By Ruchika Verma
Till a few days ago, Karni Sena was all over the news, be it internet or television, everywhere there was the news of Karni Sena and the movie, Padmavati or the Padmaavat as was renamed later.
The movie 'Padmavat' and its whole caste was the victim of threats by SRKS. Wikimedia Commons
Karni Sena-Padmavati controversy went on for so long that now everybody knows about it, even those who neither care about politics nor Bollywood. The protest against Sanjay Leela Bhansali's movie was so strong it took the whole nation in its stride.
The movie was postponed and faced bans in many parts of the country. The protest was very severe and serious and bring out opinions out of everyone in the country.
Karni Sena chief, Lokendra Singh Kalvi, said that the movie portrays Rajputs in a bad light. The movie was disgracing their queen, Padmavati (which is believed to be fiction, and not reality at all) and was disrespectful to the Rajputs in general. All this without watching the movie.
Padmaavat after its release is being praised by Karni Sena as a good movie which is glorifying Rajputs. Wikimedia Commons
After all the killing, nose-cutting and other kinds of threats, Karni Sena finally takes back their protest. The question arises, is Karni Sena really worth all this hype? But before that, what exactly is the origin of the Karni Sena?
Karni Sena – A brief history
Karni Sena or the Shri Rajput Karni Sena (SRKS) is a Rajput, caste-based organisation in India. It has a history of being involved in severe violent protests throughout the years to save the 'Rajputana grace.'
The Karni Sena chief, Lokendra Singh Kalvi, started the SRKS in 2005 as his attempt to mobilise and bring together the Rajput community in India.
The community famously demanded reservations for Rajput in the government jobs and also protested against the 'sidelining Rajput figures' in the textbooks. The SRKS also wanted to raise the stature of Rajput legislators in the Parliament.
Presently, the 'Karni Sena' is headed by Lokendra Singh. Wikimedia Commons
Since then there have been some splits in the Karni Sena which has given birth to three of its fractions, each led by three different leaders.
Karni Sena – Really worth the hype or not?
'Padmavat' was not the first time, SRKS protested against any film or TV show involving the Rajputs. Previously, they have protested against the Ashutosh Gowariker movie, ' Jodhaa Akbar' however, they did not receive any apologies from the unapologetic film-maker.
The protest against the movie was strong and many cinema halls Rajasthan did not show the movie. The ones which did were violently vandalised by the Sena.
A similar protest was seen against the serial, 'Jodhaa Akbar' by Ekta Kapoor. The reason was same, defamation of the Rajputs.
Throughout the years, SRKS has done nothing but indulged in irrational demands and protests. It is nothing more than an anti-social element in the Indian society. Where people are trying to rise above caste and reservations, groups like these are doing nothing but hindering the path towards social equality.
Karni Sena has protested against the serial 'Jodha Akbar' as well in the past. Wikimedia Commons
Groups like these perform protests and issues threats for the sole reason of seeking publicity and attention. But, do we really need to give attention to these groups when there are more pressing matters that we as a country need to pay attention to?
Indians and Indian media need to start paying attention to the issues which really matters. Caste-based groups like SRKS do nothing but hamper the peace of our country. It is now high time that we stop reacting and start thinking if they really deserve all the hype that they get.