Oh my God!

(##include msid=43376741,type=11##)Ram on Roberto Cavalli''s bikinis have caused a controversy in UK, butHindu gods have become a divine fashion statement in MumbaiKali on a T-shirt, tote bag with Hanuman, Shiva tattooed on awell-developed bicep — exotic Hindu imagery is definitely uber cool. IfJesus is the flavour of the year across the world, Hindu gods are not farbehind. Pop culture has finally embraced Hinduism. Though Roberto Cavalli''sbikinis, with Ram as the main motif, might have come under fire from Hindus inthe UK, in Mumbai it''s fashionable to be seen in the company ofGods.Cupids, hearts with wings and dragons seem to have lost out inthe race for the hottest tattoos to Ganesh and Krishna. A Kali, two Hanumans anda couple of paragraphs from the Hanuman chalisa around a Superman logo are someof the tattoos that adorn director Apoorva Lakhia''s arms. "Honestly, my Kalidesign is a little defective," admits Lakhia, and laughs. "She has two extraarms and her face resembles Christy Turlington. I got the tattoo done in KoSamui, Thailand. I didn''t have a reference picture so I told the artist to makeChristy''s face!" Lakhia is not the only one with a deity tattoo.Lord Shiva strikes a tandav pose on Sanjay Dutt''s back, while parts of Shivchalisa can be found inscribed on Bunty Walia''s body. As for Rohit Roy, he''s gotGanesh on his back. Less than a fortnight ago, Rahul Nanda took a garishcalendar to tattoo artist Sameer Patange, and told him to copy its Shiva sketchonto his arm. "I wanted a tattoo which looked cool and was unique," reasonsNanda, who''d already tatooed the names of his wife and daughter on himself. Ittook Patange close to five hours to complete the colour tattoo. "In the lastcouple of months, it''s become trendy to have Hindu Gods as a tattoo. Among theGods, the big favourite is Shiva and then Ganesh and Krishna," says Patange,whose going rate is Rs 2000 per hour.While tattoos are the latestrage, T-shirts and bags emblazoned with these images have been ''in'' for a longtime. From Calangute to Colaba, Krishna or Kali bags and T-shirts are for saleeverywhere. "I''ve never thought about them as religious symbols. I like wearingthem because they are colourful," says model Nina Manuel. So, if thenew fad is so hip, what''s the West raising a furore about? Shakun Narain, a Hindu scholar and author of books like Hindu Customs and Beliefs, feels Hinduismis open to such practices. "The problem arises when an individual becomesdisrespectful," she points out. "You can''t have a God''s face on a bikini justthe way you wouldn''t print your father''s face on it. For decades, people havebeen wearing duppattas with Hare Rama, Hare Krishna printed, or tattooed a God''sname on their arms. It''s just a way of feeling His presence everywhere."Clearly, while the current bend towards Hinduism might be justanother fashion statement with a minimised underlying symbolism, the bottomlineis — God''s the mantra.