Amazon Canada sells Lord Ganesha underwear: Upset Hindus seek apology

Upset Hindus are urging online retailer Amazon Canada for the immediate withdrawal of underwear, doormats, bed sheets, sweatpants, rugs, bedspreads, bedcovers, picnic beach sheets, floor mat, sweat shorts and skateboards carrying images of Hindu deities Ganesha, Shiva and Hanuman; calling it highly inappropriate.

Image of Hindu god Lord Ganesh on Undergarment.

“Women’s Ganesh Ganesa Ganapati 4 White Hipsters” carry the image of Hindu deity Lord Ganesha on the hip on the underwear worn by the model on the Amazon.ca website. Described as “Sexy Fashion Hipsters”, these sell for CDN$ 25.99 each.

US-based distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada today, said that Hindu deities Lord Ganesha, Lord Shiva and Lord Hanuman were highly revered in Hinduism and were meant to be worshipped in temples or home shrines and not to wear on your hip or legs or put your feet on or touch with your feet or sleep/sit on. Inappropriate usage of Hindu deities or concepts for commercial or other agenda was not okay as it hurt the faithful.

Art of Lord Ganesh; A Hindu God and Son of Sadashiva

Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, also urged Amazon Canada and Amazon.com President Jeffrey P. Bezos to offer a formal apology, besides withdrawing such products, as this was not the first time for the company to offer such products which were deemed offensive by Hindu 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 frivolously. Symbols of any faith, larger or smaller, should not be mishandled, Rajan Zed indicated.

He 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.

Amazon.com, Inc., a Fortune 500 company founded in 1994, and headquartered in Seattle (USA), claims to offer earth’s biggest selection. Its Canada office is reportedly based in Toronto.

Source: Meri News