In a bizarre incident that has shocked many, a well-known astrophysicist from Vadodara was thrown out of a garba venue in Atlanta, Georgia, after being told that he did not look like a Hindu. Karan Jani, who now lives in the United States, then took to social media to speak of the incident which he said left him and his friends “shocked and embarrassed.”
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”.
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
When another friend presented his ID to the organisers, he was told that his last name ended with “wala,” which didn’t sound like Hindu.
“They still said we were “Vohra, Sindhis”. They actually kept stating other religions!! They ganged up and told us to leave,” Jani wrote on Twitter.
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
“I was told by that organizer, a senior person, things in Gujarati which are so crude & demeaning that it can’t be shared on public forum. Just to ensure we don’t dare to enter the temple again. Such fuss just for Garba in Navratri – With friends – to celebrate Indian culture,” he added.
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.
