Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi
New Delhi, Aug 2: After triggering a storm with her controversial comments on Hindu women allegedly “earning money by being naked and performing dirty dances,” spiritual leader and Padma Bhushan awardee Sadhvi Ritambhara has issued a clarification, stating that her remarks were emotional and not meant to target all women. She also offered an apology to those who felt hurt.
In a viral video from a discourse held three months ago, Sadhvi Ritambhara is heard saying in Hindi, “Hindu women, oh God. I feel ashamed to see them. Will you earn money by being naked? By doing dirty dances, singing dirty songs? I don’t understand how their husbands, their fathers accept this?”
Facing backlash over the remarks, she told NDTV in an exclusive interview on Friday that her words were said in the presence of her close followers and stemmed from concern over the growing trend of indecent content on social media reels.
“Being unrestrained is not freedom. Undisciplined behaviour is not discipline. This is my nature… When my pain reaches a point, I share it with my loved ones,” she said, adding, “A nation becomes great because of its citizens’ conduct.”
Addressing the criticism that her comments were gender-specific, she said, “If women were hurt by my emotional words, I apologise. But I felt I was among my own people, and when that happens, one speaks with a sense of right and emotion.”
She admitted that she may have used inappropriate terms, saying, “I should not have said what I said. Maybe if I had used words like niravaran or nirvastra or conveyed it with more values... I’m a human being. I made a mistake.”
While she praised classical dance forms as “very good,” she took issue with content seen in social media reels. “Indecent behaviour, whether by one woman or many, tarnishes the image of all women,” she said.
Sadhvi Ritambhara also voiced concern about the impact of such content on the younger generation, stating that reels “poison their minds” and distract them from education and building their future.
“I should not have used that word. I made a mistake. I know the mothers of this country will forgive me… I apologise, but my country knows me,” she concluded.