Amazon.com,
world's largest online retailer headquartered in Seattle (USA), has removed the
women’s leggings carrying images of various Hindu gods and goddesses from its
website within 24 hours after Hindus protested.
Distinguished
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 images of Hindu gods and goddesses on leggings were
highly inappropriate.
When
checked on October 14 late evening, 11 leggings priced at $48-52 each and
carrying images of Ganesha, Shiva, Brahma, Vishnu, Muruga, Bajrang Bali, Rama,
Radha-Krishna, Kali, etc.; which Hindu devotees found objectionable; were not
seen on the Amazon.com website.
Zed,
who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, suggested Amazon.com and
other 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 Hindu gods and goddesses were highly revered in
Hinduism and were meant to be worshiped 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 Hindu gods and goddesses
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.