By Danita YADAV
Contact us: info@strategic-culture.su
The cartoon was published as a commentary by Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten days before the prime minister landed in Oslo.
Amid a massive row during Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s visit to Norway over alleged dangers to press freedom in India, a cartoon depicting the leader as a snake charmer, which appeared in Norway’s leading newspaper, has surfaced on social media and sparked allegations of racist stereotyping.
The cartoon was published with a commentary piece by the newspaper Aftenposten just a couple of hours before PM Modi landed in Oslo.
It went viral on social media following a row which erupted during one of the press meets of the Indian leader.
What does the cartoon show?
The cartoon was published with an opinion piece whose headline translates to ‘A clever yet annoying man’. The article stated why India has its eyes on the Nordic region, while the cartoon shows Modi as a “snake charmer” with a fuel-station filling pipe as the snake.
Many netizens were quick to slam the Norwegian daily for the allegedly racist take on India, which has long been depicted as a primitive land of snake charmers, holy elephants and superstitions alone.
Original article: www.hindustantimes.com
