Elon Musk Joins List of Targets on Lucknow’s Ravana-Themed Dussehra Posters

LUCKNOW: A series of Dussehra displays in Lucknow has brought together an unusual mix of Indian political figures, international personalities and technology entrepreneur Elon Musk, using the imagery of Ravana to convey a message of opposition to those portrayed as being against India’s interests.

The installations, reported at several busy junctions in the Uttar Pradesh capital, carry the provocative title “Bharat Virodhi Dashanan Ravan”.

The Sanatan Raksha Sangathan has been identified as the organisation behind the displays, which draw on the familiar Dussehra tradition of symbolically defeating evil through the burning of Ravana’s effigy.

The portraits span political, business and public life.

They include Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, gangster-politicians Atiq Ahmad and Mukhtar Ansari, US lawmaker Ilhan Omar, Bangladesh’s Muhammad Yunus, investor George Soros, lawyer Prashant Bhushan and Musk, the head of Tesla and SpaceX.

By placing these figures within a common Ravana-themed display, the organisers have used a traditional festival symbol to make a contemporary political statement.

The appearance of Musk, a prominent figure in the global technology industry, adds an international business personality to the collection.

Tesla’s Roadster returns to the spotlight

Musk has also drawn attention for a demonstration of Tesla’s next-generation Roadster, an electric sports car whose market launch has been repeatedly postponed since its announcement nearly a decade ago.

At a presentation held on Thursday at a SpaceX testing facility in Texas, the vehicle performed a series of dramatic manoeuvres.

It negotiated a steep, curved ramp, travelled upside down, briefly rose above the ground, then rotated and returned safely to the surface.

The demonstration centred on a system of compressed air and thrusters rather than conventional automotive performance alone.

TechCrunch reported that Tesla vehicle engineering chief Lars Moravy described a configuration involving 10 thrusters linked to a 600-litre compressed-air supply.

Tesla subsequently highlighted the role of compressed gas in extending the duration of the vehicle’s airborne movements in a post on X.

The spectacle, however, should not be confused with evidence that the car can fly over long distances or remain airborne for extended periods. What was demonstrated was a short aerial manoeuvre, not sustained flight.

Three versions planned as production target shifts

The Roadster project dates back to 2017, when Tesla first announced the new generation and set an initial delivery target of 2020.

That schedule was not met, and the company has continued to revise expectations. Musk now points to 2028 as the anticipated start of production.

Tesla has outlined three configurations for the vehicle, named Performance, Thrust and Rocket. The company positions the first as suitable for road use and the second for racing.

The Rocket edition is intended to feature additional thrusters for brief airborne manoeuvres.

The proposed booking arrangements also distinguish the models. Tesla is accepting reservations for the Performance version against a $50,000 deposit and for the Thrust model against $250,000.

The single-seat Rocket edition is restricted to invitation-based access, with no standard public reservation facility.

Final retail prices have yet to be announced. The production schedule, technical capabilities and eventual availability of the Roadster remain key questions for customers following a project that has experienced years of delays.

In Lucknow, meanwhile, the use of Musk’s portrait in the festival displays has placed the technology executive in a different context altogether.

The posters draw on religious and cultural symbolism to express a political viewpoint, while the Roadster demonstration has focused attention on Tesla’s ambitions for an unconventional electric sports car.