Upset Hindus have urged for the immediate recalling of swimwear carrying image of Lord Ganesh designed by New York (USA) based “Mara Hoffman”, calling it inappropriate. Mara Hoffman, who launched her first collection in 2000, is usually heavily focused on prints. Distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, said that Lord Ganesh was highly revered in Hinduism and was meant to be worshiped in temples or home shrines and not for pushing swimwear for mercantile greed. 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 Mara Hoffman to offer an apology.
He also asked Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, Saks Fifth Avenue, Amazon.com and Neiman Marcus to stop selling “Mara Hoffman” Ganesh swimwear, one of which was priced for $275.
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 argued.
Rajan Zed further said that such trivialization of Lord Ganesh 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. There are about three million Hindus in USA and moksh (liberation) is the ultimate goal of Hinduism.