HINDU GROUPS have urged National Hockey League (NHL), headquartered in New York, to immediately cut-off all alliances with the Hollywood movie "The Love Guru", stressing "It ridicules and denigrates Hindus and Hinduism."

Advancing the cause spearheaded by acclaimed Hindu leader Rajan Zed; Bhavna Shinde, representing Hindu Janjagruti Samiti and Sanatan Sanstha, in a communiqué to NHL commissioner Gary Bruce Bettman, said, "All north Americans, including Hindus, are very proud of NHL and its heritage. Founded in 1917, NHL is considered to be the premier professional ice hockey league in the world, and one of the four north American sports leagues along with baseball, football and basketball. The Stanley Cup is the oldest professional sports trophy in north America. We do not want our NHL, which we hold in high esteem, to be in any way associated with 'The Love Guru', which lampoons Hinduism, its concepts, its traditions and its followers."

"So, please detach NHL immediately from 'The Love Guru', including backing out of all strategic, marketing and other alliances; and issue a statement in this regard," this communiqué stressed

Meanwhile, Rajan Zed, supported by some other organisations, has given a worldwide boycott call for this movie by Hindus and other religious people because it lampoons Hinduism and Hindu concepts and uses Hindu terms frivolously. Zed, who launched campaign against this movie starting in March, urging other people of faith (besides Hindus) also to boycott the movie, said, "Today it is Hinduism, tomorrow Hollywood might attempt to denigrate another religion/denomination."

This is pure and blatant ridiculing and "The Love Guru" presenter Paramount Pictures and its parent Viacom should immediately issue a general public apology, Zed says and adds that Hinduism is the oldest and third largest religion of the world with about one billion followers and a rich philosophical thought and it should not be taken lightly. No faith, larger or smaller, should be ridiculed at.

A prominent Jewish Rabbi, Elizabeth W Beyer of Nevada (USA), has also called for boycott of "The Love Guru" because it "…lampoons Hinduism, mocks Ashram life and Hindu philosophy…"

Meanwhile, signature campaign launched by Hindu groups against "The Love Guru" has crossed the 6,600 mark.

"The Love Guru" (88 minutes), a comedy starring Mike Myers (of Austin Powers fame), opened June 20 in America and Canada and will be released in different parts of the world in the near future. Viacom is a leading global entertainment content company and its family of brands includes MTV, Paramount, DreamWorks, etc. Paramount Pictures Corporation is a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment.