Protest against Isha Shopee for selling products with pictures of Deity Shiva and Om

 

Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS) has received several complaints from devout Hindus regarding the way revered Hindu Deity Shiva and the sacred syllable ‘Om’ are printed on numerous clothing products on the Isha Shopee. Below are some links :

https://www.ishashoppe.com/

https://www.ishashoppe.com/USA/melange-graphic-adiyogi-unisex-t-shirt-red

https://www.ishashoppe.com/USA/melange-graphic-adiyogi-unisex-t-shirt-brown

http://www.ishashoppe.com/in/adiyogi-collections/adiyogi-graphic-tees/aum-namah-shivaya-t-shirt.html

Upon reviewing the products, HJS team immediately notified and appealed to the website support and requested them to remove the denigrating items. In the appeal, HJS explained how printing of Hindu Deity pictures on clothing or any other products is not as per the principles of Hindu Dharma. It can hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus, since after the product is worn out, it is thrown in a dustbin resulting in its Denigration.

The appeal letter also clarified that, Hinduism is being misrepresented at many levels. Hindus expect that their children be able to understand, study and respect their revered Deites and Symbols.

The HJS team has not received any response from Isha Shopee’s support team until now.

Hence Hindus are registering protest lawfully on the following contact details  :

Email : [email protected]

Contact number (Toll Free) : 1800 3000 6118

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Below is the letter sent by HJS to Isha Shopee :

To,

ISHA SHOPEE, 
No. 8/93, Siruvani Main Road,
Indira Nagar Bus Stop, 
Madampatti, Coimbatore – 641 010
Date : 2.3.2017

Namaskar,

We at Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS) have received several complaints from devout Hindus regarding the use of Hindu Deity Shiva’s image on your clothing products such as t-shirts on your website https://www.ishashoppe.com/. It has hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus not only in the Bharat; but all around the world.

Using images of any Deity also causes denigration of the respective Deity because according to the principles of Hinduism, the word, touch, form, taste, fragrance and the energy associated with them coexist. Based on this principle, devotees keep Deity’s picture in the altar because they consider the Deity is actually present there and they feel Deity’s presence. The image of Deity is highly revered as well as very sacred for Hindus. However, when the image of a Deity (like Deity Shiva) is used on items like T-shirts etc., it is considered disrespectful and insulting the Deity. Once the clothes are used, the soiled and worn out clothes will be thrown away as waste and will eventually end up in a civic dumping ground, resulting in denigration of revered Hindu Deities. Thus, having Their images anywhere else like on clothing products is denigrating Hinduism and hurting the feelings of millions of Hindus across the world.

Also, God or His forms (Deities) are considered the highest for Hindus and they treat their Deities with utmost respect. Showing them in an unorthodox manner denigrates and trivializes them. In the minds of the buyer, a fictional, trivial image of the Deities will form over a period and hence, it will obstruct the development of their faith in the Deities, which is most important in worshipping Deities and experiencing Their Divine presence and blessings.

We urge you to consider the above points and remove the various denigrating clothing products, which are not in accordance with Hinduism from your website. We stress that our aim in bringing up these points is to educate and ensure that Hindu Deities and Hinduism gets accurately represented in society. Hinduism has been misrepresented and misappropriated at many levels. Though it is an ancient tradition, Hinduism has a lot to offer the modern world and we want children and adults alike to be able to understand and study it without it being misrepresented. You can take one step towards ensuring that Hindu Deities and Hinduism does not get disrespected by removing the denigrating listings from your website and also stop selling spiritually incorrect images of Hindu Deities as mentioned above.

Hindu Janajagruti Samiti is a registered NGO in India doing social, Hindu Dharma related and national welfare work. The Samiti is also active throughout the world, educating people about Hindu Dharma in a scientific way, campaigning against malpractices done as Hindu Dharma related practices and solving problems related to the misrepresentation of Hindu Dharma. For further details, please refer to our website www.HinduJagruti.org.

Awaiting your prompt action and reply.

Sincerely,
Hindu Janajagruti Samiti