Surendra Ullal
CHICAGO: Sioux Falls (South Dakota) located “CuffLinks”, “The World’s Largest Retailer of Cufflinks”, removed deityGanesha shaped cufflinks, after protest calling it “highly inappropriate”.
These $940 Made in USA “Ganesha Cufflinks” were absent from “CuffLinks” website when searched, it came with response “Your search returned no results.”
Rajan Zed, President of Universal Society of Hinduism, spearheaded the protest, thanked “CuffLinks” for understanding the concerns of Indian community.However, a formal apology from the firm is awaited.
Lord Ganeshais greatly revered in Hinduism and was meant to be worshipped in temples or home shrines and not to secure the cuffs of dress shirts, misused as a fashion statement, thrown around loosely, etc.
“CuffLinks”; which claims to partner with Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Hudsons Bay, shop Disney, Star Wars, Marvel; should not be in the business of religious appropriation, sacrilege and belittling sacred Hindu deity. It was deeply trivializing of immensely venerated Lord Ganesha to be flaunted like this; Rajan maintained.
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; Zed had 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.
Before removal, “Ganesha Cufflinks” were claimed to be made with 925 Sterling Silver and intricately hand-painted with enamel. “CuffLinks”, established in 1999, defines itself as “The men’s accessories marketplace” and “Details For The Well Dressed Man”.
Also Read: South Dakota firm urged to withdraw Lord Ganesha cufflinks
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