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October 17, 2006

In a mail received from Claudia Kaiser, Director, Frankfurt Book Fair, International Department conveyed by apology letter that the denigrating poster of Lord Ganesh was removed after protests. The organizers again apologized for the hurting of sentiments. When the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti come to know about the denigration, Samiti had sent a protest letter and started online campaign against the denigration. Due to HJS protest the organizers of book fair immediately render apology. Later HJS had demanded to remove the poster from the exhibition and render public apology by sending a follow-up letter.

Read below the mail received

Response from Frankfurt Book Fair Book Fair

To HJS,

Please excuse that we have not been able to respond to your further requests due to a few days of holiday after the book fair.
I can assure you that the poster was removed - and has been removed more than a week ago.

Again, the organisers are very sorry if any sentiments were hurt as this was not their intention with this piece of art.

Best wishes
Claudia Kaiser

***********************************************
Claudia Kaiser
Frankfurt Book Fair, International Department
Director
Reineckstrasse 3
60313 Frankfurt/Main
Germany
Tel: + 49 69 2102 299
Fax:+ 49 69 2102 210
www.frankfurt-book-fair.com
kaiser@book-fair.com
***************************************
Frankfurt Book Fair 2006: 4-8 October
Guest of Honour, India
20th International Rights Directors Meeting (3 October 2006) at http://www.book-fair.com/rights-meeting/

-------------- Apology Letter -----------

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,

With regards to your protests against the billboard with the painting of Lord Ganesh which is part of an exhibition shown at the Frankfurt Book Fair, Germany, in October 2006 please note that this exhibition has already been shown in Delhi, India, as well as on the Potsdamer Platz in Berlin, Germany, in 2005. It was curated by the agency Bellevue and supported by the Federal Foreign Office of Germany. National Book Trust, the agency entrusted to organise the Guest of Honour Presentation at the Frankfurt Book Fair, was not involved at all.

All institutions are very sorry if the religious sentiments of the Hindus were completely unintentionally hurt through this piece of art which is part of the exhibition.

We will be happy to answer any other inquiry.

With our very best wishes

***********************************************
Claudia Kaiser
Frankfurt Book Fair, International Department
Director
Reineckstrasse 3
60313 Frankfurt/Main
Germany
Tel: + 49 69 2102 299
Fax:+ 49 69 2102 210
www.frankfurt-book-fair.com
kaiser@book-fair.com
***************************************
Frankfurt Book Fair 2006: 4 - 8 October
Guest of Honour >India<
>20th International Rights Directors<