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Fact Check: Photos Of Ram On Times Square Go Viral, Know Which One Is Real
Writer: Aditi Chattopadhyay
Aditi, part of the fact checking team of The Logical Indian likes to read, write, cook and laugh, in short live life as it is supposed to be. What makes her fascinated is to discover the truth behind a story and more often than not, it is either fact or myth at the end.
India, 6 Aug 2020 6:58 AM GMT | Updated 6 Aug 2020 3:46 PM GMT
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The Logical Indian Fact Check team investigates the claim that Times Square displayed pictures of the Hindu God Ram on billboards.
On August 5, Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in a "Bhoomi Pujan" or a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the building of a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya. A photograph is being circulated in light of the "Bhoomi Pujan" which claims to show Times Square displaying pictures of the Hindu God Ram on billboards.
The Logical Indian received a request to verify the photo.
Claim:
Times Square displayed pictures of the Hindu God Ram on billboards.
Fact Check:
While it is true that billboards in Times Square in New York did display the Hindu God Ram but the photograph that is being circulated in photoshopped & Fake.
An image of Lord Ram and a 3D portrait of the model of the grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya were indeed displayed on a giant billboard in the iconic Times Square on August 5. According to news agency ANI, the largest high-definition digital display of Lord Ram is one of the most expensive digital billboards of the Hindu deity at Times Square.
#WATCH USA: A digital billboard of #RamMandir comes up in New York's Times Square.
— ANI (@ANI) August 5, 2020
Prime Minister Narendra Modi performed 'Bhoomi Pujan' of #RamMandir in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh earlier today. pic.twitter.com/Gq4Gi2kfvR
President of the American India Public Affairs Committee Jagdish Sewhani had stated earlier that among the prominent billboards that are being leased for the occasion are the giant Nasdaq screen and the 17,000-square-foot wrap-around LED display screen, considered among the largest continuous exterior displays in the world and the highest-resolution exterior LED screen in Times Square.
Below is a comparison of the actual billboard (left) and the fake billboard (right):
Generation of the fake photo
None of the news reports on the event carried the viral photograph.The viral photo was instead found to be similar to the layout provided on makesweet.com. This website provides different templates and effects resembling billboards. Below is a comparison of the viral photograph (left) and the template found on the website (right):
One of the photographs of Ram is an Alamy Stock photo. The image was uploaded by Alamy in December 2016.
"Sri Vadapathira Kaliamman Hindu temple. Avatar of Vishnu. Lord Rama 7th incarnation. Singapore," reads the caption of the image.
Below is a comparison of the viral photograph (left) and the original photo found in the Alamy website (right):
If you have any news that you believe needs to be fact-checked, please email us at factcheck@thelogicalindian.com or WhatsApp at 6364000343.
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