On Tuesday, netizens were surprised to know that popular food company Haldiram’s dominated trends across social media platforms. A heated exchange between a TV reporter and a Haldiram’s outlet manager over the usage of “Urdu” labelling on its food products sparked off a fresh debate on social media platforms.
In a video going viral, a reporter from Sudarshan News TV was seen having an intense debate with a woman employee at a Haldiram’s store. The lady reporter was heard asking the staff the reason behind the usage of Urdu on the packaging of a product made for people fasting during Navratri.
In the clip, the reporter was also heard asking what Haldiram’s was trying to hide was and whether the snacks contained beef oil or any oil produced using animal fat.
The Sudarshan News reporter confronted Haldiram’s over a company’s product – ‘Falhari Mixture’, a Gujarati snack that is a mix of peanuts and potatoes.
The packaging of the product shows text in English and Gujarati on the front, along with a green dot, symbolising it’s a vegetarian product. On the backside of the product, there are details about ingredients written in Arabic, which was presumed to be Urdu by the reporter.
As the reporter asked the Haldiram’s staff to explain the rationale behind the inclusion of Urdu on a product catered to Hindu customers, the staff got infuriated. The reporter also said that the company was betraying Hindus who fast during Navratri.
“You can do whatever, mam. Haldiram’s will not entertain such tantrums,” the staff can be heard telling. As the reporter continued to confront the staff, the angry lady claimed that people of all communities who speak different languages come to the store.
“Why do you have to read in Urdu, mam? It is written in English and Hindi as well,” the staff said.
As the reporter continued to ask the motive behind the usage of Urdu, the staff retorted, “If you want to have this, you can have it. If you do not want to have it, you can just keep this here and go from my outlet.”
The incident has evoked mixed responses on social media platforms. While the left-liberals and Urdu fanatics jumped to hail the Haldiram’s staff for shouting at the Sudarshan News reporter, several netizens demanded answers from the company for using “Urdu” packaging, a product that is used explicitly by Hindus, especially during Navarathri.
It may be noted that several products made by Indian manufacturers use Arabic text also on the packages, because those products are exported to the Gulf countries. Haldiram products have a huge market in the Gulf nations, and as those counties use Arabic language, several Haldiram products use Arabic text. However, it does not answer the question why the company use same packaging for both domestic and export market. The company can easily use different packaging with different labels and avoid such controversies.