Call it a bad PR stunt or plain ignorance, either way, Indian actor Payal Rohatgi has managed to cause Raja Rammohan Roy to trend on the internet. It all began when Rohatgi went on to Twitter to call the Father of Indian Renaissance, a “chamcha to Britishers” on the micro-blogging website. She tweeted a video titled 'Truth Behind Sati Pratha in India' and called Raja Rammohan Roy a “traitor”. Her post was captioned, “#Jauhar was an incident related to 'Padmavati' during Mughal Khiljis invasion. Later society, with the help of traitors like Raja Ram, who Britishers used to divide society, made Sati into an evil forceful practice.”
Her tweet not only shocked Twitteratti, but also struck a nerve with many. She upset several with allegations that Roy sided with the British to malign Hindu tradition. While the stunt did get her trending on the platform, she was slammed left and right as people schooled her on his contribution to Indian society. Rohatgi responded to several comments with her own “knowledge” on the subject. Reacting to a tweet which read 'Raja Ram Mohan Roy was a social reformer and founder of Brahmo Samaj movement', Payal Rohatgi called Roy a "chamcha [lackey]" of the British, who, she said, "used him to defame the Sati tradition". In her tweet, she claimed, “Sati tradition was not compulsory but was introduced to prevent the prostitution of Hindu wives by the hands of Mughal invaders. It was the woman's choice. #FeministsofIndia Sati was not regressive.”
Even with her outburst, or her “freedom of expression” as she called it, Rohatgi said she did not try to glorify Sati. She however, also raised the issue of triple talaq. Reacting to a tweet, she said, “I am not glorifying it. I am putting across the history of its origin. It was due to Mughal invaders that #Sati started in the 1st place. Understand your history. And yes no one is practising it NOW nor am I asking anyone to practice it. But #TripleTalaq is still ON.”
This is not the first time the actress has courted controversy on the internet. Just last week, Rohatgi faced the wrath of social media when she asked for names of Indian streets on Mughal emperors to be renamed.
