Fabindia has found itself in the thick of a controversy after its ‘Jashn-e-Riwaaz’ collection sparked massive outrage online. People on the internet were not happy that the brand had not acknowledged Diwali in its festive collection and had come up with a bizarre Urdu name for it.
Social media users accused Fabindia of attempting to appropriate Hindu festivals. Following the backlash, the brand tried to course-correct and removed all references to the campaign on Twitter. It tried to do the same with its posts on other social media platforms.
Now, it appears, the brand has come up with a brand new name entirely for its festive collection. Fabindia has decided to call it ‘Jhilmil si Diwali’, which is much more in line with the ethos of the Hindu festival.
Earlier, BJP MP Tejasvi Surya had said, “Deepavali is not Jash-e-Riwaaz. This deliberate attempt of abrahamisation of Hindu festivals, depicting models without traditional Hindu attires, must be called out. And brands like Fab India must face economic costs for such deliberate misadventures.”
Calls for a boycott were made by others as well. It appears that the brand has taken cognizance of the dissatisfaction of its customers over its Jashn-e-Riwaaz collection and has chosen to do away with it completely. The ‘Jhilmil si Diwali’ collection does appear far more in line with what their customers would want.
