Udupi, Aug 26 (The Hindu): Vinod Kamath of the Sanatana Samsthe said here on Tuesday that the samsthe was not connected to the alleged threats issued to artists Purshotham Adve and Jayavanth and their art exhibition titled “Eternal Ganesha”.
Kamath told presspersons that those who had claimed to be members of the samsthe while giving threats to Adve and Jayavanth had no connection at all with it [samsthe]. Adve and Jayavanth had based their paintings on the Mudgala Purana. Some admirers (“dharmabhimanigalu”) of Hindu religion had opposed this, which was wrong. It had been wrongly reported by a section of the media that Sanatana Samsthe had threatened the artists, Kamath said.
The press meet held at the Shiroor Math was not without some drama. Before Vinod Kamath spoke, Ravindra Kamath told presspersons that he had visited the exhibition of Adve and Jayavanth on his own. He had misunderstood the paintings of the artists.
“I am attending classes on Dharma. I later learnt about my mistake. I offer my deepest apologies to the two artists. I have no connection whatsoever with the Sanatana Samsthe. It is Sanatana Samsthe which made me realise my mistake,” Ravindra Kamath said.
Ravindra Kamath, however, refused to answer any questions. But Adve and Jayavanth reiterated that those who had threatened them in Manipal and Udupi on August 21 had told them they were from Sanatana Samsthe.
“Eternal Ganesha”, an art exhibition of Lord Ganesha, by Adve and Jayavanth was scheduled to be held at Hotel Valley View in Manipal from August 21 to August 23. After alleged threats by protestors who barged into the hotel on August 21, the artists decided to shift the exhibition to Drishya School of Arts in Udupi.
But the protestors reached the school and issued threats again on the same day. The exhibition was finally moved to the Shiroor Math on August 22.