America
Upset Hindus urge NYC yoga fashion firm to recall Lord Ganesha pants
Upset Hindus have urged for the immediate withdrawal of yoga
pants carrying image of Lord Ganesha sold by a New York City headquartered designer yoga and
activewear firm Nóli Yoga Clothing, calling it 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 be worn around
one’s legs. 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,
urged Nóli to withdraw these pants from other vendors also besides its own website
and also offer a formal apology.
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 noted.
Zed further said 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.
Yoga pants which Hindu devotees are finding objectionable
are called “Graffiti Yoga Pants†($68), which are claimed to “allow ease of
movement that lends to our ability to explore and discover your creativity
within the yogaâ€.
“Eco friendly†Nóli, whose tagline is "where yoga
fashion and performance meet", sells yoga pants, capris, shorts and tops;
mostly aimed at women. With offices in New York City
and manufacturing in Los Angeles and Miami, it claims
providing “balance between fashionable and comfortable activewearâ€, “designed
to fit and flatterâ€, and leggings “sleek enough to wear for any occasion off
the matâ€.
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.