NEWS
“AQUA SHIVA” BEER BRAND DISCONTINUED AFTER COMPLAINTS FROM HINDU COMMUNITY
By Susan Lewis
24-8-2020
Source: Pressure Drop Brewing
Two New York based breweries apologised and discontinued their “Aqua Shiva” beer brand after receiving protests from the American Hindu community who found the branding of the product offensive and highly inappropriate.
Jointly launched by Pressure Drop Brewing and Big Ditch Brewing Company last month in USA, “Aqua Shiva” was available both on tap and in cans and was described as “a hazy NE-style double IPA”.
Rajan Zed, President of Universal Society of Hinduism, who is based in Nevada USA, issued a complaint earlier saying that the usage of sacred Hindu symbols or deities or concepts or icons for commercial or other agenda was not okay as it hurt the devotees.
He also said that Lord Shiva was highly revered in Hinduism and he was meant to be worshipped in temples or home shrines and not to be used in a re-imagined version for pushing beer or to adorn beer cans.
Zed added that linking a deity with an alcoholic beverage was very disrespectful, it was deeply trivialising of divine Hindu deity to be displayed on a beer can.
The producers of “Aqua Shiva” responded the to protests and promptly discontinued the product.
Matt Kahn, President & Co-Founder of Big Ditch Brewing Company, wrote in an email to Zed: “We deeply apologise to the Hindu community for this poor choice of our beer name and artwork. We simply did not put enough time into thinking about this beer name and artwork and what the use of the name Shiva means to the Hindu community. This beer is discontinued and will never be made again.”
“Thank you for bringing this issue to our attention, as we will learn from it. Again, we deeply apologise to you and to the Hindu community. We meant no harm,” Kahn added.
Hinduism is the oldest and third largest religion of the world with about 1.1 billion followers, there are about 3 million Hindus in USA.
Lord Shiva, along with Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu, forms the great triad of Hindu deities.
(the writer can be contacted at: info@thewinechronicle.com)
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