When the makers of #PokemonGo developed the game, I am sure, they must have anticipated some objections from the community at large, but I seriously doubt that they would have expected someone to claim that the Pokemon Go game “hurts their religious sentiments”.
But then again, they must have never encountered the fragile Hindu sentiments of the Indians.
The Gujarat High Court has issued a notice to the developers of Pokemon Go, based on a PIL seeking a ban on the game in India.
The reason claimed in the PIL is that it hurts the religious sentiments of the Hindus and is a threat to National Security.
Okay ….. I will give you two full minutes to laugh about this or do the “WTF” expressions…….
Done?? Alright…..
So the petitioner has a problem with Pokemon Go because of the Eggs !!!
Those who play Pokemon Go, would know that they get points in the form of virtual eggs. And these eggs have a chance of appearing anywhere around you, sometimes in places of worship.
The Petitioner feels that these eggs which appear in the Temples of Hindus and Jains, is blasphemous, since eggs are considered as Non-Vegetarian.
While I try to figure out if these eggs are then scrambled or boiled or simply made into a Pokemon Omlete, I will give you two minutes to decide whether you should be laughing or weeping at the audacity of the PIL and the ample time that our courts have for such matters.
Done?? Okay…….
The petition also talks about the threat, the game poses, to the life and limb of the players who have to walk around to score a point, whoever said “Walking was a good exercise” is an idiot, ofcourse.
And, I am not sure, where they got the “Threat to National Security” angle in, but I am guessing that if some eggs are found in the filing cabinets of RAW offices, people might just wander in to collect them, right??
Its not a surprise, these days, to have religious sentiments hurt over mere nothings and I totally expect someone to justify this PIL and how this is basically a game devised by the Western Nations to deliberately offend the Indian Culture and Religious sentiments, and to them I say, YOU ARE RIGHT !!!
Now, I am only glad that none of the Pokemons look like a Cow, or the game would have been definitely banned even before it took off in India and the developer’s Indian offices would have been forcefully shut down.
I wonder if the Developers of Pokemon can get away by simply saying “Michchami Dukadam” every time one of their Pokemon Eggs are found in the Temples???
In future, all the Game Developers might consider having a devout Hindu developer on their team for final acceptance of the product…..preferably Jain, so that you are safely able to capture the fancy (and the wallets) of 1.25 billion Indian population.
Disclaimer: Pokemon Eggs might be harmful for your digestive system, please do not try to eat them.
The Desi Cracked Pot 