New Delhi: Tanishq faced BoycottTanishq calls on social media after it released the ad showing a Hindu-Muslim couple. #BoycottTanishq was top trending on #Twitter. More than 19,000 people tweeted calling for a ban on the advertisement and the jewellery brand.
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?”.
Tanishq ad: Company released statement
Later, Tanishq released a statement on its Twitter handle clarifying, “The idea behind the Ekatvam campaign is to celebrate the coming together of people from different walks of life, local communities and families during these challenging times and celebrate the beauty of oneness. This film has stimulated divergent and severe reactions, contrary to its very objective. We are deeply saddened by 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.”
Amid Tanishq ad controversy, a twitter user commented, “Open challenge: Boycott biryaani if you can!”.
Twitterati reaction
Reacting over it many netizens started tweeting that Biryani is a Hindu civizational dish.
One of them wrote, “Why shud we boycott Biryani which is our own Hindu civizational dish? You plagiarised our Pulao (Pulaka in Sanskrit) by giving it Persian name (Biryani) just as you did with many Hindu things, which Left legitimises. So logically/morally, U shud boycott Biryani as it not yours”.
Another person wrote, ” Please Check where the dhaan/paddy Grows and it’s origin! India is the land who gave wheat and rice to d world! Now, please don’t tell me that the Ur Mogul brought the recipe of briyani in their pocket like they brought the paneer too! Changing name doesn’t change the facts”.
Expressing a different view, a person by name, Abhinav Khare wrote, ” Har kisi ki recipe hai shamil ismein, Kisi ke baap ki biryani thodi hai!”.
Responding to his views, the person who started this debate wrote, ” Don’t know why Sanghis are getting so upset about my Biryani tweet! Relax guys…no one is taking your Biryani away from you
PS: he’s right. Biryani represents a mix of culture & food traditions. The same mix that was shown in the Tanishq ad…it’s what makes India beautiful”.