Indians protest “theft” by Malaysia ***

NEW DELHI, Feb 30 – Indians are outraged at Malaysia’s depiction of the Bharathanatyam dance in a tourism advertisement as a Malaysian heritage. Malaysia has been showing Indian dances and other items as part of its culture under its “Malaysia, Truly Asia” theme.
The president of the Delhi United National Cultural Enterprise (DUNCE), Prof Dr Baldev Singh said that Bharathanatyam was clearly an Indian heritage. “How can Malaysia claim it ? We are outraged.” He screamed.

Dr Thiruvalluvar, head of the Heritage Organisation of Dravidians (HOOD) said this was not an isolated incident. He claimed that thousands of Indian words have been stolen and incorporated into the Malaysian language, some thinly disguised by slight spelling changes. He wanted an immediate end to this wholesale thievery.

The Prime Minister of India expressed surprise that Malaysia had behaved this way. “We always believed that our relationship was based on trust. We never expected this from the Malaysians. We will henceforth be more vigilant.” He refused to confirm reports that India was reviewing major highway projects awarded to Malaysian companies, as well as imports of palm oil. "The Indian High Commissioner in Kuala Lumpur has been recalled for consultations," he said.

Indians have been rioting on the streets of Indian cities, and calling for action against Malaysia.
Indian cities are among top destinations for Malaysians. Travellers are opting not to take risks with their safety as threats against Malaysians in the republic have escalated over the past few weeks.“There have been more than 50 per cent cancellations as of today. People pay for holidays to unwind and enjoy themselves, not to worry about their safety,” said an industry operator. He said besides the influenza A (H1N1) pandemic, the current situation had added to the losses the tourism industry was suffering. Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry and the Malaysian embassy in India will continue to monitor the situation closely and issue regular reports. An operations room has been set up to receive reports of any related incidents from members of the public, especially Malaysian citizens currently in India. The anti-Malaysia movement in India did not only take their anger to the streets but also through the Internet.

On the social networking site Facebook, for example, the Anti-Malaysia groups are a hit among Indians , whose members are mostly youngsters.The Anti-Malaysia group has 1,315,000,000 members.The movement has been accusing Malaysia of "stealing" Indian culture and heritage for many years. "Even the word 'curi' which means to steal has been stolen from Hindi," said Josef Stalin, a protester.

Members have also posted criticisms and derogatory comments on the site while over 2,000 members participated in a discussion to voice their dissatisfaction at Malaysia.There are also hundreds of photos and videos mocking the country.

In Chennai three youths self-immolated themselves in protest, claiming that the Bharathanatyam belonged to the Tamils. Meanwhile the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam led by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Kalaignar Karunanithi announced that members will go on an indefinite fast to protest against Malaysia. "We will not give up our culture. உடல் மண்ணுக்கு உயிர் தமிழுக்கு ", he proclaimed.

Meanwhile in London, the British Commonwealth office revealed that many English words too have been stolen and surreptitiously incorporated into the Malaysian Language. Lord Mc Guinness, the Chief Commissioner, demanded that Malaysia pay royalty on these words. Where the spellings are altered, a discount could be considered, he offered.