I am scared to wish Happy Diwali. Is the word “Happy” tied to a religion? I am a pure Hindu; I cannot afford being accused of defacing a Hindu festival with a word which is non-Hindu?
Talking of defacing Hindu festivals, I just remembered a few famous brands retracted their advertisements recently. And rightly so. How dare they hurt Hindu sentiments by representing celebration of Hindu customs, Hindu festivals and Hindu traditions by using words which do not have their origin in pure Sanskrit? Or with women who do not wear bindis? Or with people who appear to have a homosexual relationship? Or with a question on a wedding ritual? Or with a celebrity of non-Hindu faith lecturing us on being safe during our festivals?
These brands should be more controlled in what they show. Otherwise, such a great, venerable and eternal religion like Hinduism will come under threat with the messages these ads portray!
There was a recent ad for bridal outfits showing a modern bride questioning “Kanyadaan” and pointing that it should instead be “Kanyamaan”.
By the way, I read that in ancient times this ritual was a promise from the groom and his family to love and respect the bride, but over time it morphed into giving a girl away. So, if this ritual morphs back to “maan” or respect for the bride, it’s back to the basics, I think. This ad probably got it right in its own convoluted way!
But no, the issue here is not what I think, the issue here is much bigger than my small intellect! The issue is of ads trying to shake the foundations of our great Hindu beliefs. These brands, I tell you! If left unchecked, very soon they will show a wedding being conducted by women priests! Or, in their effort to be inclusive, show some custom contradicting our known Hindu customs, from the wedding of a tribe of India. God forbid such ads happen, but if they do, I am sure our political leaders will not shy away from reminding these brands that Hinduism is only what mainstream India practices and indicating anything otherwise deserves punishment! Such show of inclusiveness with unknown customs cannot be pardoned.
Talking of inclusiveness, I chanced upon some articles regarding acceptance of sexual fluidity in India. How ancient India recognized and accepted homosexuality or the existence of hermaphrodites in people. Ardhanareswara – such an inclusive concept! There are cave and temple sculptures depicting same sex relationships. King Bhagirath, who brought River Ganga to Earth is said to be born from the conjugation of his two mothers post his father King Dilip’s death. Ayyappa was born from Shiva and Vishnu in the form of Mohini. The concept that such things are against the order of nature was essentially a Western concept that we adopted with the Raj and it implanted itself into our DNA. So, with our Western thought infested Hindu values, we denounce anything that looks at same sex relationship with an eye of acceptance! That ad showing homosexuals celebrating a Hindu custom better stop, and the makers better tender an apology.
Some ad makers should tender an apology for using Urdu words to describe an Indian festival too. Double apology required from ad makers who describe Indian festivals using English words. While Urdu originated in Northern India as a mix of various languages like Hindi, Punjabi, Arabic, Persian, Turkish, just like many other Indian languages, English never originated in India. In conclusion, anyone who wishes Hindu festivals in English deserves penalty.
So, apologies if I have ever used English to wish anyone on a Hindu Festival. I am a pure Hindu; I cannot afford being accused of defacing a Hindu festival with a word which is non-Hindu.
Ad Glossary
https://www.news18.com/news/buzz/boycott-manyavar-trends-after-alia-bhatt-ad-showing-kanyadaan-gets-backlash-4235222.html
https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/fabindia-where-bindi-deepavali-has-been-season-outrage-156793
https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/entertainment-others/dabur-ad-controversy-you-can-either-glow-with-pride-or-bleach-the-rainbow-7599998/
https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/bangalore/ananthkumar-hegde-tyre-company-ad-featuring-aamir-khan-hurting-sentiments-7583666/
Bashari Chakraborti's Blog 
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