London/Nevada (Face2News)
Upset Hindus are urging The Shard (London) headquartered “global luxury-shopping destination” MatchesFashion for immediate withdrawal of Jimi Hendrix Swim Shorts carrying images of Hindu deities; calling it highly inappropriate.
Distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, said that many Hindu deities displayed on these shorts were highly revered in Hinduism and were meant to be worshipped in temples or home shrines and not to adorn one’s thighs, hips, groin, buttocks, genitals and pelvis. Inappropriate usage of Hindu deities or icons or concepts or symbols for commercial or other agenda was not okay as it hurt the devotees.
Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, also urged MatchesFashion to offer a formal apology; besides withdrawing Jimi Hendrix Swim Shorts.
Hinduism was 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; Rajan Zed noted.
Zed further said that such trivialization of Hindu deities was disturbing to the Hindus world over. Hindus were for free artistic expression and speech as much as anybody else if not more. But faith was something sacred and attempts at trivializing it hurt the followers, Zed added.
Objectionable Jimi Hendrix Swim Shorts were priced at $273.
MatchesFashion, whose history reportedly goes back to 1987, claims to be the “modern luxury shopping destination for the confident global fashion customer”, and offers over 450 luxury brands like Prada, Gucci, Balenciaga, Saint Laurent, Halpern, Wales Bonner, etc. Besides its London stores in Marylebone, Notting Hill, Wimbledon, 5 Carlos Place; it sells online delivering to over 176 countries; and also offers “Private Shopping”. Its tagline is “Fashion with imagination”.