The onset of Durga Puja or Navaratri signifies the beginning of joyous times for Hindus gearing up for religious festivities. On the other hand, for the ad world, it translates to shoving down fake secularism and promoting activities averse to Hindu traditions and beliefs.

Have you seen Shoppers Stop’s new commercial made especially for the festive season?

Looking at the ad, one can safely assume that the makers are trying to capitalize on the Hindu religious festivities and lure Hindus to give them some business during their special occasions. But in presentation and concept, Shopper Stop has shown absolute indifference towards the Hindu sentiment and has learned nothing from Fab India’s “Jashn-e-Riwaaz” fiasco last year.

They have taken their disrespect for the Hindu beliefs a notch further from where Fab India had left it. The insensitive and tone-deaf commercial denigrates one of the most revered Hindu traditions thereby encouraging the youth to follow suit in starting their ‘own’ tradition, all in the name of liberalism.

The commercial features actor and Shoppers Stop’s brand ambassador Sanya Malhotra playing a regular working Hindu woman returning home where her family is preparing for the upcoming festivities. Through the ad, the actress and the background narrative kept referring to the festivities as “Jashn”.

Despite repeated disapproval by the Hindus, the ad makers can’t look past Urdu words to refer to Hindu occasions. The objection to using “Jashn” for Navratri, Durga Puja, and Diwali has been brought up many times over the past years and is not unknown to the ad makers. Do they purposely rub their thumbs on the nose of the Hindus?

To insult the Hindus, Sanya Malhotra picks up rangoli colours and smears the colours on a fellow actor’s face. When the co-actor reminds her that this wasn’t Holi, a proud Sanya proclaims, “break the rules, establish your own.” Now the creative team behind this absurd idea is free to celebrate their birthday on their anniversary but should steer clear of playing around with Hindu rituals.

Did no one know Rangoli holds an auspicious place in Hindu belief?

A rangoli adorns Hindu households during Diwali to welcome Mata Lakshmi. It also marks the welcoming of Bhagwan Ram, Mata Sita, and Lakshman to Ayodhya after their 14-years-long exile. How logical and liberating was the experience of playing with colours dedicated to making a Rangoli and setting “new traditions”?

The creative teams of most advertisements companies are wired to think in an anti-Hindu direction. Hence, it is safe to assume that this outrageous audacity was done on purpose. They are working towards annihilating Hindu traditions and starting their “Jashn”.

Utsav – How difficult is it to incorporate this beautiful word in ads focused on Hindu celebrations?

‘Utsav” is a melodious Sanskrit word and all Hindus are familiar with it. “Tyohar” is another good alternative. The ad makers can save their “Jashn” for commercials they make targeting the Islamic demography during eid. Forcing “Jashn” in Diwali is like mixing Siwaiyaan of Eid in the Khichdi Bhog of Mahashtami. This combination only upsets the stomach and causes diarrhoea.

During every Hindu festival, the advertisement & entertainment industry attempts to shove Islamisation down the consumers’ throats. Recently, actress Debina Bonnerjee, who gained fame after playing Maa Sita, was seen promoting Islamic Halal products for Durga Puja.

After being called out for their purposefully-attempted distortion of the Hindu festivals on Twitter, the commercial was taken down from Shoppers Stop’s official handle.

However, the commercial still runs on their YouTube channel, and most people are unhappy about it. Several consumers have objected to this cultural contortion and swore not to buy from the brand.