Study Notes on 'Hinduism in the News: The Shifting Role of Religion and the Media in Canadian Public Life'

Richard Mann, Associate Professor of Religion at Carleton University.
Article published in the Canadian Journal of Communication, Volume 40 (2015), pp. 87–103.
Email: richard.mann@carleton.ca.

This article studies Canadian and international newspaper reports from September 1995 regarding the Ganesha milk drinking miracle.
The chronology of reports is analyzed to show the evolution of the story from an exotic miracle in India to occurrences in Canada.
Findings indicate a limitation in the Canadian media's perspective on religion, which is often viewed as soft news with limited social and political implications.
Comparisons with international sources illustrate the political dimension of the story and challenge the boundaries between public and private spheres regarding religion.
Key Terms: Print culture, journalism, newspapers, religion, public/private sphere.

L'étude examine des articles canadiens et internationaux parus en septembre 1995 concernant le miracle de la consommation de lait de Ganesha.
Analyse de la chronologie des articles sur le miracle d'un Orient 'exotique' vers un événement similaire au Canada.
Discussion sur l'incapacité des médias canadiens à tracer un lien entre religion et actualités importantes avec des implications sociales et politiques.
La comparaison avec les rapports internationaux soulève des interrogations sur les frontières entre sphères publique et privée en matière de religion.

Date: September 21, 1995
Event: Reports emerged of murtis (icons or images of deities) of Ganesha, the elephant-headed Hindu god, drinking milk from spoons held by devotees in India.
Observers reported milk disappearing as if drawn through a straw, generating widespread amazement.
Ganesha is considered one of the most beloved Hindu deities, associated with the removal of obstacles; his worship typically includes offerings, including milk.
Reports indicated a mass arrival of devotees at temples, causing traffic disruptions in Delhi and milk shortages in local stores.
Spread of News: Information spread rapidly globally, resulting in reports from international cities within days, signifying its evolution into a global phenomenon.

The article analyzes newspaper reports primarily from southern Ontario and some international sources from September 21 to 23, 1995.
Key Argument: Canadian media struggles with reporting on religious events that stem from minority traditions, often framing such stories as soft news rather than addressing their broader implications.
Cultural Context: Examination reveals Canadian media’s initial perception of the miracle as an exotic event, later recognizing its local significance.
Public Sphere Dynamics: Examines tensions regarding the representation of religion within Canadian media, emphasizing how narratives are shaped by historical and sociopolitical relations.

Ideas of miracles in the Christian context originated in Reformation and post-Enlightenment Europe.
Historical Perspectives:
- In pre-Reformation Europe, miracles were seen positively, viewed as emblematic of divine intervention.
- Protestant Reformation shifted perspectives, questioning the validity of miracles from non-Christian traditions.
- Enlightenment thinkers, including David Hume, critiqued miracles, viewing them as irrationally based on cultural bias.
- Hume categorized miracles as events occurring outside natural laws, subsequently framed as incredulous within Western culture.

Initial International Coverage: Reports from Reuters by Narayanan Madhavan highlighted the event with sensationalism that catered to Western perceptions of the exotic “other.”
Canadian newspapers, such as the Globe and Mail, adapted the narrative to fit local readership, stressing a Western skepticism toward the notion of miracles.
For example:
- The Globe and Mail headline shifted from mentioning miracle to focusing on “milk-slurping,” highlighting the perceived otherness and gullibility of devotees.
- Comparison with the Toronto Star illustrated a transition from foreign perspective to a more localized portrayal, marking a notable evolution in coverage tone and content.

As the media reports transitioned from an exotic description of events occurring abroad to acknowledging their local implications in Canada, the narratives began to humanize devotees, emphasizing personal faith connections, e.g., local interviews with temple members.
Report on Scientific Explanations: Coverage frequently juxtaposed spiritual perspectives with scientific rationalizations, thereby reaffirming a dominant Western skepticism.

International media highlighted the event’s political implications, discussing the contextual rivalry between religious and rationalist groups in India, particularly in the aftermath of communal tensions and political shifts.
Critique against Canadian media for reducing a multiculturally significant religious phenomenon to soft news, limiting acknowledgement of its political relevance, particularly within global discussions on secularism and national identities.

The Ganesha miracle controversy illustrates the constructed boundaries between public and private, showcasing how print media shapes perceptions of minority religions.
The reporting trajectory reveals discrepancies between Canadian and Indian media representations, with the former often reducing complex cultural phenomena into digestible narratives that obscure deeper sociopolitical contexts.
Final Insight: Understanding the role of media involves examining how power dynamics within society dictate the representation of religious phenomena, highlighting an imbalance in how religious narratives are framed based on cultural biases, particularly in a post-Enlightenment secular context.