Renowned poet Kumar Vishwas stirred controversy during a poetry event in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, with indirect remarks seemingly aimed at veteran actor Shatrughan Sinha and his daughter Sonakshi Sinha. Without explicitly naming them, Vishwas said, “Teach your children the Ramayana. Otherwise, it might happen that while your house is named ‘Ramayana,’ someone else may take away the ‘Lakshmi’ of your household.”
For context, Shatrughan Sinha’s house is named “Ramayana,” and his daughter Sonakshi Sinha recently married Zaheer Iqbal, who comes from a Muslim family. Vishwas’ remarks are seen by netizens as a veiled jibe at the Sinha family’s interfaith marriage.
During the event, he elaborated, saying, “Apne bachhon ko Sita Ji ki behnon aur Bhagwan Ram ke bhaiyon ke naam yaad karaiye. Ek sanket de raha hoon, jo samajh jayein unki taliyan uthtein. Apne bachhon ko Ramayan padhwayi aur Geeta sunwayi. Anya tha aisa na ho ki aapke ghar ka naam to ‘Ramayan’ ho aur aapke ghar ki Shree Lakshmi ko koi aur uthakar le jaye.” (Teach your children the names of Sita Ji’s sisters and Lord Ram’s brothers. Here’s a hint – teach them the Ramayana and make them listen to the Gita. Otherwise, even though your house is named ‘Ramayana,’ someone else might take away the ‘Shree Lakshmi’ of your household.)
This isn’t the first time Sonakshi Sinha has faced criticism over her connection to the Ramayana. In 2019, veteran actor Mukesh Khanna criticised her for incorrectly answering a question about the Hindu epic on the popular quiz show Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC), hosted by Amitabh Bachchan. A few days ago, Khanna recounted his statements in a recent interview.
Sonakshi responded by calling Khanna’s remarks “distasteful” and accused him of attacking her upbringing and family for publicity. She stated, “Stop bringing up the same incident to make news at the expense of me and my family.”
Shatrughan Sinha also defended his daughter, saying, “What qualifies this person to be an expert on the Ramayana? Sonakshi is a daughter any father would be proud of. Not answering a question on the Ramayana doesn’t disqualify her from being a good Hindu. She doesn’t need approval from anyone.”
In his defense, Mukesh Khanna said he meant no harm, claiming his remarks were intended to educate younger generations about India’s culture and history, using Sonakshi’s case as an example. “There was no malicious intent,” Khanna added, “but I knew my comments would antagonize her.”
