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Who — or what — gets more respect in India; women or cows? That controversial question, posed by a photographer through pictures of women wearing a cow mask, has prompted death threats.
Photographer Sujatro Ghosh wanted to contrast a recent wave of violence by Hindu extremists — in the name of cow protection — with the lack of progress on women's rights.
"There are people on the trains, people in their bedrooms, people on a boat, people in the market … I have photographed people wherever they belong," the 23-year-old said.
"My primary objective is about women's rights, and women's protection."
Ghosh said the implication was "absolutely" that cows were treated better than women.
"That is what I'm trying to say through my project," he said.
One of the models, Suchismita Panda, 22, said her motivation for posing in a Kolkata market wearing the mask was a desire to question the Government's focus on the protection of cattle revered by Hindus, while sexual violence against women remained a major issue.
"Being a woman in India today, safety is a big question," the political science student said.
"I just don't like how the present Government leaves that question on the side and just starts bringing up issues like protection of the cow."
India's sacred cows currently stand at the heart of a battle for India's identity.
Secularists are fiercely resisting a push for what's referred to as "Hindutva" — the idea India's culture and institutions ought to reflect the Hindu values of its majority.
Under pressure from his party's religious right, the Hindu-nationalist Government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a nationwide ban on selling cattle for slaughter.
Hardline state leaders from his party vowed to shutter abattoirs and increase penalties for cattle slaughter and consumption.
Critics said those initiatives had been interpreted by so-called "cow-protection" vigilantes as a green light for horrific violence — mob bashings and even killings — which have risen sharply under Mr Modi's rule.
So, have the photographs' message reached those they're aimed at?
Ghosh said he had won acclaim and praise, but also borne the brunt visceral anger — and even death threats — from people who found the images insulting.
"It's overwhelming praise that I've got but obviously there are some negative responses," he said.
"People told me I should be lynched and the women I am photographing should be lynched.
"I got some reaction on twitter, and it's really alarming."
But he said that was exactly the reaction he was seeking.
"This is also what keeps me going, because if you think about it, this is people thinking about this whole debate that I am trying to strike up."
Ghosh said a successful crowdfunding effort is now allowing him to take the project further, and he is currently preparing for a new series of pictures focusing on rural women.
Student and "model" Suchismita Panda said that was important, because while "going viral" was one thing, reaching India's offline community could enable the idea to have a far greater impact.
"This sort of a mindset [towards women] is very prevalent, more so in the rural areas," she said.
"So if we could take this into those spaces, then maybe we'd be looking at a larger change."
Topics: women, rights, law-crime-and-justice, religion-and-beliefs, animal-welfare, community-and-society, world-politics, india, asia
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