Shillong, Sep 20: Five-star hotel Vivanta Shillong got itself into a bit of a controversy today over a social media post celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi.
The hotel chain had morphed an image of a Sohra waterfall into the head and trunk of an elephant, the animal associated with Ganesh. “A Celebration of New Beginnings,” the post read. “Happy Ganesh Chaturthi”.
The image was called out by Alan West Kharkongor, a tourism industry stakeholder, today morning. He called the post “deeply concerning”.
Deeply connected to the region, Kharkongor said that “Sohra is not simply a scenic backdrop. Its waterfalls, mountains and forests are part of the history, folklore and cultural identity of the Khasi people. Altering the landscape to create a religious image can mislead visitors and distort the cultural and historical character of the place.”
Celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi is “perfectly legitimate” but such celebration “should not come at the cost of misrepresenting the identity of Sohra and Meghalaya.”
He criticised Vivanta for failing to responsibly promote the destination “with cultural sensitivity, accuracy and respect for the indigenous heritage of the land.”
Kharkongor was joined in the criticism by John W Thabah, former Editor of Highland Post. He hails from Sohra and, like Kharkongor, also contested unsuccessfully in the 2024 state election for Sohra constituency.
“As a person who was born and brought up in Sohra and whose life is dedicated to the goodness and welfare of the people of Sohra, I feel seriously offended by the religious depiction of Nohkalikai Falls by Vivanta Hotel, Shillong,” Thabah said. “The digital depiction will mislead people and tourists about this waterfall which has its own story behind its name. While I have full respect for Hinduism and all other religions in the universe, I feel very unfortunate that a leading hotel chain is using the waterfall for a Hindu religious celebration, that too by a digital picture that depicts Nohkalikai in a very wrong way.”
Kharkongor made his feelings felt through a Facebook post that garnered hundreds of comments, both for and against the Vivanta image.
At some point in the day today Vivanta Shillong removed the post without comment.
