Indians irked over Urdu title in clothing brand's 'Diwali collection'

The famous Indian clothing brand has found it costly to use the Urdu word christened ‘Jashn-e-Riwaaz’ for their latest Diwali advertising campaign.

According to the social media users, the ethnic brand name ‘Fab India’ has hurt their religious feelings. The netizens also demanded a boycott of the brand. One of the users wrote that they buy a lot of clothes from this brand but Diwali is the biggest festival of Hindus but no model looks Hindu in the brand’s shoot.

Brand withdrew the ad after criticism, but some people also raised their voices against this unwarranted criticism. On the other hand, Fabindia spokesperson said the collection titled ‘Jashn-e-Riwaaz’ is not its Diwali collection. Writer Shonali Sharoof writes that it is ridiculous how naming a clich in Urdu diminishes the significance of Diwali for people.

This is not the first time that an advertisement has been targeted by extremist Indians. Similarly, a recent ad by clothing brand Manyaavar featuring Bollywood actor Alia Bhatt ran into a social roadblock. Tyre maker Ceat’s recent commercial featuring Aamir Khan urging people to refrain from burning crackers, too, landed in controversy.

Progressive message to encourage #Parity
Why only daughters are given away?
Same tradition but with different idea🤘🏼#Kanyamaan not #Kanyadaan 🥰 pic.twitter.com/xgdCt9Jvq7

— Anupama (@Anupama151989) September 20, 2021

“‘Trolls, competitor-encouraged bots, sensitive people, hyper-sensitive people, hurt-people, and all kinds of robots and human beings reside in this space we call social media! And they intermingle undistinguished. Anyone who has been observing the trends on hyper-sensitive social media would not have attempted this for sure,” said brand expert Harish Bijoor, who runs boutique consulting outfit Bijoor Consults.