Click here to follow Screen Digital on YouTube and stay updated with the latest from the world of cinema.
This is an archive article published on March 15, 2023
Besharam Rang: Do we need to boycott Bharat Matrimony or those who harass women?
The better question here is why Bharat Matrimony is creating ads that have nothing to do with the service they offer, quite like the face bleach ad that attempted to advocate LGBTQ rights.
Bharat Matrimony's Holi ad sparks criticism (Photo: Bharat Matrimony/Twitter)
Listen to this article
Besharam Rang: Do we need to boycott Bharat Matrimony or those who harass women?
x
00:00
I don’t like playing Holi. There I said it. Over the years, people have looked at me with bewilderment when I declare that I don’t enjoy playing with colours on Holi. Perhaps they feel I am a prude, or that I am against what is supposed to be a joyous festival. The truth is quite different. That’s why when I saw the Bharat Matrimony ad that was released on March 8th which happened to be Women’s Day and Holi, it really struck a chord with me.
The short ad film shows a woman washing away Holi colours from her face only to reveal injury marks on her face. The advertisement states that a third of women who faced assault or sexual harassment on Holi have stopped celebrating the festival. “Some colours don’t wash away easy,” is the caption attached to the video.
The truth is I don’t enjoy playing Holi because I am not comfortable with the physical proximity it entails. Though I used to play Holi as a child, as I grew up and became more self-conscious, I also realised that Holi was the perfect alibi for young men to disregard consent or personal space.
I was in my twenties when two men on a bike chased my auto and hit my face with water balloons. I was drenched with coloured water and my discomfort and embarrassment were a source of humour and power to these men. After all, don’t we brush everything that is potentially problematic under the ‘Bura na mano Holi hai’ carpet?
In a country that still remains largely conservative, with designated spaces for men and women within the household and in society, Holi is a day where rules are relaxed, and people can let their hair down so to speak. Perhaps husbands and wives can display affection in public and the women can be less formal or docile.
Holi is not a purely religious festival. It’s a festival that heralds the coming of spring and the end of winter. In mythology, it is linked to Holika’s death. Holika Dahan symbolises ‘the triumph of light over darkness, good over evil, and happiness over grief’. There are also several folk tales and mythological explanations for how the celebration with colours came to be. From Krishna and Radha playing Holi on the banks of Yamuna, Kamadev being burnt by lord Shiva, to the ogress Dhundi who was chased away by young boys by shouting and playing pranks, there are many tales that have inspired and influenced the way Holi is celebrated around the country.
Bollywood films have also depicted Holi as a festival where there are no rules and any indiscretions by men are supposed to be forgiven. Songs laced with innuendo and bhang influenced behaviour have been a staple in Bollywood Holi sequences. Whether it’s Balam pichkari, Rang barse bheege chunarwali, Ang se ang lagana or Lahu mooh lag gaya, Bollywood’s depiction of Holi as a festival has impacted how we as a society perceive this festival. Suddenly a man eve-teasing a woman, spraying her with a rather Freudian pichkari, or aggressively smearing her with colour were all supposed to be permissible. But sadly, the offscreen implications of such ‘naughty’ behaviour are far more dangerous.
Story continues below this ad
In 2018 a student from LSR college in Delhi was hit by balloons filled with semen during the festival. She shared a post detailing her horrifying experience, prompting many other women to come forward and share horrifying experiences of eve teasing, sexual harassment and assault that they had faced during Holi. From being hit by water balloons while walking the streets to being groped and touched without their consent, there were a shameful number of examples of how women had been violated and made to feel unsafe on Holi. The semen filled balloon incident prompted protests by students across colleges in Delhi, and Section 144 was imposed in Delhi’s South East District with strict warnings to aspiring eve teasers.
Women facing harassment on Holi is not brand-new information, so why have there been calls to #BoycottBharatmatrimony?
The better question here is why Bharat Matrimony is creating ads that have nothing to do with the service they offer, quite like the face bleach ad that attempted to advocate LGBTQ rights. Perhaps an ad that spoke about dowry harassment or domestic violence faced by women post-marriage would have been a better fit for their brand on the occasion of Women’s Day.Irrespective of one’s religious beliefs, it’s always healthy to question customs and social practices that have become redundant or problematic over the years. Whether that’s dowry, restrictions during menstruation, or a lack of agency when it comes to education, personal safety, birth control and abortion.
A healthy debate or introspection should never be replaced with defensiveness or by assuming the position of a victim whose beliefs are being deliberately attacked with an ulterior motive. If the manner in which Holi is played or the behaviour of men during this festival has made women feel unsafe then why not try and make a change?
Story continues below this ad
Bura na mano, but besharmi with rang is just unacceptable.
© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd
Advertisement
Loading Recommendations...
Advertisement
Live Blog
Advertisement