Tanishq Store In Gujarat Puts Up Apology Note Over Withdrawn 'Communal Ad'

A Tanishq jewellery showroom in Gandhidham town of Gujarat's Kutch district had put up a note on its door, apologising to Hindus in the district on account of a controversial TV ad by Tanishq featuring an interfaith marriage. The ad was withdrawn after it faced backlash. 

The handwritten note in Gujarati also condemned the TV commercial.

"We apologise to Hindu community of Kutch on the shameful advertisement of Tanishq," the note read. It was pasted on the showroom's door on October 12, and has since been removed, police said. 

Photos of the apology note have gone viral on social media. The showroom manager and local police rubbished media reports that the showroom was attacked by some people angry with the Tanishq advertisement.

#BoycottTanishq was trending on twitter with several people calling for a ban on the 45-second Tanishq ad featuring a Hindu-Muslim interfaith marriage. The commercial is a part of Tanishq’s current festive season's collection ‘Ekatvam’. 

After withdrawing the ad, Tanishq also shared a message on their social media account yesterday explaining the idea behind the advertisement,  

However, the withdrawal of the ad also received criticism from many. Actor Swara Bhasker tweeted saying, “Sad lack of spine… and conviction. Numerous women and men get death threats on social media on a daily basis, they stand up to it. Unfortunate that a large corporate conglomerate is unable to gather the courage (and resources) to withstand a few days of trolling!”

Speaking to Outlook Bhasker said, “Sad and shameful that a company with a stature like that of Tata cannot stand up for their own content and for the constitutional values of India. It’s a sad comment on the victory of fascist Hindutva ideology that Hindu-Muslim unity and interfaith harmony are offensive to some people. By cowing down Tanishq has inadvertently legitimised this bigotry.”