Simi Garewal’s defence of Ravana and mockery of Dussehra: The Indian Left’s selective attacks on Hindu traditions and its trivialisation of women’s sufferings

Every Dussehra, effigies of Ravana go up in flames across India. For millions of Hindus, the ritual is not just a spectacle but a reaffirmation of the timeless principle that dharma triumphs over adharma. It is a civilisational reminder that evil, no matter how powerful or sophisticated, will eventually be defeated by righteousness.

But this year, washed-up actress and producer Simi Garewal chose to use the occasion to trivialise the ritual and, by extension, mock the very foundation of Hindu cultural memory. In an “open letter” to Ravana, she wrote that his behaviour should be reclassified from “evil” to “slightly naughty,” going on to argue that apart from kidnapping Sita, Ravana actually treated her better than many women are treated in today’s world. She even suggested that burning hi