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Footwear store in Geneva uses Buddha statue to hang shoes

by Hiranya Malwatta | June 26, 2009 at 06:41 am

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An Indian family was horrified at what they witnessed in a shoe shop in Geneva. The sense of respect the Indians have for any religion is admirable and is shared by many Asian countries.

PATNA: Sight-seeing in Switzerland does not leave a vacationer horrified, but Patna's Prabhat Choudhary, his wife and daughter were shocked to see a Lord Buddha statue garlanded with a pair of shoes at a footwear shop in Geneva.

"We were strolling on shopping street when my 15-year-old daughter insisted that we got into 'Anne Fontaine', a designer footwear shop. There in the shop, we saw a 4-ft statue of Lord Buddha on the shelf displaying shoes and slippers, garlanded with a pair of shoes," Prabhat, a realtor, recalled. The family was shocked. Prabhat's daughter, was furious.

Though her parents were a bit frightened, she persuaded them to let her shoot the sight with her videocam. The girl, a student of Patna's prestigious Notre Dame Academy, accomplished her mission without anyone - the shop staff or the crowd of customers - knowing about it. Back home, Prabhat has sent a letter to the ministry of external affairs, requesting it to take up the matter with Swiss authorities.

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sivakaran

at 09:26 on June 26th, 2009

It is shocking and disgusting. Thank you for post.

This is more than lack of respect for a religion. This is a disgrace to humanity, as Lord Buddha was symbol of love, peace, humanity, and etc.

Amy Judd

at 13:20 on June 26th, 2009

That's not right at all, shameful.

gerrypopplestone

at 01:44 on June 27th, 2009

What a pity the family did not do the obvious thing and confront the manager in the shop, and in a loud enough voice for other customers to hear so that they could join in the protest. Have we forgotten the art of ordinary protests? Customers are supposed to call the shots!