The Controversy of Colonial-Era Racism and Imagery in Media
A big mess erupted after a leading Norwegian paper printed a cartoon. It was racist. It showed Prime Minister Narendra Modi as some kind of snake charmer.
The backlash was immediate and huge. People were furious. They argued it just reinforced old, tired stereotypes. It felt like colonial-era racism being dressed up as some kind of commentary.
This whole thing kicked off after a bit of friction in Norway. A journalist named Helle Lyng tried to ask Prime Minister Modi some questions during a joint media appearance. She asked why he didn't take questions from the free press.
There was no sign that Modi reacted or heard her remark. But clips of that moment, the interaction itself, spread fast online.
The cartoon, published by the newspaper Aftenposten, used this moment. They put Modi posing with a fuel-station pipe, making him look like a snake charmer. It was paired with an opinion piece titled something deliberately annoying, “A sneaky and slightly annoying man.”
The reaction online was savage. People condemned it immediately. They pointed out the obvious irony. They said this image reduced India to just being a land of snake charmers.
One user on X put it out there. “This isn’t journalism. It’s colonial-era racism dressed up as commentary.” They felt the Western media was just recycling old baggage.
There was a lot of anger directed at the newspaper itself. People felt it was xenophobic. Disrespectful to India, and disrespectful to the leader who was elected there.
Another comment hit hard. Someone pointed out the irony again. PM Modi himself had talked about this. Back in 2014, he mentioned India had moved past being seen as "snake charmers," now becoming known for technological skill. He even brought up "mouse charmers" in the digital age.
But now, during his trip to Oslo, a major European paper depicted him exactly how the old colonial view saw him. It felt like the fantasy hadn't broken.
This wasn't an isolated incident either. There was a similar controversy back in 2022. A Spanish newspaper used "snake charmer" imagery while talking about India's growing economic power. It just recycled those old, dated stereotypes.
The issue digs deeper than just the image. It’s about who gets to decide what India looks like on the global stage.
When the row started, the government side tried to push back. MEA Secretary (West) Sibi George stepped in. He defended India’s democratic setup, its human rights record, and its constitutional values during that interaction.
George argued that the criticism came from selective sources. He suggested that many international critics build their views on reports from what he called "ignorant NGOs." They just read one or two news reports and then jump in with questions.
He basically said the critics fail to grasp India's complexity and diversity. They don't see the full picture. It’s all about how history gets filtered.
Europeans, some people argued, still can't shake those colonial fantasies. They just keep looking for easy ways to define other nations. It’s a pattern.
The scale of India, George pointed out. He mentioned the sheer volume of news coming out of India every day. Hundreds of channels in Delhi, English, Hindi, multiple languages. People just don't grasp the real scope.
It’s all about perspective. And right now, the perspective being shoved onto India feels deeply unfair.
Written by Gree News Team — Senior Editorial Board
Gree News Team covers international news and global affairs at Gree News. Our collective of senior editors is dedicated to providing independent, accurate, and responsible journalism for a global audience.
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