With all this hoo-haa about Selfridges selling cakes with decorations of Ganesha, Krishna and other Hindu Gods, I thought I should check it out for myself. How can a responsible retailer like Selfridges sell an egg-filled cake with images of our Gods, especially when the images would be cut with a cake-knife, put in people’s mouths and chewed?
I immediately called up Selfridges to express my indignation. A lady called Freddie Whatzername informed me rudely that they had withdrawn the cake three weeks ago from the shelves. I told her that this could not be true. The Eastern Eye reporter had been able to buy a cake two days before, and Selfridges had informed him that the cakes were taken off the shelves, but still available for private purchase. In a self-opinionated manner, she said that if a customer wished to purchase the cakes privately and eat them quietly in their homes, it was very unfair and illogical for Hindus to feel offended. After all, she queried in a condescendingly irritating voice, did I not believe in consumer rights and freedom of speech?
With all my adrenalin rushing up in torrents, I promptly informed the patronising lady that this was not a question of rights or freedom. The issue was one of responsibility - Selfridges had agreed to withdraw something that had offended millions of Hindus, but dishonestly continued to sell them. I promised her that we were seriously thinking of having a demonstration outside Selfridges – to affirm the same principles of consumer rights and freedom of speech she had spoken so eloquently about.
Two hours later I got a call from a profusely apologetic Emily Owen, the Head of their Public Relations department. She assured me that Selfridges had withdrawn and destroyed all the cakes. I urged her to issue a public apology. Two days later, I helped her choose the words for the apology
Dr Giridharilal Bhan, the UK President of the VHP who had been guiding me through the dialogue told me, “Fine, this matter is closed. But we should educate our Hindu brothers and sisters tocontinue to stand up and speak.”
The ironic thing about the whole affair was that it was a Hindu firm that had designed and sold the cakes to Selfridges. Many Hindu leaders described the cake-makers as “Hindus who would do anything for money”. I wondered if I should call this firm and find out why they did what they did.
Moral of the story: Hindus should not stay put every time people walk all over us.
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Ratilalbhai Chohan is a busy man. He is the Chairman of the Hindu Council UK, the General Secretary of the Hindu Council of the North, and the Manager of the Senior Citizen’s Buerau in Oldham. While he is not busy travelling over UK and Europe campaigning for Hindu rights, he keeps himself occupied in arranging fund raising events for Hindu causes.
I bumped into him after he returned from a trip to Brussels last Wednesday. He had gone there to meet European and Belgian leaders to discuss the effect of new anti-cult laws on Hindu organisations in Belgium. “We had a successful meeting with the Belgian ministers and officials. They agreed to take a fresh look into problems of the Hindu community,” he explained.
In partnership with the Indian Association in Manchester he is organising a reception on 22nd July at the Manchester United Football Club for 170 Indian athletes participating in the Commonwealth games. The Sports Minister of India will be attending the event with other dignitaries and luminaries. 500 other special invitees will meet the athletes and celebrities at Old Trafford.
“It promises to be an entertaining event that will show our appreciation for Indian athletes and encourage them to perform well,” he explained.
Will I be receiving an invitation, I asked him quite unabashedly. His appreciative smile said everything that needed to be said.