Amazon.com, world’s largest online retailer headquartered in Seattle , has removed the pants carrying image of Lord Ganesha from its website after Hindus protested.
Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, who spearheaded the protest, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, thanked Amazon.com for understanding the concerns of Hindu community, which thought Lord Ganesha’s image on pants was highly inappropriate.
Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, suggested corporations to send their senior executives for training in religious and cultural sensitivity so that they had an understanding of the feelings of customers and communities when introducing new products or launching advertising campaigns.
Rajan Zed had earlier said that Lord Ganesha was highly revered in Hinduism and was meant to be worshipped in temples or home shrines and not to be worn around one’s legs, crotch and hips. Inappropriate usage of Hindu deities or concepts for commercial or other agenda was not okay as it hurt the devotees.
Hinduism was the oldest and third largest religion of the world with about one billion adherents and a rich philosophical thought and it should not be taken lightly. Symbols of any faith, larger or smaller, should not be mishandled, Zed had argued.
Rajan Zed had also pointed out that such trivialization of Lord Ganesha 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.
Pants which Hindu devotees were finding objectionable included “Ganesha’s Dream Hot Pant” ($65.95-$69.95)” and “Ganesha’s Dream Bell Bottoms” ($74.95-$78.95).
In Hinduism, Lord Ganesha is worshipped as god of wisdom and remover of obstacles and is invoked before the beginning of any major undertaking.