The recent Diwali campaign and collection ‘Jashn-e-Riwaaz’ launched by popular ethnic garment brand Fabindia has not been received well by people on the internet. Several social media users have objected to yet another appropriation of a Hindu festival and sentiments.
Fabindia gets brickbats for ‘Jashn-e-Riwaaz’ collection
The cultural appropriation has left social media users uncomfortable, just ahead of another Hindu festival. Not many favored Diwali being loosely translated to ‘Jashn-e-Riwaaz’.
Author, speaker and textile enthusiast, Shefali Vaidya slammed Fabindia for ‘de-Hinduising’ festivals. “Wow @FabindiaNews great job at de-Hinduising Deepawali! Call it a ‘festival of love and light’, title the collection ‘Jashn-e-Riwaaz’, take Bindis off foreheads of models but expect Hindus to buy your overpriced, mass produced products in the name of ‘homage to Indian culture’!” she tweeted.
Wow @FabindiaNews great job at de-Hinduising Deepawali! Call it a ‘festival of love and light’, title the collection ‘Jashn-e-Riwaaz’, take Bindis off foreheads of models but expect Hindus to buy your overpriced, mass produced products in the name of ‘homage to Indian culture’! https://t.co/S47g1ArUbB
— Shefali Vaidya. 🇮🇳 (@ShefVaidya) October 18, 2021
Janani Sampath Veeravalli, a twitter user questioned, “Am an indian and I have never celebrated jashn-e-riwaz. Never heard of it. What on earth is this festival?”
Am an indian and I have never celebrated jashn-e-riwaz. Never heard of it. What on earth is this festival? https://t.co/w15iBV0qpJ
— Janani Sampath Veeravalli✍️ 🇮🇳 (@jananisampath) October 18, 2021
Taking a jibe at the brand, another user, Vivek Iyer said, “So @FabindiaNews has renamed #MiladUnNabi as #JashneRiwaaz ..Wish them good sales.. but personally feel the colors are too gaudy … A green tone would have set it right….”
So @FabindiaNews has renamed #MiladUnNabi as #JashneRiwaaz ..
— Vivek 🇮🇳 (@viviiyer) October 18, 2021
Wish them good sales.. but personally feel the colors are too gaudy … A green tone would have set it right…. https://t.co/DdAqrg439V
Professor Anand Ranganathan was not too far behind. Puzzled by the name, Ranganathan tweeted, “All this is great but can you please clarify which festival are you talking about, and which religion does it belong to, given that all festivals are celebration of love and light and not hate and darkness? You can DM me the festival’s name if you are too scared. Thanks.”
All this is great but can you please clarify which festival are you talking about, and which religion does it belong to, given that all festivals are celebration of love and light and not hate and darkness?
— Anand Ranganathan (@ARanganathan72) October 18, 2021
You can DM me the festival’s name if you are too scared. Thanks. https://t.co/gzq74yaD4y
Another user called this ‘Islamization of Hindu festivals’ by the brand.
Islamization of Hindus Festival https://t.co/Iu1ChhuY8x
— Vikantovsa (@omgavcos) October 18, 2021
Several users gave a call to boycott the brand.
Hence forth no buying from here.
— Aneesh Gokhale (@authorAneesh) October 18, 2021
As it is overpriced for no rhyme or reason. https://t.co/CaZsaLoOFI
The brand has now deleted every single Tweet carrying the name or hashtag ‘Jashn-e-Riwaaz.’
Forceful cultural appropriation of Hindu festivals
Interestingly, the advertisement campaign released by the brand is a complete mismatch with the title chosen for the Diwali collection. Fabindia’s ‘Jashn-e-Riwaaz’ video campaign ironically features the rich culture and tradition of Rajasthan.
The campaign starts with a Rajasthani lad taking a group of friends belonging to different ethnicities to his home to celebrate the festival of Diwali. While driving amidst the different traditional aspects of Rajasthan, the boy wonders how his friends might be perceiving the timeliness tradition and history of the state.
The ad then focuses on Rajasthani traditions, rituals, food and finally the couture to highlight the richness, heritage and legacy of Diwali, a festival celebrated by lighting diyas, bursting crackers and distributing sweets amongst other traditions to mark the win of good over evil.
One of the most significant Hindu festivals, Diwali commemorates the return of Lord Shri Ram after defeating the evil that was Ravana. This is precisely why several users were left bewildered with the usage of a heavy Urdu phrase to name a traditional collection exclusively designed for a Hindu festival.
Fabindia founder: a beneficiary of Ford Foundation
Fabindia was established in the year 1960 by John Bissell, an American beneficiary of the Ford Foundation. He had come to India as adviser to the Cottage Industries Emporium on a Ford Foundation Grant.
The Ford Foundation is an American charitable organisation, which casts itself as a group engaged in advancing human welfare, whereas, in reality, it is a ‘cesspool of intolerant and bigoted left-wing extremists’ as revealed by whistleblower Christopher Brunet on his Substack KarlStack.
These left-wing ideologues and extremists, the whistleblowers had claimed, go to great lengths to propagate their communist views while advocating the ‘cancel culture’ and harassment against those who dare to voice opposing views and dissenting opinions.
The current managing director of the company is John’s son, William Bissell.
‘Jashn-e-Riwaaz’ is not the only attempt to appropriate Hindu festivals
The Indian brands and advertising agencies have never been reluctant in using Hindu festivals for their vague social preaching and awareness campaigns.
Just before Fabindia’s ‘Jashn-e-Riwaaz’ fluff, Ceat tyres featuring brand ambassador Amir Khan released an ad campaign preaching ‘how roads are to be used to drive vehicles and not burst crackers.’
Clubbing the cricket as well as the Diwali season, Khan ‘educates’ the society kids about bursting crackers only in the compound of the housing society and not on the road if their cricket team happens to win.
This ad campaign too received a huge backlash from netizens asking why is the same message not communicated highlighting the regular religious practices of other faiths.
