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| - Fact Check: Truth behind video of Africans performing 'sawan somvar' puja
A video of some Africans singing bhajans and conducting Hindu rituals is going viral on social media with the claim that they are performing puja on the occasion of the first Monday of 'Sawan' month.
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India Today Fact Check
Video is of Guru Purnima celebrations at the Sathya Sai Baba ashram in the small West African country of Benin.
A video of some Africans singing bhajans and conducting Hindu rituals is going viral on social media with the claim that they are performing puja on the occasion of the first Monday of 'Sawan' month.
Several social media users, including Bollywood screenwriter Advaita Kala and BJP leader Kapil Mishra, have shared the video along with the claim.
(via Wattsapp) #omnamahshivay pic.twitter.com/xP3W1D1NJr — #StayHome (@AdvaitaKala) July 8, 2020
India Today Anti Fake News War Room (AFWA) has found the claim to be misleading. The video is from the small West African country of Benin, where people were celebrating Guru Purnima at the Sathya Sai Baba ashram.
The video shows an African man performing 'havan', as others chant "Om Swaha" after him. Some kids are playing drums and other instruments, while posters of Sathya Sai Baba can also be seen in the one-minute-36-second clip.
Advaita Kala said she'd received the video via WhatsApp. The archived version of her tweet can be seen here. Kapil Mishra had retweeted (her post. The clip, along with the claim, has gone viral on Facebook () too.
AFWA probe
Posters of Sathya Sai baba seen in the video suggested the celebration could be linked to his followers. Searching for the video with the help of keywords, we found it on a YouTube channel with the title, "SINGING SRI SATHYA SAI BABA'S GLORY IN BENIN".
The details of the video say, "Sathya Sai Movement is in full swing in BENIN (a small French speaking country in West Africa which even majority those living in the African continent wouldn't have heard of). Sathya Sai Baba's message and glory is sung full throated. Lots of seva activities including a Sathya Sai School imparting value based education is operating in this country. Here is a short video of a bhajan session in Benin."
Taking a clue from this, we searched for the Facebook page of Sathya Sai Baba's organisation in Benin. Through this page, we contacted representatives of his ashram in the country.
Jacques Fego, president of the national council of Sri Sathya Sai Organisation in Benin, confirmed that the video is related to Guru Purnima celebrations in the ashram on July 5, 2020.
Guru Purnima is a tradition dedicated to spiritual and academic gurus (teachers). This year, it was celebrated on July 5 (Sunday), while the first Monday of 'Sawan' month was observed the next day, i.e. on July 6.
Therefore, it is clear that the viral video from Africa is not related to celebrations of the first Monday of 'Sawan' month but to Guru Purnima.
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