Big brands all over the country are engaged in Hinduphobic ads during Hindu festivals. Author and speaker, Shefali Vaidya, has been making waves on social media with her thought-provoking campaign, #NoBindiNoBusiness, which challenges the big brands to rethink their approach to Hindu festivals and cultural sensitivity. As a vocal advocate for Hindu rights and representation, Shefali’s campaign seeks to hold brands accountable for perpetuating Hinduphobic stereotypes and imagery in their advertising, particularly during significant Hindu festivals. In an exclusive interview with Organiser’s representative Kirti Pandey, Shefali shares details of the “#No Bindi No Business” movement that she led, which ultimately forced big brands to reform their behaviour towards Hindu symbols in their advertisements. Excerpts:
Most of the Deepawali advertisements of the big brands seem to now incorporate the bright aura of Hindu festivals but that was not the case earlier. Tell us how your campaign of #No Bindi No Business began.
Though it began with a hashtag, it has now turned into a mass movement and that is why you see a change in brand behaviour. Big brands such as Tanishq, FabIndia, Malabar, and PNG Jewellers changed their brand behaviour based on this one movement. There have been prime-time shows on Hindi and English news TV channels. There have been B-School case studies and articles in business newspapers on this issue albeit most of them dissing me – the point is that the hashtag has been effective; it has turned into a powerful movement.
“Tell me in what part of India, does a Hindu, who celebrates Deepawali, calls it Jashne-e-Chirag? Show me one Muslim organisation that calls Bakri-eid ‘Ajaat Putra Balidaan Utsav”
We would like to know what inspired you to speak out strongly on this issue. What was that one grain of sand that hurt or irritated this oyster, which led to the creation of the pearl around it?
I have been noticing the trends (in advertising) for almost a decade. All festivals, especially Deepawali, are a big occasion for huge economic churn and spending in this country, which is why employing companies give bonuses to their staff around this time to facilitate that purchase plan.
Many manufacturers and sellers plan the launches of much-awaited products around this time, and their campaigns until about ten years ago showed the Hindu symbols prominently and with pride. There used to be an ‘akashdiva’ or a sky lantern in the frame, or a rangoli and a diya, or garlands of flowers. The traditional three generations of a Hindu family would be shown together, puja of Laxmi and Ganesh, which almost every Hindu does during Deepawali. The frame showed bright, festive, happy colours and people in the frame laughing together. One could tell without reading the caption that the ad was for a happy occasion and a Hindu religious festival.
However, I have no idea why in the last decade this format changed. I do not know if it was due to a lot of woke ideology becoming prominent in the advertising agencies or for whatever reason. But, slowly the change was noticeable and only in the way ads around Hindu festivals were being shown. Slowly, the Hindu symbolism around the Hindu festivals began to disappear. One by one, the lanterns, diyas, flowers, the happy joint families, the mithai, and the bright festive clothes, all disappeared. They even started calling Hindu festivals with Urdu names attached to them like Jashn-e-Riwaaz or Tohfa-e-Khaas. The bindi or the tilak was the last obvious and significant Hindu symbol to disappear.
“Why this wokeism is reserved only to be directed at Hindus? One by one, the lanterns, diyas, flowers, the happy joint families, the mithai, and the bright festive clothes, all disappeared. Bindi was the last significant Hindu symbol to disappear. I do not know if it was due to woke ideology becoming prominent in the advertising agencies or for whatever reason”
Now, coming to what was that grain of sand – as you put it – it was the ad campaign of a very old and very traditional jewellery store, which was so unlike their previous adherence to true traditions. Generations of customers have been buying from them, and I noticed that they too, like a few other brands, had come up with a very dull-looking ad campaign that had nothing Hindu about it. It showed a model wearing dull clothes, with no bindi or Hindu symbols on her appearance, sporting a look as though someone in the family had just died. On that mournful ad, was written something that said ‘Come, join the joyous festival, and buy our gold.’ I was stunned. What was joyous or festive in that ‘mourning’ ad, showing a morose model?
It was almost as if these brands were saying we do not care about all the elements that go into the making of your Hindu festivals, and we will create a consumerist orgy, we want you to buy our goods, and we do not care about your religious significance. This stripping started slowly and grew consistently.
I am a trained Mass Communications professional and am trained to look through the clutter. I was upset when I saw the last obvious Hindu religious symbol – the bindi – disappear. Therefore, I decided to speak for myself. I do not belong to a religion that issues diktats or fatwas to its followers. I posted what I felt I was going to do as a consumer. I wanted to act and put a stop to it at my level.
So, after you posted that tweet, then what happened?
Actually, that is a very amusing incident. That hashtag – #NoBindiNowBusiness – though seems to have been an inspired moment – like sometimes, all the right elements just come together, you know. Today’s generations think in terms of hashtags and I was looking for something that expresses my anger over all the Hindu symbols vanishing and also reflects what I planned to do. It was my declaration about my plan to not buy from any brand that does not respect my Hindu symbols. So, I posted it a little past 8 pm and said to my husband that I think this is going to become big. I logged out and did not revisit it for the next 24 hours. When I opened it next, it had been retweeted almost 15 thousand times.
It seems like it was something almost organic, something that was waiting to happen, people just realised that you articulated what they felt.
Exactly, Deepawali is the time when people travel. However everywhere they may have travelled for work, they rush to be with their families. It is a time to dress in the bright colours are our signature tradition and style. Our music, our clothes, our art, and our flowers – everything is bright, colourful, and vibrant. People had been sensing this for a long time and they too felt that our USP is being taken away from us.
Your detractors also ask why you object to the usage of Urdu and that isn’t Urdu an Indian language too?
Definitely, Urdu is an Indian language. However, tell me in what part of India, does a Hindu, who celebrates this festival, call it anything else apart from the variants of Deepawali, Diwali, Deepotsav, etc? Where is it ever called Jashne-e-Chirag? Nowhere! Apart from that, consider the fact that like Urdu, Sanskrit too is an Indian language. Please, show me one Muslim organisation that calls Bakri-eid ‘Ajaat Putra Balidaan Utsav.’ I bet no one can simply because it does not happen.
Okay, so you mean that it has to be a two-way street, right?
Yes, exactly! It has to be a two-way street. All this Wokeism is reserved only to be directed at Hindus. They have shown an ad campaign that shows two lesbian lovers celebrating the Hindu festival of Karwa Chauth. I am not even talking about the aptness or the LGBTQ rights. What I ask here is would you try this kind of ad campaign showing two Muslim women in the same light? No! Because then they will face the threat of “Sar Tan Se Juda” – a fatwa of beheading on charges of blasphemy. They have been taking the Hindus for granted for too long. No more is that going to be tolerated. We have put that across firmly. Consumers have made it very clear.
“There is an ad that shows two lesbian lovers celebrating Karwa Chauth. Would you try this kind of ad campaign showing two Muslim women in the same light? No! Because then they will face the threat of “Sar Tan Se Juda.” They have been taking the Hindus for granted for too long. No more is that going to be tolerated. We have put that across firmly”
Has any brand tried reaching across to you and saying you are a public intellectual but we wish to clarify that we are being misunderstood?
No! Why would they? They have instead blocked me on social media. They have changed their brand behaviour and their ads though. A friend had been approached by a big brand asking if I was looking for some money. I am not doing it for money or fame. The fact that this hashtag became a movement is divinely ordained. I was only speaking for myself. Hindus who are not Hindu merely in name but are proud of their Hindu heritage identified with the sentiment and I am grateful that they made it into a mass movement – which I think is a divinely ordained thing.
This post was originally published on here
