WEB DESK
Industrialist Ratan Tata has been facing flak on social media after Tanishq, Tata’s trademark jewelry brand, gave in to pressure and pulled a television advertisement depicting an inter-faith couple on Diwali.
The advertisement showing Hindu-Muslim marriage by jewelry brand Tanishq triggered a backlash on the social media with some claiming that it promoted ‘Love Jihad’, a term used to define Muslim men marrying Hindu women. Tanishq pulled the advertisement after the controversy, but the debate has far from ended.
At first, Tanishq, which has been at the receiving end of hate from all corners, was called out for buckling to bigotry. And now, philanthropist and former Chairperson of Tata Sons has come under attack after the ad being pulled.
Tata, who was also the chairperson of Tata Group from 1990 to 2012 and presently the head of its charitable trusts, has been called out for not taking a stand on the issue.
On Tuesday, social media was filled with posts under the hashtag ‘Ratan Tata’, which became one of the top-tweeted hashtags of the day. Journalist Rana Ayyub tweeted, “Ratan Tata and the case of the missing spine”. Writer Rupa Gulab opined, “Ratan Tata is not JRD. Keep that in mind and you won’t be disappointed. The caring, sharing, nation-building legacy is over—now it’s just crony capitalism”.
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?”.
Many others such as author Chetan Bhagat also expressed their disappointment with Tata on the microblogging site.
While launching the Ekatvam range, Titan had highlighted the theme of Oneness. “Each jewel from #EkatvamByTanishq, is meticulously crafted using art forms from across the country. Over 1,000 Karigars have spent countless hours creating these jewels that are a captivating ode to the beauty of oneness.”.
Former BJP ideologue Sudheendra Kulkarni said, “#Tanishq retreat is a victory for intolerance. Each such victory will make them more intolerant. We must safeguard India’s pluralism”.