“Not my intention to be culturally insensitive to Indian community”: Writer of bizarre ‘papadum’ song apologises after it goes viral on Twitter

Internet is full of all kinds of outlandish things that keep going viral every other day. This time it is a bizarre song about the Indian flatbread Papadum or papad that has sent the netizens in a frenzy. The video of the song named ‘papadam’ features an Indian woman and four foreigners singing and dancing to the weird song holding papads in their hands. Take a look at the song here:

https://twitter.com/AnandWrites/status/1319301907727458310?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

The song has triggered negative reactions from people on social media who criticised the song. Social media users have accused the song of being insensitive towards Indian culture, racist, and cultural stereotyping. One of the Twitter users condemned the song saying this was not the representation she wanted.

https://twitter.com/_ashmip/status/1319096040595881984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Apart from the bizarre lyrics of the song that had just one word, ‘papadum’, what drew the attention of people was the Indian lady in the video of the song who was not lip-syncing at all and kept grinning all through the video without blinking her eyes.

https://twitter.com/whodreamedit/status/1319351305320779776?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

People wondered whether she was uncomfortable doing the video or the expressions were deliberate to make her look ‘funny’.

https://twitter.com/AneeshRaman/status/1319306947598839813?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

The songwriter later clarified that the Indian was woman was indeed not comfortable singing the song. He said that in the intro of the song, lady brings the papadum and then the they all dance.

https://twitter.com/Anthony_Wiggle/status/1319409589939417088?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw </script

The song was apparently created in 2014 by an Australian musician named Anthony Donald Joseph Field who is a member of a children’s music group called the Wiggles.

https://twitter.com/Anthony_Wiggle/status/1319213117247684609?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

After the backlash from the people on the song, Field apologised saying that he did not intend to be culturally insensitive to the Indian community or add value to ethnic stereotyping. He said that the song was meant as a celebration.