Singapore headquartered “global online fashion and lifestyle retailer” Shein seems to have withdrawn blanket-bedspread and doormat carrying images of Hindu deity Lord Ganesh after Hindus protested; calling it highly inappropriate.

These objectionable multipurpose blanket-bedspread and doormat, which Hindus urged Shein to withdraw, were not found on its website when searched today.

Rajan Zed had said that it was shocking to visualize that Shein, for its mercantile greed, was apparently persuading the world to sleep on the image of Lord Ganesh on the blanket; and to scrub/wipe their shoes on the image of Lord Ganesh on the doormat to remove dirt-dust-mud before entering a door; while Lord Ganesh was worshipped by Hindus.

Hindu deity Lord Ganesh, whose image was depicted on Ganesh Multipurpose Blanket Bedspread and doormat earlier sold at Shein website, was highly revered in Hinduism. He was meant to be worshipped in temples or home shrines and not for covering feet and body, eating on, putting feet on, reclining, sitting, sleeping, using as pet bedding, utilizing as beach mat and ground cover, etc.; as was the case for a multipurpose blanket-bedspread; and not for putting one’s feet/shoes on for cleaning or sweeping on, as was the case with doormat. Inappropriate usage of sacred Hindu deities or concepts or symbols or icons for commercial or other agenda was not okay as it hurt the devotees; Zed had indicated.

Rajan Zed stated that Hindus were still waiting for an apology from the Shein Group and its CEO Xu Yangtian and Executive Chairman Donald Tang. Hinduism was the oldest and third largest religion of the world with about 1.2 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; Zed had noted. Rajan 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 Ganesh is worshiped as god of wisdom and remover of obstacles and is invoked before the beginning of any major undertaking. Mission of Shein, which serves customers in 160+ countries, is “make the beauty of fashion accessible to all”. Besides Singapore; it also has offices in Los Angeles, São Paulo, Dublin, Guangzhou, Paris, Washington DC, and London.

Source: World Hindu News