A Fortune magazine cover depicting Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos resembling Hindu god Vishnu has evoked strong reactions from the Hindu community based in United States. They have accused the magazine of “trivialisation of their venerated deity,” and it resulted in the magazine’s editor tendering an apology.
The cover was created by Sydney-based illustrator Nigel Buchanan whose clients also include The Wall Street Journal, MTV and New York Times.
According to Hindustan Times, the January issue of the magazine’s international edition features a story about Amazon’s expansion in India titled ‘Amazon Invades India.’
The piece talks about how Bezos “aims to conquer the next trillion-dollar market” is preceded by an illustration of the Amazon CEO striking a customary form of Vishnu on the cover.
“Lord Vishnu is a highly revered major deity in Hinduism meant to be worshipped in temples or home shrines and not to be used indecorously or thrown around loosely in reimagined versions for dramatic effects,” Nevada-based Hindu statesman Rajan Zed wrote in a statement emailed to Hindustan Times.
Twitter was abuzz with criticism:
But there were some who laughed it off:
And then came the apology by the editor
Feature image source: Twitter/Reuters