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Upset Hindus urge Texas athletic apparel firm to withdraw Lord Ganesha leggings
 
Upset Hindus are urging Pharr (Texas) based athletic clothing company “Miami Fitwear” for immediate withdrawal of leggings carrying images of Hindu deity Lord Ganesha; calling it highly inappropriate.
 
Distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada today, said that Lord Ganesha was highly revered in Hinduism and was meant to be worshipped in temples or home shrines and not to adorn one’s legs. Inappropriate usage of Hindu deities or concepts for commercial or other agenda was not okay as it hurt the devotees.

Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, also urged Miami Fitwear and its CEO to offer a formal apology, besides withdrawing “True Wisdom” Ganesha leggings.
 
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.
 
Miami Fitwear; whose products include leggings, capris, pants; describes itself as “an athleisure and lifestyle company” and claims to “handcraft every legging”. Raquel Ponce is the founder of Miami Fitwear, which it states, “is all about making you feel good”. “True Wisdom” Ganesha leggings are priced at $98 and its description includes: “We hope our hand-drawn Ganesha leggings help you remember how beautifully strong and wise you are when you decided to use your energy in a positive way.”
 
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.