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UK Hindus up in arms over shoes named after Vishnu, Krishna

M Krishnan in London

It was an idea which the Clarks management must have thought brilliant. One of the designer footwear company's senior managers suggested the names Vishnu and Krishna for two designs of trendy footwear.

But within days of the footwear being so christened, the 900,000 strong British Hindu community inundated the company with calls, accusing it of "blasphemy" and threatening a boycott.

Demonstrations were organised, finally forcing Clarks to apologise for the offence caused. But the Hindus won't believe the company is sorry till the footwear is withdrawn.

Clarks is the second shoe company to rub religious communities the wrong way. Earlier this year, Nike was criticised for using the symbol Allah on a range of training shoes.

'Vishnu,' a 30 pound sandal in metallic black, or navy, and 'Krishna,' an 89-pound black boot, have been on sale in 600 Clarks shops in Britain as well as at hundreds of independent retailers.

The problem first came to light this summer in Leicester, home to Britain's biggest Hindu community, after a Hindu bought the summer sandal and noticed the product's name on the shoe box.

Community leaders say they complained privately to Clarks, but decided to go public with their protests since the company not only failed to withdraw the summer sandal, but introduced the winter boot. Clarks is reluctant to withdraw the footwear which are selling briskly.

According to Harish Karunashankar of the Federation of Hindu Priests, "It is blasphemous and inappropriate to have gods's names associated with shoes. Krishna and Vishnu are as well known as Jesus throughout the Western world."

Other vocal members of the Hindu community feel that in a multi-racial, multi-religious society like Britain, it was the obligation of marketing departments to ensure no offence is caused to religious and other sensitivities.

Keith Vaz, the Labour MP for Leicester East, which has a vast Hindu population said, "You are not supposed to call the things you walk on after gods. The Christian equivalent would be to name a line of shoes after Jesus and Virgin Mary. Clarks would not think of doing that."

Vaz, who is of Indian origin, said he had written to Clarks for an explanation. "I don't want to go over the top, but there are religious points that need looking into."

He also mentioned that people needed to be sensitive to other religions in the same way as they would be towards Christianity. This is not the first time that a controversy of this nature has stirred the Hindu community.

In 1992, Hindus demanded that a French-based waste management company removed its initials "SITA" from rubbish vans in Leicester. Sita, they argued, was the epitome of Hindu purity.

Clarks has admitted that it would not have used the names for the shoes had the company been aware of their significance. A Clarks spokesperson said, "The names appear only in a catalogue for internal use and on a label on the shoe box. The customer would not be asking for them by name."

He also mentioned that customers would realise what the name was only when they got the box to take the product home.

While many within the Hindu community are up in arms, there have also been voices urging restraint. A priest at the ornate new temple at Neasden, northwest London, urged forgiveness.

"I am sure it was not meant to be disrespectful. Mistakes happen and it is a part of human life. The fact that products are named after gods does not affect the status of gods," he said.

Mahesh Chander Prasher, a member of the National Council of Hindu Temples and secretary of Hindu Religious and Cultural Society in Leicester, was unrelenting, maintaining that his faith could not have been more insulted.

"Footwear is considered unclean in our religion and that is why our shoes are always removed on entering temples. To associate footwear and leather products with our gods causes immense damage and insult."

Clarks's only explanation is that it gave the names to its shoes to help sales personnel to manage stock. The shoe company maintains there were so many different styles in its shops and staff would find it easier to identify them by a name.

"The names came up into the head of the person whose job it is to name the shoes," said a Clarks official. He did not think this person was a Hindu.

Clarks has now instructed all its shops to cover the names of the shoes. The shoes are still on sale, but without the names.

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