Madhu Patel
CHICAGO: Indian Americans across the country has asked Durham (North Carolina) headquartered “world’s largest custom fabric, wallpaper and home decor digital marketplace” for immediate withdrawal of napkins carrying images of various Hindu deities.
The protest, campaign is led by Rajan Zed, the President of Universal Society of Hinduism, who pitched that Hindu deities (Shiva, Krishna, Lakshmi, Ganesh, Murugan, Kali, Hanuman, etc.) are highly revered in Hinduism meant to be worshipped in temples or home shrines and not for wiping mouth/for mercantile greed. Any Inappropriate usage of sacred deities or concepts or symbols or icons for commercial or other agenda could notbe okay as it hurt the devotees.
“Global marketplace” like Spoonflower should not be in the business of religious appropriation, sacrilege, and ridiculing entire communities. It was deeply trivializing of immensely venerated Hindu gods and goddesses like Shiva, Krishna, Lakshmi, Ganesh, Murugan, Kali, Hanuman, etc., to be displayed on napkins.
Hinduism is the oldest and third largest religion of the world with about 1.2 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. Trivialization of Hindu deities id disturbing to the Hindus world over, he observed
Spoonflower, reportedly established in 2008 and with offices in Durham and Berlin (Germany), claims to be “a global marketplace connecting makers and consumers with artists worldwide”.
