Fabindia removes Diwali ad named Jashn-e-Riwaaz after #BoycottFabindia trends online

Clothing brand FabIndia has removed a promotional capsule about its new festive line after a backlash from right-wing groups.

While the brand was accused of ‘defacing’ the Hindu festival of Deepavali by naming its festive collection as Jashn-e-Riwaaz (celebration of tradition), the company insisted that it is not a Deepavali collection which will be soon launched under ‘Jhilmil si Diwali’ promo.

FabIndia was trolled on social media for what some said was unnecessarily uplifting secularism and Muslim ideologies in a Hindu festival, saying that it hurt their religious sentiments.

After it put on Twitter the Jashn-e-Riwaaz collection on October 9, some social media users called for a boycott of the brand, making their campaign one of the top trends.

“We at FabIndia have always stood for the celebration of India with its myriad traditions in all hues,” a company spokesperson said.

“Our current capsule of products under the name Jashn-e-Riwaaz is a celebration of Indian traditions. The phrase means that, literally. The capsule is not our Deepavali Collection of products. Our Diwali collection called ‘Jhilmil si Diwali’ is yet to be launched.”

Jashn-e-Riwaaz is a phrase in Urdu, a language that was born in India.

The tweet, which went viral on Monday, said, “As we welcome the festival of love and light, Jashn-e-Riwaaz by Fabindia is a collection that beautifully pays homage to Indian culture”.