Quotes of the Day

It's been five years since the spirituality-seeking Madonna, dressed in a sari and adorned with a tilaka marking on her forehead, sang a self-composed Sanskrit song at the MTV awards before a backdrop of Hindu god images—simultaneously raising the West's awareness of Hinduism and incurring the ire of the religion's faith police. Things Indian have only gotten trendier since. But as Madonna discovered, cashing in on Hinduism can be a mixed blessing.

HOLY BIKINI Italian designer Roberto Cavalli is famous for his racy fashions, but he was dressed down by Hindu activists for this summer's line of women's undergarments and swimsuits imprinted with images of Lord Ram, one of the religion's most venerated figures. Cavalli apologized and London's Harrods department store pulled the line.

WHAT'S TINA GOT TO DO WITH IT? Filmmakers Ismail Merchant and James Ivory have set many of their films in India. But the duo's The Goddess, still in preproduction, has Hindus up in arms over Tina Turner's being cast in the title role as the goddess Shakti: the singer's sex appeal is "improper" for the divinity, according to one anti-Tina petition.

NOT FOR THE GODS When Lunchboxes.com, an online lunch-box vendor, plastered images of Kali, Ganesh and Krishna on its products, followers cried foul. Why? Nishma Gosrani, of Britain's National Hindu Student Forum, explains: "These gods should be worshipped in an honorable way. And there might be animal meat stored inside the boxes, even beef"—an unappetizing notion for those who consider cows sacred.

STEP DOWN Laceys Footwear trod on a few toes this summer with a sandal emblazoned on the insole with a reverse image of Hindu's most revered symbol, the Om. After selling just 282 pairs, the British company withdrew the offending beachwear and apologized. They should have known better: last year, American Eagle Outfitters had to scrap its Ganesh sandals for the same reason.

• Chaim Estulin
• Pop culture's appropriation of Hindu icons has the faithful up in arms