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Italian brewery urged to retire “Sons of Shiva” beer.
 
Upset Hindus are urging Latina (Lazio, Italy) based Pontino Brewery (Birrificio Pontino) to apologize and withdraw its “Sons of Shiva” beer; calling it highly inappropriate.
 
Label of Pontino’s “Sons of Shiva” beer (Harvest Pale Ale, American IPA style, 7% ALC, 65 IBU, 13 EBC) carries an image of Hindu deity Lord Ganesha holding a bottle in one hand.
 
Distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, said that inappropriate usage of Hindu deities 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, indicated that Lord Shiva and Lord Ganesha were highly revered in Hinduism and were meant to be worshipped in temples or home shrines and not to be used in selling beer for mercantile greed. Moreover, linking a Hindu deity with an alcoholic beverage was very disrespectful, Zed added.
 
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.
 
In Hinduism, Lord Shiva, along with Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu, forms the great triad of Hindu deities. Lord Ganesha is worshipped as god of wisdom and remover of obstacles and is invoked before the beginning of any major undertaking.
 
Birrificio Pontino, a craft brewery, reportedly includes a plant and a taproom which is open to public. Latina was reportedly founded in 1932 as Littoria by Benito Mussolini.

Missouri brewery urged to remove Lord Ganesha image from beer & apologize
 
Hindus are urging Springfield (Missouri) based award-winning Springfield Brewing Company (SBC) to apologize and not use Hindu deity Lord Ganesha’s image on its Bombay Brown IPA beer, calling it highly inappropriate.
 
Distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada today, said that inappropriate usage of Hindu deities 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, indicated that Lord Ganesha was highly revered in Hinduism and he was meant to be worshipped in temples or home shrines and not to be used in selling beer for mercantile greed. Moreover, linking a deity with an alcoholic beverage was very disrespectful, Zed added.
 
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.
 
It was deeply trivializing of immensely venerated Hindu deity Lord Ganesha to be portrayed on a beer label sporting a wine/beer glass in one hand, Zed added.
 
In Hinduism, Lord Ganesha is worshipped as god of wisdom and remover of obstacles and is invoked before the beginning of any major undertaking.
 
“Bombay Brown” (13 degrees Plato, 35 IBUs, 5.5% by volume) is described as a “session-strength IPA with piney, citrus, and floral notes of American hops balanced by bread-like aromas from a blend of dark malt”. It is stated to be a perfect “complement to our sweet and spicy pizza, The Maui Wowie”.
 
Story behind it given on the SBC website goes as: The artwork for this beer features Ganesha, the Hindu deity revered as the Remover of Obstacles and more generally as the lord of beginnings and the lord of obstacles, patron of arts and sciences, and deva of intellect and wisdom.  Brewing is often described as a blend of art and science and Ganesha is a fitting symbol of the brewers’ art.
 
Besides at the site, the beer manufactured by SBC, a craft brewery in downtown Springfield since 1997, is claimed to be sold in various stores in Missouri and Arkansas; including Wal-Mart, HyVee, Lucky’s Market, Macadoodles, Price Cutter, Harter House, etc. Ashton Lewis is the Master Brewer.
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