India’s economic growth is depicted on the front page of a Spanish newspaper using a snake charmer, igniting controversy
By reporting about the Indian economy with a caricature of a snake charmer, the Spanish weekly La Vanguardia has sparked outrage. On October 9, the newspaper put the “racist stereotype” on its main page. The newspaper’s title proclaimed “The Hour of the Indian Economy.”
After portraying the Indian economy, the newspaper has come under fire. The snake charmer image has drawn disapproval.
Bengaluru Central’s PC Mohan, a member of the BJP in the Lok Sabha, used Twitter to voice his opinions. The cover article of a Spanish weekly is titled “The Hour of the Indian Economy.” While India’s robust economy receives attention on a worldwide scale, it is absurd to still represent us as snake charmers decades after our country attained freedom. The process of decolonizing the foreign mentality is difficult. Nithin Kamath, CEO of Zerodha, joined Mr. Mohan in criticising the article. He wrote on Twitter, “It’s quite wonderful that people are paying attention, but using a snake charmer to symbolise India as a cultural caricature is insulting.”
Rajat Sethi, the author, also called attention to the newspaper’s racial portrayal. The discriminatory caricature of Indian snake charmers persists unabatedly even as the rest of the world pays attention to India’s economic strength, he claimed. Users on social media did not like the portrayal either. One person posted, “How egregious they are. Regardless of the image they are trying to portray, India will develop and prosper.” Yet another user said, “Nothing matters. Despite what people may think of us, we shall prevail.”
Thirdly stated, “The Western world knows very little about Indian culture. Westerners will be inspired to see past preconceptions by the expanding Indian economy and sustainable development. Enjoy the humour until then.”
