Havells drops ad as many viewers rap ‘anti-quota sentiment’

Consumer electric goods maker Havells has withdrawn a new advertisement for its fans after backlash from a section of viewers over anti-reservation sentiments. “A sequence in our recent fan campaign of Hawa Badlegi seems to have hurt the sentiments of some viewers. Havells is a responsible brand and it never intends to hurt anybody’s sentiment,” the company said in a statement.

It further said: “The intention of the company has always been in the interest of people, hence we are withdrawing this ad sequence immediately.”

In one of campaigns, the Noida-based firm showed a girl declining reservation for her admission in an educational institution and opting for forms kept for the general category despite insistence from her father. 

The ad had a background score in Hindi that suggested an independent new generation girl rejecting the need for ‘any ladder’. The particular sequence has been criticised in social media for being “castiest and anti-reservation”.