Swiggy and Bharat Matrimony receive backlash over Holi ads, face boycott calls

After receiving backlash from a certain section of people on social media, Swiggy reportedly took down its purported Holi ad billboards. Similarly, Bharat Matrimony too came under fire on Twitter over its latest video commercial on the occasion of Holi and International Women's Day.

While Swiggy has taken down the ad billboards, the video commercial by Bharat Matrimony is still available on its social media handles. Both brands have been facing boycott calls on Twitter. 

The billboard ads for Swiggy Instamart suggested people not to use eggs on each other during Holi and rather use them for consumption. On the other hand, Bharat Matrimony’s video ad calls out the abuse and harassment women face during Holi festival - following which a lot of netizens felt offended and criticised the brands for hurting religious sentiments of the Hindus.

Swiggy Instamart’s ad said, "Omelette - Sunny side-up - Kisi ke sarr par (on someone’s head). #BuraMatKhelo. Get Holi essentials on Instamart." There were green ticks next to "omelette" and "sunny side-up" and a red cross against "Kisi ke sarr par".

Soon after the ads were up, many people took to Twitter and tagged Swiggy criticising the Holi-related OOH ad. Many of them also urged others to boycott the app. On Tuesday, Swiggy was among the top Twitter trends with several users using #HinduPhobicSwiggy.

"Boycott Swiggy #HinduPhobicSwiggy," Dr Prachi Sadhvi tweeted.

Another Twitter user, Vikash Ahir wrote, "Holi ads by Swiggy are hurtful and divisive. Who gave them permission to create a negative perception about my festival? The company must apologise and take corrective steps to promote inclusivity. #HinduPhobicSwiggy."

"The recent billboard advertisement of Swiggy is a clear attempt to defame Holi and create a negative perception among people. The lack of similar ads for non-Hindu festivals shows a clear bias. Show some sensitivity and apologise to Hindu community. #HinduPhobicSwiggy," Elvish Yadav tweeted.

The billboards were reportedly put up in the Delhi-NCR area. However, there is no official statement from Swiggy on the matter yet.

Vice-President and spokesperson ISKCON, Radharamn Das, tweeted, "Swiggy takes down ad after uproar. But the question is that how year after year this kind of massive gyan campaign is being run? Money from people like Soros who wants to break India is funding these campaigns? It’s unfortunate that some people sell their souls for money."

Yogi Devnath wrote, "Hey Swiggy, it's not okay to give selective gyan on Hindu festivals. Your Holi reel and billboard is creating a wrong perception about Holi. You must apologise and take steps to promote cultural inclusivity. #HinduPhobicSwigggy."

"#HinduPhobicSwiggy takes down 'Holi egg' billboards. That's not enough...We want an unconditional apology from Swiggy for hurting our religious sentiments," another Twitter user, Dipti wrote.

On the other hand, some Twitter users defended the advertisement saying that it was not conveying any offensive message.

The outcry for Bharat Matrimony's video commercial on Twitter was along similar lines and #BoycottBharatMatrimony also began trending on the microblogging site. 

“A message about Women’s Day could easily have been sent without linking it to Holi. But that wasn’t the goal. The goal was to vilify Holi. Stop using Hindu festivals for anti-Hindu propaganda. #BoycottBharatMatrimony,” Kavita tweeted. 

Another Twitter user, Advocate Ashutosh J Dubey wrote, “Under the name of Holi, Bharat Matrimony gives gyan to Hindus on violence against women. Bharat Matrimony has used the beliefs of Indians for some financial gain! If you want to have fun, play with colors instead of feelings!”

Bharat Matrimony, in response, seems to have edited the video ad caption and uploaded fresh posts on its social media handles. They have not issued any official statement in this regard.

When the brand first launched this video commercial, it stated “‘Some colours don’t wash away easy’ – India’s leading online matrimonial service’s poignant message carries profound truth this Holi and International Women’s Day.”

"They deleted the earlier tweet and posted the same video again…Clearly they are not bothered with our outrage and #BoycottBharatMatrimony call. Either they think Hindus will forget this or they don't need Hindu customers anymore,” Mr Sinha, a Twitter user said. 

Vice-President and spokesperson of Iskcon, Radharamn Das, wrote, "Bharat Matrimony deleted this Hinduphobic video and have again reposted it. So, Bharat Matrimony is challenging Hindus to do whatever they want but they will continue to spread anti-Hindu propaganda. The ball is in Hindus’ court now. #BoycottBharatMatrimony."

In the past few years, brands have been cautious about Holi campaigns due to the risk of cultural appropriation and backlash. Many brands even refrain from making campaigns or advertisements on such occasions. The country has seen several controversies in the past as well regarding ads on religious issues.

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