Bengaluru rasam ad in bad taste? Netizens divided
The copy accompanying the ad read, "Wife North India aa?" (Is your wife North Indian), implying that women from the north can't make rasam
An out-of-door ad for Indira's Rasam Paste on a Bengaluru bus has sparked a debate on the internet. The ad has been slammed by a section of netizens for being "sexist" and "regionalist." Others argued that there was nothing controversial about the ad.
The copy accompanying the ad read, "Wife North India aa?" (Is your wife North Indian), implying that women from the north can't make rasam.
The ad was first brought to the internet's attention by X user Tejas Dinkar, who accused the brand of being chauvinistic. "Today in ads that manage to be sexist while also insulting both North and South India (from r/bangalore)," he wrote.
The comment section erupted into a debate on whether the ad merits any attention or is worthy of being offended over.
Today in ads that manage to be sexist while also insulting both North and South India (from r/bangalore) pic.twitter.com/wuyOcoIazi
— Tejas Dinkar (blue tick here) (@tdinkar) January 4, 2024
Not sure if it's offensive to the millions where the wife is a north Indian home maker.
— Kan (@kanishkabagaria) January 4, 2024
We need to stop taking offence at every opportunity
To be honest Rasam got insulted by this Ad https://t.co/CryRXgwK2j
— Kabali (@Kabali540) January 8, 2024
Also insulting rasam
— Sriram (@tsriram) January 4, 2024
0 basically. Naaarth peoples will feel insulted by the ad. South peoples will feel insulted by packit rasam.
— Arun (@isenditbacc) January 4, 2024
Making Rasam is a little complex process. Hence, if the wife is a stranger to the southern cuisine, you can use the mix.... ???. The ad promotes national integration. It encourages marriage ties between North & South...????.
— Kumaran Senthur Pandian (@KumaranSenthur1) January 4, 2024
Only a few ads can manage to do that. So we should appreciate the agency.
— Subramanian (@suBu_at_work) January 4, 2024
Btw why would a North Indian girl eat Rasam ?.
It should be ready to cook Dal tadka in 2 mins if you marry a North Indian girl, because that is what she would prefer.
Despite some comments criticising the ad, the prevailing opinion was that the ad was not sexist or insulting. A few also pointed out that the ad is a reflection of the society in today's times. Since cross-cultural marriages between North Indians and South Indians are common, culinary differences are bound to take place, a social insight on which the brand based its copy.
Indira's is a Bengaluru-based food product company, which specialises in masalas, pastes, spices and instant foods.
