DigitEye India Fact Checkers
A picture of an alleged Indian stamp from 1982 is going viral on social media. The stamp shows a man wrestling with another man whom he has lifted off the ground in a stance.
The statement that is going viral along with the image claims that the stamp depicts a Muslim wrestler beating a Hindu top striker. The claim states:
Indira Gandhi issued this stamp in 1982 at the time of Asian Games. This postage stamp depicts an Ottoman Muslim wrestler beating a Hindu top striker. You can think from this what is the mentality of Congress.
The image has been going viral on X (formerly, Twitter) since 2019.
Only in #SickularIndia–This "ethnic looking"stamp was issued to commemorate #AsianGames1982 in Delhi when @INCIndia was in power. Am I reading it right that a Muslim wrestler is shown ready to thrash a Brahmin wrestler?This is neither good politics not good aesthetic. pic.twitter.com/9peMldtLlA
— Madhu Purnima Kishwar (@madhukishwar) May 8, 2019
Digiteye India received a request to fact check this claim on WhatsApp.
FACT CHECK
To establish the veracity of this claim, we searched the internet for 1982 Asian Games. The results revealed that India hosted the 9th Asian Games from November 19 to December 4, 1982, in Delhi. To commemorate this event, the then Prime Minister – Indira Gandhi, issued multiple commemorative stamps that featured the sports played at the Asian Games. Some of these stamps issued by India Post featured sports like yachting, rowing, cycling, javelin throw, discus throw, football, wrestling, etc.
One of the stamps that were issued in 1982 was the stamp that is going viral on social media. The stamp was issued on October 30, 1982. We conducted a Reverse Image Search on the stamp. One of the results led us to this page on Colnect which revealed the details about the stamp. The stamp was designed by A. Ramachandran.
We conducted a keyword search and found out that this painting by A Ramachandran was a copy of a Persian painting by Janaki. The art reflects a Mughal style from the early 17th century. The original painting can be viewed at the National Museum, Delhi. The results do not make any mention of any religion.
Hence, the claim that the stamp has a religious connotation is false.
CLAIM: A 1982 commemorative stamp issued by Indira Gandhi shows a Muslim wrestler thrashing a Hindu wrestler.
CONCLUSION: In 1982, Indira Gandhi issued multiple commemorative stamps to commemorate the 9th Asian Games that was held in Delhi. The viral stamp was designed by A Ramachandran based on a Persian painting. The painting has no religious connotation.
Rating: Misrepresentation-???
