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Upset Hindus are urging Manchester (United Kingdom) based online festival clothing firm “Fantasy EDM Gear” for immediate withdrawal of yoga mat carrying image of Hindu deity 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 sit on or put feet/buttocks/legs on or sweat on. 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 “Fantasy EDM Gear” to offer a formal apology.
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.
“Fantasy EDM Gear” urges customers to “Throw some yoga moves on our Ganesha Elephant God Yoga Mat”, which was priced at £90.
Mission of “Fantasy EDM Gear” includes helping “people feel inspired and uplifted from wearing unique apparel” and it believes “positive clothes make for a positive mind”. “Made with love”, its products are claimed to be “guaranteed not to fade, peel or crack”. Lindsey Nicholas is reportedly the founder of this “rave apparel” company.