MADHU PATEL
CHICAGO: Greater Vancouver, Canada-based leisure brand NoMiNoU has withdrawn leggings and capris carrying images of Lord Ganesha and the sacred syllable “Om” from sales after strong protests by Indians who called this “highly inappropriate”.
Jullianna Charlton, founder and creative director of NoMiNoU, in an email to Rajan Zed, who spearheaded the protests, has formally apologized and said that “these product listings have now been removed from the NoMiNoU website” and from “NoMiNoU Flagship Stores” and “will not be sold to wholesalers in the future”.
Zed, president of the Universal Society of Hinduism, thanked NoMiNoU and Charlton for understanding the concerns of Hindu community which thought images of Lord Ganesha and Om on such products were insensitive.
Hinduism is the oldest and third largest religion of the world with about 1.1 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, Zed noted.
In Hinduism, Lord Ganesha is worshipped as god of wisdom and remover of obstacles and is invoked before the beginning of any major undertaking. Om is the mystical syllable containing the universe, which in Hinduism is used to introduce and conclude religious work.
The objectionable legging and capri were part of NoMiNoU’s “Karma Collection” and were priced at $89.99 and $79.99 respectively, with the description “Allow this positive energy to help you reach higher consciousness”.
Online retailer and wholesaler NoMiNoU, headquartered in Tsawwassen, Delta, Greater Vancouver, with retail locations in Tsawwassen and Rocky View, Alberta, claims itself to be a “wearable art” and an “innovative and eco-friendly lifestyle brand”, “designed, printed and manufactured entirely in Canada”.
NoMiNoU, with tagline “we are all one”, claims to be “honoring cultural diversity” and “aims to highlight global cultures”. NoMiNoU (pronounced and standing for “no me, no you”) sells bottoms, tops, accessories etc.
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