In Indian Railways, Hindutva finds way into meals, water
What's the story
A News18 report highlights the advent of Hindutva inside Indian Railways with IRCTC serving food and water having advertisements laced with religious touches. The advertisements in trains are costly but that hasn't stopped outfits from buying tenders and promoting themselves. Notably, in trains like Shatabdi and Rajdhani, meals and water served on trains are part of the ticket fares.
The advertisement
Rashtra Raksha Mahayagna advertised on Shatabdi trains
This March, a Rashtra Raksha Mahayagna was held near Red Fort in Delhi to promote National integration. The event was flagged off by Union Minister Rajnath Singh and scores of BJP leaders attended the event. At the mega programme, 108 'kunds' were set up and 2,100 priests performed religious ceremonies. Reportedly, an advertisement of this Mahayagna was placed on paper glasses served in Shatabdi.
Do you know?
Earlier, 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan' advertisements were seen on Shatabdi
However, Mahayagna's advertisement isn't the only one. Earlier, International Vaishya Federation put up advertisements in Shatabdi about 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan'. Ramdas Agarwal, senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader, is the President of International Vaishya Federation.
Details
How much do these advertisements cost? Apparently a lot
Reportedly, the private company Media on Track has landed 44 contracts from Indian Railways for selling advertisements spaces inside coaches of various trains. An official in the know told the cost of printing advertisements on 75,000 glasses in Shatabdi is Rs. 2.50 lakh for one month. The Rajdhani equivalent of this is Rs. 1.25 lakh. The costs don't include GST.
The changes
Inside trains there are Hindutva advertisements, outside 'renamed stations'
While meals inside trains are being served with a tinge of Hindutva, the stations are being renamed outside. Recently, the iconic Mughalsarai station of Uttar Pradesh was renamed to Deen Dayal Upadhyay Junction, sparking a row. Similarly, the Robertsganj railway station was rechristened to Sonabhadra. The iconic Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Mumbai also saw the word "Maharaj" added to its name early last year.