Withdraw Lord Ganesha shorts and apologize
Upset Hindus urge Stockholm apparel firm
cityairnews
Jan 15, 2020 08:24
0
Upset Hindus are urging Stockholm (Sweden) based clothing brand “Hoodie Lab” for immediate withdrawal of shorts carrying images of Hindu deity Lord Ganesha; calling it highly inappropriate.
Distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, said that Lord Ganesha was highly revered in Hinduism and was meant to be worshipped in temples or home shrines and not to adorn one’s thighs, hips, groin, buttocks, genitals and pelvis. Inappropriate usage of Hindu deities or concepts or symbols for commercial or other agenda was not okay as it hurt the devotees.
Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, also urged “Hoodie Lab” and its CEO to offer a formal apology; besides withdrawing “Ganesha Shorts”.
Hinduism was the oldest and third largest religion of the world with about 1.1 billion adherents and a rich philosophical thought and it should not be taken frivolously. Symbols of any faith, larger or smaller, should not be mishandled; Rajan Zed noted.
Zed further said that such trivialization of Hindu deity was disturbing to the Hindus world over. Hindus were for free artistic expression and speech as much as anybody else if not more. But faith was something sacred and attempts at trivializing it hurt the followers, Zed added.
In Hinduism, Lord Ganesha is worshipped as god of wisdom and remover of obstacles and is invoked before the beginning of any major undertaking.
Objectionable “Ganesha Shorts”, “Designed & Engineered in Stockholm, Sweden”, were priced at $22.24
“Hoodie Lab”; which describes itself as “Handcrafted apparel with unique designs from talented independent artists all over the world”; claims to “feature thousands of all over print hoodies, shirts, tank tops, and more”. Its “unique all over print clothing” is “designed to make you stand out”.
