• Source:JND

Lenskart, an eyewear company, is facing fresh criticism on social media over a Pongal-themed advertisement. The controversy started after a user Krithika Sivaswami criticised the ad, asking why it showed things like dates and unusual costumes that don’t match traditional Pongal celebrations. Following her post, many users agreed that the ad did not properly represent the Tamil harvest festival.

Lenskart Faces Backlash Over Pongal Ad

The video shows men and women celebrating Pongal wearing Lenskart glasses in style. However, instead of glasses, what caught people’s attention was the food (offerings) shown on the plate, which included dates along with bananas and flowers, instead of traditional Pongal dishes. Some users compared it to Ramzan and called for a boycott of the company, saying the brand was being insensitive to Hindu traditions. A user wrote, “Zero Research, Zero Creativity. Cringe Pro Max @Lenskart_com. Not sure who approved this ad, whosoever approved this must be living in his own delusional woke world.""

ALSO READ: Lenskart Dress Code Controversy: Peyush Bansal Calls 'No Bindi, Tilak But Hijab' Policy Outdated After Online Row

Another user wrote, “It's already clear from their internal policy document, it clearly shows their alignment. Don't get shocked when their models are having non veg on Diwali add. Is this question is even logical? It is very clear from their act that what they are trying to do. Simple.” A third user added, “Dates is a staple fruit in Gulf.. one of their investors are from that region?”

“Forget dates, there is uncooked raw banana, half a coconut and a bunch of flowers on the banana leaf,” one user noted. According to traditional customs, dates are generally not used in Pongal celebrations. The celebration primarily features sugarcane, fresh rice, jaggery, and turmeric, focusing on harvests from the Tamil Nadu region.

Fresh Controversy After Dress Code Row

This backlash comes soon after an earlier controversy about the company’s internal dress code. A political commentator, Shefali Vaidya had claimed that an old policy allowed some religious symbols like hijab but restricted others like bindi or tilak. “So I confirmed, this is genuine. This is what @peyushbansal tells his employees, hijab is okay, but bindi/tilak/Kalawa is not, for @Lenskart_com, a company that exists in Hindu majority Bharat, where most of the employees and consumers are Hindu," she wrote on X.

Peyush Bansal Clarifies

As the company received backlash, Lenskart’s founder Peyush Bansal responded, saying that the document being shared was outdated and does not reflect the company’s current rules. He clarified that there are no restrictions on any religious symbols now. He also apologised for the confusion and said the company respects all cultures and traditions. ““I’ve been seeing an inaccurate policy document going viral about Lenskart. I want to speak directly that this document does not reflect our present guidelines. Our policy has no restrictions on any form of religious expression, including bindi and tilak, and we continue to review our guidelines regularly," Bansal said.

 


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