Source: www.washingtonpost.com
NEW DELHI, INDIA, June 13, 2010: Nestled between the wedding sari boutiques and hipster jean shops, there’s a store in the city’s most popular shopping mall that’s playing with the Gods. The fashion, art and design store has cool pillows depicting a Sri Saraswati, the Hindu Goddess of knowledge, music and the creative arts. She’s lounging on her pink lotus while swans float nearby and smaller versions of her likeness play the flute, drums and sitar.
There are retro journals, too, each featuring a particular God or Goddess and a cheeky back story about the deity’s personality and dramas. “Ganesha is a foodie, and is crazy about ladoos [Indian sweets],” one says of the elephant-headed Hindu God.
Not all that long ago, that kind of informality about Hinduism’s Deities might have caused riots in the streets. Krishna on a mouse pad? Hanuman on a drink coaster? Unimaginable a few years back. But today they are just a (mostly) accepted sign of how young, urban Indians are changing the way they view themselves and their society. Market experts say it’s also a sign of how India, an increasingly affluent and globalized society, is able to see itself through the eyes of the rest of the world.
“Young India is imagining what it can be. And it sees an abundance of inspiration in our culture, our religion, our streets,” said Hemant Dongre. “The economy is opening up. This has inspired a whole generation of young Indians to be creative, break mental barriers and have fun with ideas and commerce,” he said.