radha and Krishna, Lakshmi, and inexplicably right above the toilet was the goddess, Kali.

The toilet was as full of deities as a temple. Where Our Indian American girl was with shoes and attending nature's call. She could not believe it. So, she took pictures with all the deities and posted on social media slamming the Pub. Later things just did not move forward. She took to her blog explaining. Finally, wrote a really big email to the Pub's Manager in a 'Whomever It May Concern' subject. Out of frustration, insult and boldness she had these to say in her mail.

"I was not proud on Saturday night. At first, when I reached for toilet paper from the dispenser, it did not register that I was looking at Mahadev...Fighting misconceptions and the misuse of my culture is a daily- no, minute by minute battle. But to be faced with such blatant cultural appropriation when I was relaxed, a little drunk, and surrounded by people I felt championed by was too jarring to ignore".

Further, in her email, Ankitha made it a point to write a few culturally important points, point-wise.

• "Cleanliness and purity are obsessive rules in an Indian household. Peeing, shitting, throwing up and all other activities that happen in nightclub bathrooms would also go under the category of uncleanliness".


•  " Hinduism has not also, conquered, traumatized and converted whole civilizations and countries as part of its mission. It does not have the same history as, for example, Christianity. Therefore the same rules that apply to Christianity simply are not applicable to Hinduism. You cannot impose your own punk and subversive cultural standards on another religion. It is just another form of misinterpretation and desire to control something that is not yours".


•  "Our culture is not a ticket to your self-discovery. Do you think you would even be in that yoga class if it hadn't been perfectly packaged for you to consume?".


• "Tantric Buddhism is different from Hinduism and at any rate, ya got those deities wrong".


• " I only saw this because it was a private bathroom... an entire ancient culture and religion are being reduced to a playscape for their vices".


• Lastly, she had this bold thing to say, so much truth in it. "I am going to go home to my parents' house in November to celebrate Diwali, a holiday commemorating each deity featured in your bathroom. This is an active religion, practiced today. My true desire is to see the bathroom taken down".

The mail did not go unnoticed among various emails the pub usually gets. She got an apologizing reply from the creator of the bathroom, Kae Burke, Anya's partner and co-founder/creative director at House of Yes. The apology just seemed so superficial, still not satisfying Ankitha's cultural shock. They promised to redecorate and repaint the walls with other pictures, still not knowing the insult they have caused.

Thank You and keep visiting our site for more interesting content.