CHICAGO: Indian Americans have appealed to Sears Holdings Corporation (SHC), headquartered in Hoffman Estates, a suburb of Chicago in Illinois, to immediately withdraw marketing bath mats, skateboards and bedcovers carrying image of Hindu deity Ganesha, deeming it insulting the religious sentiments of Hindus across the globe.
Highly revered Lord Ganesha is meant to be worshipped in temples or home shrines and not to put one’s feet on or sleep on. Inappropriate usage of Hindu deities or concepts for commercial or other agenda was not okay as it hurt the devotees, observed Rajan Zed, President of Universal Society of Hinduism.
He also urged SHC Board Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Edward S. Lampert to offer a formal apology.
“Ganapati Hindu God Ganesha Bath Mat” sells at Sears.com for $50.93 or $38.99, while “Lord Ganesh Bedcover” is available for $14.58.
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.
Award-winning SHC whose history dates back to 1886, claims to be “a leading integrated retailer focused on seamlessly connecting the digital and physical shopping experiences to serve our members”.
The Company operates through its subsidiaries, including Sears, Roebuck and Co. and Kmart Corporation, with full-line and specialty retail stores across the United States.
Madhu Patel
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