Madhu Patel
CHICAGO: Upset Hindus have made a strong pitch by urging London based fashion label “Sera Ulger” (SULDN) for immediate withdrawal of swimsuit carrying images of Hindu deity Durga; calling it highly disgusting to devotees of Goddess Durga.
The protest is spearheaded by Rajan Zed, President of Universal Society of Hinduism, who asserted that goddess Durga is highly revered among Hindus and is meant to be worshipped in temples or home shrines and not to adorn one’s buttocks and crotch. Inappropriate usage of Hindu deities or concepts or symbols for commercial or other agenda is not okay as it hurts the devotees.
Hinduism the oldest and third largest religion of the world has about 1.1 billion adherents with rich philosophical thought. Symbols of any faith, larger or smaller, should not be mishandled, Rajan Zed noted.
Durga, highly worshipped Hindu goddess, is considered savior of the world from evil. Moksh (liberation) is the ultimate goal of Hinduism.
Founded in 2013 and based in the heart of East London, Dalston; SULDN is reportedly the fashion label set up by Print Designer Sera Ulger. “Injecting the world with color…” as its tagline, SULDN claims to enable “a unique attitude for the sassy girl we design for”. It describes its Goddess Sherwali Swimsuit as “an empowering design”.
