Air India Boeing 787 Crash Recreation At Religious Festival Sparks Outrage

Wow. I cannot imagine how the families feel about this. Seems to exploit rather than honor.

How many people put so much work into this and thought it was a good idea? Are cultural taboos just different there?

Quite simple.

Hinduism is based on duality.

Good and bad.

God does good. God also does bad. Different Gods play different roles, Durga is not a ‘destroyer’ like Shiva but she does have a very violent way of imposing her will.

There is balance, there is equilibrium.

It’s not about justice. God isn’t showing justice in bad things. God is just saying it’s not always an easy ride through rainbows.

So yeah, I don’t know what the creator of this depiction was trying to say (That evil people suffered isn’t far fetched despite being distasteful, but he would believe God was behind it so it gives it weight.) what I do know is it fits in with the religion and isn’t certainly about making a statement one way or the other. It’s not political commentary. It happened so God is behind it. We are honouring Gods will even if it’s painful.

Nothing else to bait the snowflakes right?

Let's see if the woke has spread doxing to India and we will witness mass employment termination.

Indian culture is so much different from any other, it is difficult to understand and judge it

Please let’s not impose our cultural values upon another. While this post is “just asking questions” it’s casting a judgment negatively on India and Indians. Don’t forget many cultures including those with GREAT airlines (ME3) hate, and I mean thoroughly hate, men who have s*x with men.

Sorry but to an outsider that’s just bizarre

Let's be clear about what this is & isn't. This isn't Indian culture, nor is it Hindu religious tradition. This is the work of a single artist, who decided to create something provocative, then who got attention for it.

Lmao clearly you know nothing about Indian culture

Ben, I truly appreciate your detailed coverage on all things Air India, from the Vistara merger, to the rebrand and fleet orders, to the horrific crash — very little escapes your sharp radar.

Now how about actually flying AI? It’s been SEVEN long years since you’ve even visited India, let alone flew AI. With two new airports in Delhi and Mumbai opening, the next few months seem like a good time to visit the country.

Still gaslight Ben for over SEVEN long years?

Great! In my culture it's a terrible look. Understand and respect that too.

How does white supremacy look in your culture, David?

This is the coolest thing India has done as a nation in a long time.

It's ok Ben can just visualize he's in QSuites while flying Air India

Any major religious activity should focus on compassion not controversy provoking insensitivity and pain to others.

What a load of BS. Get your head examined!!

I really doubt Ben is going to check out the lounge situation in Noida and Navi Mumbai airport. There is no indication that major international carriers are going to use those airports over DEL and BOM, so his target audience won't really care.

But your point about getting an AI review on both their old and new planes, is valid. There are times I wonder if its worth the risk to book an award ticket on AI because there is always AI space bookable through Aeroplan (but not United for some reason).

He'll start flying when you stop crashing.

While this is in bad taste in every conceivable way and by all standards, local and global, I don’t think it actually caused that much outrage.

I live in India, and first saw this on Reddit and then on Twitter/X and then read about it in a tiny little article in a newspaper. I think definitely it’s a reportable story for aviation publications like yours, but I can definitely say it’s not caused any major outrage in India.

This is a helpful explanation K4, thank you

Wtf David. No, they don’t need to understand and respect your culture. Because *nothing* about this event was intended to be consumed by you or your culture. You happened to gaze in on someone else’s party. Remembering that might be helpful.

This is a good culture exposure for westerners. We do some crazy bat shit that Indian people find it bizarre and offensive too.

Their cement company also did a new york twin towers ad. People need to stop being so sensitive. Just have enjoy the art

"Air quality and food hygiene are both poor. There is a sexist rape culture."

-You, regarding the country of India

Ben's just asking questions, you're just making statements. What's the difference, Arps / Biglaw V10 Partner / Paul Weiss / Today's Sock Puppet?

Good effing grief you are tedious.

Oops, my alter ego didn't get my intentions right. Here is the improvised version! 😉

Ben, I truly appreciate your overly-detailed coverage on all things Air India, from the mistake of Vistara merger, to the rebrand and fleet orders that got delayed, to the horrific crash — very little escapes your sharp radar, as if you're trying to make them look bad and disguising as "coverage".

Now how about actually flying AI and expose yourself to hygiene issues, peeing passengers, scorpion coming out of nowhere and crashing? It’s been SEVEN long years since I've even started to act tough against you, let alone faking apologetic. With countless threats and apologist comments I've made at the same time, the next few months seem like a good time to visit the country.

Ben

You must visit inDian cities on PR pass
Namely
Bom
Del
Ccu
Maa
Blr
Trv
Hyd
Jai
You spend time there tasting diff of
Foods according to each srates menu
There are 14 languages you see a rupee
Currency you will see list of languages
Cultural habits vary from state to state
And attire and food varieties
Despite so many languages there is
Feeling of oneness and unity
You must visit and file a story
I will enjoy

Don’t forget to visit Taj Mahal
Which is in Agra 125 from Delhi

It is Good to have Different cultures, But Do not forget, this was a Beautiful country where you could see Homes with Christmas Decorations right after Thanksgiving, Halloween Decorations abound,Kids knocking on Doors for candies. No more in The silicon Valley. You see Indian Flags on the Doors instead of US Flags, unless the occupants are afraid of getting Deported and the US Flag comes out! You ask your neighbors to Join you in Celeberating The 4th Of July and the response is We celebrate Indian Independence Day on Aug 15th. No problem with wearing traditional dress, But you see Indian Religious people walking around Half Naked with Paint all over. This is too much.
Not a Big Fan of Trump, But thank you for limiting the H1B Visa abuses.

It’s still better than providing weapons for use in genocide.

Still better than what has been done to Hawaii. Invading the land and then colonizing it, killing of hundreds in innocent civilians, desecrating the land, destroying the culture and making them second class citizens on their own land.

Well, I am an Indian. I don't like this idea. Initially, I thought it is a way of criticizing AI/Boeing. But all I see is a showoff in the name of pandal. There will be 50+ members in the org who take part. Not sure if majority rejected the idea.

What are you going to be a whiny little bitch about now that there's been a peace deal?

Not to worry, it won't take long for your Hamas terrorist buddies to screw it up.

What are things westerners do that would offend or confuse people from India? (This is not intended to provoke. I an honestly interested)

Eating beef is the obvious one.
The fact that I know that but continue to eat beef doesn't mean I regard my culture as superior, just different.
Personally I find the current western attitude to death all messed up - it's all jolly entertainment in feature films and video games, but real deaths cause the dead and their relatives to suddenly become regarded as saints.

Happy to discuss if you explain why you disagree?

When I said “God does good and God also does bad,” I meant it in the older Hindu sense that divinity is total — creation and destruction, joy and sorrow, all part of one balance rather than moral opposition.

That’s why the pandal isn’t mockery. It’s devotional expression: an attempt to place tragedy within the cosmic order, to say even this, too, belongs to God.

To Western eyes, that feels unsettling because their traditions cast good and evil as separate forces. Hindu thought sees them as movements within one reality, restoring equilibrium. Ironically, many modern Indians now view such art through the same Western moral lens, forgetting that their own philosophy once saw sanctity even in chaos and dissolution.

Like the Crusade?
Land of Palestinian?
Yugoslavia?
Sunni and Shia?
Scientology?

Religion is perhaps the biggest reason for "provoking insensitivity and pain to others" and responsible for most mass deaths in our civilization.

@BrownBoy

At least Hawaii got "state" status.
Like Alaska, they got state because of it's strategic military location.

The US territories had it worse. Followed by puppet nations such as Taiwan and Ukraine.

Don’t offend but confuse - the whole social dynamic. Of course there are exceptions and many western families don’t fall in this but majority do - kids moving out as soon as they become adult, parents in their old age don’t live with their kids.