The statue of the Hindu god Ganesha flashed onscreen for just seconds in the music video by Blackpink, an all-female K-pop band. The elephant-headed deity was shown on the floor, near a bejeweled Aladdin lamp, as a member of the band preened and rapped on a golden throne. “No hate to the artists but our hindu religion and Gods aren’t a toy/prop/aesthetic for pop culture music videos to use,” a fan from Delhi with the user name Iam_drish wrote on Twitter, adding that it wasn’t the first time Indian and Southeast Asian culture had been disrespected by K-pop. As the tempest grew, Ganesha suddenly vanished from the video posted on YouTube, and fans declared victory. On Wednesday, Blackpink’s management acknowledged that it had edited the deity out, saying in a statement that its use had been an “unintentional mistake.”

Source: International New York Times July 11, 2020 06:45 UTC