A time to stand together

New Delhi, Oct 16 A modern, progressive secular country that "wears" its traditions proudly, that is what the Tanishq advert said to me.

Eight years ago Tanishq made a sensitive and timely advertisement that was the toast of the twitterverse. The protagonist is a dusky elegant mature woman and this is her second wedding. It starts with the daughter and mother helping the beautiful bride dress-up for her special day. The daughter then wants to accompany her during the "pheras" and go "round round" with her, her mother gives her a loving scowl, but the groom picks her up and carries him with her, as the couple walk around the fire.

 

The advertisement ends with the words "A wedding to remember- Tanishq". It was a social media sensation, everyone was praising it. An article written by veteran advertising professional and author Swapan Seth on this campaign at that time was headlined, "New Tanishq ad: a magical moment in Indian advertising". It was clear that this was a progressive brand that understood the modern Indian. A second marriage may have been a taboo subject to address a decade ago in an advertising campaign, but the India of today celebrated this moment.

Cut to this week, Muslim in laws are putting together a baby shower for their Hindu daughter in law, it promotes Tanishq's new line called "Ekatvam", which means "unity" in Hindi. A story line that seems so apt for these times. During the height of the lockdown #inthistogether was the trending phrase of social media. Yet this beautifully shot video, has been seen trolled and accused of promoting "Jihad love". The very medium, twitter, that once embraced Tanisqh's pioneering spirit has forced the TATA owned company to pull down the advert, and issue a clarification. To me

( With inputs from IANS )