Upset Hindus are urging Charlotte (North Carolina) based fashion activewear company “GearBunch” for immediate withdrawal of leggings, capris and bedding carrying images of Hindu deity Lord Ganesha; calling it highly inappropriate.
Distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada 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 legs or to be slept upon. Inappropriate usage of Hindu deities or concepts for commercial or other agenda was not okay as it hurt the devotees.
Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, also urged GearBunch and its CEO to also offer a formal apology; besides withdrawing Lord Ganesha leggings, capris and bedding.
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 deities 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.
GearBunch, which claims to “combine fashion with activewear”, specializes in “women’s workout leggings” and offers “hand made” in USA “all day activewear”. Its mission includes “trendy products for the bold, style aware global girl, who always pushes the boundaries, works hard, plays harder, looks amazing, and believes in herself”. Lord Ganesha leggings, capris and bedding set are priced at $87.99, $79.99 and $189 respectively.
In Hinduism, Lord Ganesha is worshipped as god of wisdom and remover of obstacles and is invoked before the beginning of any major undertaking. There are about three million Hindus in USA.
Source: World Hindu News (WHN)