After sari, Mandira's tattoo 'forgiven'

New Delhi: Mandira Bedi has her way of landing in trouble with her attire.

First it was her now-famous noodle straps that caught the imagination of a cricket-crazy nation, then a controversial tattoo on her back and now her sari that has dishonoured the Tricolour.

On the cricket World Cup live show Extraa Innings, telecast on Sony Max on Saturday night, Mandira was seen wearing a sari that had an image of the Tricolour below her waist. According to Constitution, wearing the Triclour waist down is considered a dishonour to the flag.

Mandira's sari had images of national flags of all the cricket-playing nations printed on it.

Mandira reacted swiftly to the controversy and apologised. ''My husband informed me some people had taken offence on my wearing a sari which has Indian flag printed on it. So I have changed my sari now,” she was quoted as saying by agencies.

The controversial sari was designed for Mandira by Satya Paul especially for coverage of the World Cup.

''I had kept this sari specially to wear on the day of final match but if I have offended anybody's sentiments, I offer my deep apology. It was inadvertent and not intentional.

Incidentally, on Saturday while this controversy was only just brewing, Akal Takht, the highest body of Sikh religious affairs, accepted Mandira’s apology regarding the use of a Sikh religious symbol on her body as a tattoo.

Mandira sent a signed apology to Akal Takht head Joginder Singh Vedanti expressing regret over hurting Sikh sentiments by displaying an Ek Omkar tattoo in Gurmukhi on her bare back during a fashion show in Mumbai recently.

Ek Omkar (God is One) are the first words of the Sikh scripture, the Guru Granth Sahib.

Mandira, a Sikh herself, had earlier sent an apology which was not accepted as it was unsigned. She later sent a signed one.

Accepting her apology, a spokesman of the Akal Takht head said that Mandira did not personally need to appear before the Takht.

Mandira Bedi, who became famous as a TV star with her role in the serial Shanti a decade ago, has recently been creating waves by becoming a studio cricket commentator in the live show Extraa Innings - rubbing shoulders with top cricketers of yesteryears.

This is the second cricket World Cup for which she has been engaged by Sony's Set Max channel.