Indians in the US have objected to T-shirts and tank tops made by Print Syndicate which feature images of Hindu gods. They say, Lord Ganesha is revered in Hinduism and is meant to be worshipped in temples or home shrines and not to be trivialised on consumer products. They want the Ohio-based brand to withdraw these products and offer a formal apology. They say Hindus are all for free artistic expression and speech as much as anybody else but that faith is something sacred and attempts at trivialising it would hurt its followers.

Print Syndicate claims to offer consumers access to timely, curated, well-designed and high-quality products that allow them to express who they are. It says it adheres to values like integrity, compassion and fairness. Its products (apparel, phone cases, house wares, etc.) are sold through the company’s six e-commerce brands.

In Hinduism, Lord Ganesha is worshipped as the god of wisdom and the remover of obstacles and is invoked before the beginning of any major undertaking. There are about three million Hindus in the US. Hinduism is the oldest and the third largest religion of the world with about a billion adherents.