Viral video: Kerala vlogger faces backlash for applying sindoor to foreign woman

Maheen Shajahan, a travel vlogger from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, is currently under fire. The vlogger posted a video of himself visiting a Hindu temple with foreigners and applying vermilion on their foreheads. He has since faced backlash on social media. Many have called the act inappropriate and an insult to Hindu traditions.

Shajahan posted the video on his Instagram account (@hitchhiking.nomad) on May 25. In the video, he is seen entering the temple with his friends and welcoming them by applying vermilion to their foreheads.

He captioned the video, “A Muslim boy in a Kerala temple; In Kerala, faith is not a barrier but a bridge. As a Muslim boy taking foreign friends to a Hindu temple, I experienced nothing but warmth, welcome and peace. In this green corner of India, religious harmony is not just an idea, it is practiced every day. We respect. We celebrate. We share. Different paths, one love.”

However, after the video went viral on social media, it was criticised, with many netizens accusing him of misusing Hindu tradition. 

In a response to Brut India, Shahjahan clarified that no woman in his video objected to the act. In a video, Shajahan said, “I am well aware that married women apply this (vermilion), but I did not know that it is such a big deal and that no one else can apply it. If I had known, I would not have done it because I am a traveller and although I do not follow any religion, I try to respect all religions.”

He also said that some people are misusing his video to increase communal tension. Along with this, he apologised to those whose sentiments were hurt by this action.

Shajahan also explained that when he went to a temple with his friends, the priest there gave him a puja plate, which also contained vermilion. When he applied vermilion on the foreheads of his friends, his Hindu friends were also present, and they did not object to it.

Meanwhile, after Brut India uploaded the video, it went viral and many have expressed their views in the comments. Shahjahan has also commented on this video. “Peace, peace, peace. I have never tried to hurt any religion. As a Malayali, I have the freedom to enter any religious place in Kerala without any problem. I have never faced any criticism for that. We live in peace. Unfortunately, times have changed, and politics has divided people now,” he wrote