French distillery asked to withdraw Lord Ganesh gin

Madhu Patel

CHICAGO: A very large group of Indian Americans here La Bouëxière (Brittany, France) based DistillerieAwen Nature to withdraw its Gin Ganesh, named after Hindu deity; calling it highly disgusting and upsetting. 

The protest campaign is led by RajanZed, the President of Universal Society of Hinduism, asserting that Lord Ganesh is highly revered in Hinduism meant to be worshipped in temples or home shrines and not to be used for pushing gin or to adorn gin bottles. Moreover, linking a deity with an alcoholic beverage was very disrespectful, he added. 

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. Distilleries should not be in the business of religious appropriation, sacrilege, and ridiculing entire communities. A divine Hindu deity, to be displayed on a gin bottle, is deeply trivializing Rajan emphasized. 

Gin Ganesh (70CL, 44.8%); stated to be aged in French oak barrels and matured in Armagnac barrels; contains juniper berries, ginger, turmeric, cardamom, cloves, etc.; and was priced at € 42. 

Awards-winning DistillerieAwen Nature claims that its spirits are made from distilled organic alcohol and flavored with plants; and its products are certified organic. It sells absinthes, cognacs, gins, rums, vodkas, etc. in various bars, organic stores and restaurants in Châteaubriant, Chateaugiron, Paris, Rennes, Soulvache, etc.