Dear Trolls, ‘Jashn-e-Riwaaz’ Is Outrageous, but ‘Jalebi’, ‘Samosa’ Aren't?
The latest to fall victim to the pattern of 'hurt sentiments' is Fabindia.
advertisement
Video Editor: Mohd Irshad Alam
Ahead of Diwali, brands usually market their products and services in keeping with the festivities, traditions, and celebrations. However, the act of banishing 'controversial' ads seems to have become a part of an underlying routine of growing intolerance.
The latest to fall victim to the pattern of 'hurt sentiments' is Fabindia, after the clothing brand released an advertisement featuring their new collection, ‘Jashn-e-Riwaaz’.
As there was an outrage over the 'Islamification' of Hindu festivals, we question the hypocrisy of using common Urdu words like ‘Gulab Jamun‘, ‘Jalebi’, ‘Hawa’, ‘Namak’, and even ‘Samosa’.
What Jashn-e-Riwaaj Means
Fabindia’s ‘Jashn-e-Riwaaz’ collection paid tribute to Indian traditions. The advertisement showed men and women in traditional Indian clothing. However, the advertisement was targeted for its 'Islamification' of Hindu festivals. Some even questioned why women in the ad were not wearing a ‘Bindi’.
In the Urdu language, ‘Jashn’ means celebrations and ‘Riwaaj’ means traditions and customs. The word ‘Jashn-e-Riwaaj’, used as ‘Jashn-e-Riwaaz’ by Fabindia, simply meant celebration of traditions.
Use of Urdu in Common Parlance
The origins of many words spoken in common parlance can be traced to Persian and Arabic languages. Words like ‘Chowkidaar’, earlier used by PM Narendra Modi and his party leaders during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, is of Persian origin. Even ‘Namak’ is a Persian-origin word, while ‘Halwa’ is an Arabic word meaning sweet.
An Urdu speaker is not necessarily a Muslim and a Hindi speaker is not necessarily a Hindu. To those who continue to discriminate based on language, we ask, 'Janab Aise Kaise?'
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)