New Delhi: A day after receiving severe backlash on social media for an advertisement featuring a Hindu-Muslim marriage, Tata Group’s Tanishq Jewellery has pulled down the controversial advertisement from its YouTube page.
In an official statement, the Tanishq spokesperson said, “We are deeply saddened with the inadvertent stirring of emotions and withdraw this film keeping in mind the hurt sentiments and well being of our employees, partners and store staff.”
The statement further noted that the idea behind the Ekatvam campaign was to celebrate people from different walks of life coming together and celebrating the “beauty of oneness.”
‘#BoycottTanishq’ was a top trend Monday and several people tweeted against the advertisement claiming that it promoted “fake secularism” and “love jihad”.
The company made the YouTube link to the video private Monday evening, making it unavailable to people. By Tuesday morning, the advertisement was no longer visible on its YouTube page.
Communications strategy consultant Karthik Srinivasan also confirmed the news on Twitter.
Tanishq has officially withdrawn their ad after being trolled viciously. Here's why this is a very sad state of affairs, and context from other such ads that were trolled (and some, withdrawn) https://t.co/Nb0cSiTPHX pic.twitter.com/sn3IMBqdmC
— Karthik (@beastoftraal) October 13, 2020
Several social media users condemned the trolling that Tanishq was subjected to.
Responding to the backlash the jewellery brand faced, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said, “So Hindutva bigots have called for a boycott of @TanishqJewelry for highlighting Hindu-Muslim unity through this beautiful ad. If Hindu-Muslim “ekatvam” irks them so much, why don’t they boycott the longest surviving symbol of Hindu-Muslim unity in the world — India?”
So Hindutva bigots have called for a boycott of @TanishqJewelry for highlighting Hindu-Muslim unity through this beautiful ad. If Hindu-Muslim “ekatvam” irks them so much, why don’t they boycott the longest surviving symbol of Hindu-Muslim unity in the world — India? pic.twitter.com/cV0LpWzjda
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) October 13, 2020
Former Chief Operating Officer (CEO) of Viacom and now managing director of House of Cheer Networks Raj Nayak expressed his disappointment at Tanishq for withdrawing the ad and said, “This is really sad! How can a brand as strong as Tanishq from the House of Tata’s chicken out based on trolls?”
This is really sad! How can a brand as strong as Tanishq from the House of Tata's chicken out based on trolls? In fact the trolls were helping you get more visibility for your ad. #Tanishq #Advertising . https://t.co/kNiuvJunUu
— Raj Nayak (@rajcheerfull) October 13, 2020
Image and communications consultant Dilip Cherian also said the move by the jewellery brand was not warranted.
Such unnecessary nervousness doesn’t become a mature @TanishqJewelry surely? Remember where we started creating the #tanishq image, it was pan-community? Agree @rajcheerfull , @AmanKayamHai_ET & @beastoftraal & hope they recognize that trolls actually don’t equal #customers 😖 https://t.co/esZqXMuFAd
— dilip cherian (@DILIPtheCHERIAN) October 13, 2020
Also read: Syro-Malabar Church says ‘love jihad’ a threat in Kerala, govt says it doesn’t exist
The controversial advertisement
The advertisement by Tanishq was released on 9 October and promoted its new jewellery line called ‘Ekatvam’. The 45-second video showed a Muslim family preparing a traditional South Indian baby shower for their pregnant Hindu daughter-in-law.
The YouTube description of the video had noted, “She is married into a family that loves her like their own child. Only for her, they go out of their way to celebrate an occasion that they usually don’t. A beautiful confluence of two different religions, traditions, cultures.”
Following the release of the advertisement, several users on Twitter called for its ban and boycott of Tanishq, including authors Shefali Vaidya and Sanjay Dixit.
Interesting that in that nauseating #interfaith ad by @TanishqJewelry how the bride is shown Hindu, but the ‘रस्म’ is shown without ANY Hindu symbols, no Murti, no Pandit, no one from the bride’s family. Waiting for a similar ad where the bride is Muzlim and the family is Hindu!
— Shefali Vaidya. (@ShefVaidya) October 13, 2020
Tanishq jewellery's 'Ekatvam' series' ad projects a fictional 'interfaith' union, a Muslim family, a Hindu daughter-in-law being allowed to do a Hindu ritual.
Nothing but promotion of love jihad on the same day Rahul Rajput was killed #BoycottTanishq https://t.co/QD46Sa32fB
— Sanjay Dixit ಸಂಜಯ್ ದೀಕ್ಷಿತ್ संजय दीक्षित (@Sanjay_Dixit) October 12, 2020
What #tanishq is showing – HINDU girl 100% safe in Muslim house
What actual happening – Hindu Girl trapped in love jihad and get killed.
Hindu girls are 0% safe in other religion houses. So Don't go by this sick company mindset 🙏#BoycottTanishq— My Name is Aक्षಯ🚩 (@bagga_daku) October 12, 2020
When the video was up on YouTube, it had received more ‘dislikes’ than ‘likes’. Till Monday afternoon, the video had garnered more than 2,000 dislikes and only 500 people had liked the advertisement. The comments section of the video was also disabled by the company Monday.
Also read: For VHP, Bollywood Khans’ Hindu wives, New Year & birthday parties help spread ‘Love Jihad’
The problem is with the likes of Shashi Tharoor, Raj Nayak, Dilip Cherian…..the supposedly brainy but actually brain dead pseudos. To them religion is maybe just a matter of convenience and pandering to minorities – a matter of survival. And they have the gall to call it creativity. How come they do not realise the most basic fact – that they are able to survive only because of the inherent tolerance of the majority. Any sensible person would be thankful and be more responsible. Look at these types! Maybe they do but because the majority is habitually silent and these types typically get away with murder, time and time again, they do not care. Wish the Creative genius who conceived this “beautiful confluence of religions, traditions and culture” had the guts to conceive exactly an ulta piece – with a Hindu guy and Muslim girl, This might sound crude. But such nonsense has to be called out. Such things were okay for so long but there is this new level of awareness now – which these types are not able to digest nor accept. Sad for them and their breed – this is the new reality and new normal.
You should be ashamed of your bigotry & journalism and so should be the print who allows such titles for such radicalised reports.
In shashi tharoors state kerala one hindu boy
In love with muslim girl called by her parents for settling the issue and was burnt alive, india, is not symbol of himdu muslim unity, but symbol
of majority hindus tolerance and generocity
We have great respect for Tata and parsi community , and sympathise with them as they are on the verge of extinction, only 1 lakh in india, if we see their history they were 95 % in Iran, but they could not resist the radicalism of muslim rulers and became only 0.6 %
Due to persicution they had to leave the country some of they sought asylum
In gujrat India, we are lucky to have them in India, long live parsis
I am tired of these hindu muslim
I am waiting for that day when our country calls an buke where every type of flower enhance the beauty of other
We all regret for the wrong things equally
We all affected of that equally
We all are the same indians
What if we have some religion differences after all we are indian
Please keep supporting to the buke concept
If not it will harmfull to all the Indian’s
At some point you are against it its ok
But you have to accept at a point
Because our countries economy, sociology and very important self respect is downsizing
So please please please if you have regrets please don’t comment on any where online solve it on off the net because whole world is watching us.
SO INDRA CONGRESS WHICH HAS BEEN HUMILIATED TWICE IN 2014 AND 2019 BY HINDUS IS NOT STILL LEAVING APPEASEMENT TO MUSLIMS.
I THINK THEY WILL LEARN A LESSON WHEN THEY GET SINGLE DIGIT SEATS NEXT TIME.
U WAIT AND WATCH.
Dumbo, why don’t you experiment with an ad where bride is Muslim, you will get the answer…they will come hunting you down in your workplace, I challenge try it
This is a complicated issue. When media in India shove this pretentiousness down the common people’s throats is when things go wrong. No one is saying that people don’t want unity. At an individual level such unions may be successful or maybe not. To make this fictional situation sound like this is ‘the’ road to unity is being very disingenuous! It’s almost like the masses of India are totally jaahil and Tanishq has to goad them towards ‘unity’ by promoting such unions!
This is amazing … But really what else to expect from the likes of Shashi Tharoor. One must remember when Tata Salt came out with an Ad where a Muslim man said “desh ka namak” it was withdrawn due to brouhaha from the liberal camp. There was no social media then and no trolling. But the ad was withdrawn nonetheless.
This ad is equally problematic if not more. All criticism and trolling is absolutely justified. And this ad deserves to be withdrawn.
Live jihad is threat to society. Love vapasi will be done . 1 hindu should marry at least 10 muslim woman and convert them to hindu
Mr Raju Bhai: You bray:
“.. 1 hindu should marry at least 10 muslim woman and convert them to hindu ..”
So here comes my question:
Won’t this fellow with 10 wives not get severely dehydrated ?
Tanishq cannot just get away by withdrawing the ad. The person who sanctioned the ad basically the CEO N THE CFO should be terminated if they want HINDUS TO buy their products
Ad. was indeed promoting love-jihad, should not have been made in first place
Appeasement
I haven’t looked the ad but from the description looks very stupid ad. No indian ( not just hindu) traditional ceremony happens in white colour cloths. What kind of warped message this ad was trying to convey?
People like to know who peddled agenda as ad. Name of those behind ad
Tanishq should make an advertisement showing a Muslim daughter-in-law celebrating Durga pooja and Vinayaka chavithi in a Hindu family , that will be a slap on these Hindu bigots, please make an advertisement with Muslim girl in a Hindu house. Please
That such an ad (muslim girl in hindu family) was not even conceptualized in the first place tells us wlhow the advertisement market is biased against Hindus. Even if they do make such an ad now, the damage is done and people now know who is on which side.
You should remember the Tata Salt ad where a bearded Muslim man says “desh ka namak” and the ad was withdrawn immmediately after brouhaha from the left liberal camp. This ad is equally problematic.
Very well said sir ..
Secularism is only for Hindus , not for any other community