Organizers of a Garba event being held in the USA allegedly threw an Indian scientist from Vadodara, India and his friends out from the venue saying that their surnames didn’t sound ‘Hindu’.
Karan Jani, a well-known astrophysicist, claimed that the organizers of the event at the Sri Shakti Mandir, Atlanta forced him and his friends to leave from the spot which he had been visiting for the last six years.
Narrating the incident on social media with a video, Karan Jani wrote, “Year 2018 & Shakti Mandir in Atlanta, USA denied me and my friends entry from playing garba because: “You don’t look Hindu and last name in your IDs don’t sound Hindu”.
The astrophysicist said that his Konkani friend who had come to Garba for the first time “due to enthusiasm of us Gujaratis” was pulled out of row & was told to leave.
When she showed her ID, the organizers told: “We don’t come to your events, you are not allowed to ours”.
Year 2018 & Shakti Mandir in Atlanta, USA denied me and my friends entry from playing garba because:
“You don’t look Hindu and last name in your IDs don’t sound Hindu”
-THREAD- pic.twitter.com/lLVq4KhJtw
— Dr. Karan Jani (@AstroKPJ) October 13, 2018
My Konkani friend who came to Garba for 1st time *due to enthusiasm of us Gujaratis* was pulled out of line & was told:
“We don’t come to your events, you are not allowed to ours”
She: “My last name is Murdeshwar. I’m Kannada-Marathi!”
Him: “What is Kannada? You are Ismaili”
— Dr. Karan Jani (@AstroKPJ) October 13, 2018
https://twitter.com/AstroKPJ/status/1050973568039837696
https://twitter.com/AstroKPJ/status/1050975220142616577
https://twitter.com/AstroKPJ/status/1050989715309113344
https://twitter.com/AstroKPJ/status/1050991236935548933
Later Jani said that he received a call from the Sri Shakti Mandir’s management and the chairman apologized saying the temple does not believe in discrimination.
