Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 03:30pm on 07 Sep 2026,Monday Entertainment
Dhirendra Krishna Shastri’s appeal to keep non-vegetarian food away from Durga Puja pandals in Bengal has sparked social-media comparisons with Satyajit Ray’s 1965 film Mahapurush and its self-proclaimed godman Birinchi Baba. Shastri made the appeal during a Kolkata visit, reigniting controversy surrounding an apparent Vishwa Hindu Parishad advisory issued on August 26. The VHP later clarified it was not seeking to enforce vegetarianism. The debate intensified after Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari shared a stage with Shastri and invited him to establish a centre in the state. Critics online invoked Birinchi Baba’s fictional claims while defending Bengal’s food traditions, particularly the cultural significance of fish and meat within many Bengali Shakta traditions during Durga Puja celebrations. (PC: The Telegraph)
