The Indian flag is shown upside down
A popular cooking show, often shown live on national television, was found to have committed a major blunder when their last 4 participants were to choose a cuisine of their preference. Master Chef Australia is no stranger to controversies. Five minutes into the show, participants were given a choice of cuisine to cook and the Indian flag was shown upside down.
Concerned community members contacted The Indian Telegraph regarding this matter. The show was aired on 22nd July, Season 6, Episode 56. Upon verifying the footage aired on national television it was noticed that the issue of the flag being put upside down was unintentional.
However, certain damage was done when we received notices from concerned citizens about the lack of knowledge or empathy in ensuring symbols of national identity are not displayed incorrectly. Channel 10 was contacted about this error and we were informed that it was the first they had heard.
Dr. Yadu Singh however shared a different view. He had already tweeted, contacted and emailed Channel 10 regarding this matter the day the show was aired. Needless to say, the production company that handles Master Chef has sent an apology.
From a SHINE Australia spokesperson: “The flag being positioned upside down was an unintentional oversight during production. We unreservedly apologise for any offence caused.”
Moving forward, it becomes important to educate and learn from our mistakes. Though unintentional, many production companies should be mindful of the fact that when displaying any national symbols, proper care should be taken. Also as members of the wider Australian society, we should take every opportunity to educate the cultural significance of Indian symbols, be it the national flag, deities, songs, arts to name a few, to the wider Australian society. It is with good faith and positive engagement such mistakes can be prevented.