Content creator Atharva Sudame deleted the post and apologised to everyone saying he did not intend to hurt religious sentiments. File picture taken from his Instagram handle.
A Pune-based content creator deleted his reel on social harmony on the background of the upcoming Ganeshotsav, after backlash on social media. Atharva Sudame, a social media influencer, apologised after deleting his post, saying he did not want to hurt religious sentiments.
Mr. Sudame, who has 1.7 million followers on Instagram, had posted a video for festival of Ganeshotsav festival. In the reel, which has since been deleted, Mr. Sudame appeared as a devotee who wants to buy an idol of Lord Ganpati. The seller of the idol quotes a price. Just as Mr. Sudame is about to buy the idol, a small boy wearing a skullcap comes running to the idol maker and hands him his lunch. After awkward silence, the idol maker tells Mr. Sudame that there are other shops down the street if he chooses to buy from some place else. To this, Mr. Sudame tells him that he must have had good intentions while making the idol.
“My father tells me, you should be the sugar which sweetens kheer and sheer kurma; you should be the brick which builds a temple or a mosque,” Mr. Sudame tells the idol maker. The idol maker responds saying his father too made the idols with pure feelings in his heart.
The reel evoked strong reactions on social media. Some spoke in support, some opposed him, advising him to not give any advice regarding religious matters.
“Atharva Sudame has created filth, and he will have to face consequences for his entire life. I have never liked this over-rated social media influencer. Now, he has introduced Pune in a wrong way through his reel,” a person named Jaysing Mohan posted on Facebook. Backlash came in from several quarters. Many jumped in Mr. Sudame’s support too, who asked him to not delete the post.
On Monday (August 25, 2025), Mr. Sudame deleted the post and apologised to everyone saying he did not intend to hurt religious sentiments.
“We have reached a level where talk of Hindu-Muslim unity evokes violence. Yet, it is heartening that even in such an atmosphere we have people like Atharva Sudame who can and do talk about Hindu-Muslim unity,” Apoorvanand, an academic and writer, posted on X.
Maharashtra minister Ashish Shelar told a media house that the Constitution does not allow such discrimination.
Published – August 26, 2025 08:27 am IST
