Dear Rahul, Please Leave Rakhi Alone
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India can finally breathe easy. Rahul Gandhi has found the latest victim of patriarchy. It is not a woman denied education. It is not a girl prevented from working. It is not a case of violence against women. It is Kriti Sanon in a jewellery advertisement.
Sanon's Raksha Bandhan advertisement has triggered criticism because of its styling. She appears in a bralette-style blouse, cape and draped skirt while the campaign presents the festival in a distinctly modern fashion. The advertisement also extends the rakhi ritual to a pet dog. Critics questioned whether this was an appropriate representation of a festival whose emotional centre is the brother-sister bond.
Kriti defended herself. She said culture and tradition are in the heart, not in a woman's neckline. That is her argument and she is entitled to it.
If yes, let him say it. If no, then why is everybody who questions the advertisement suddenly a patriarch?
It is not an attack on women's freedom. And it certainly does not require Rahul Gandhi to arrive with a hashtag.
Rahul's sister is herself a prominent Congress politician. Every year, Raksha Bandhan provides the Gandhi siblings with the perfect opportunity to display the very relationship that the festival celebrates. So here is a modest question for the Gandhi family. What exactly does Raksha Bandhan mean to Rahul and Priyanka? Is it a celebration of affection between a brother and sister? Is it about emotional responsibility? Is it about family? Or has the Gandhi household also discovered that the festival needs to be examined through the ideological microscope of patriarchy?
Imagine Rahul on Raksha Bandhan morning. Priyanka approaches with a rakhi. Rahul looks at it suspiciously. “Is this patriarchal?” Priyanka says, “It's a rakhi.” Rahul replies, “But why should the sister tie something to the brother?” Priyanka says, “Because I am your sister.” Rahul: “Smash the patriarchy.”
And the third could be that every Indian family must submit its Raksha Bandhan photographs for ideological clearance. This is what happens when politics loses proportion.
The formula is simple. If you support the choice, you are progressive. If you question the choice, you are patriarchal. There is no middle ground. No cultural context. No discussion of advertising ethics.
No recognition that millions of Indians may regard Raksha Bandhan as something more than a marketing opportunity. And that is the real insult to Indian women.
Indian women do not need Rahul Gandhi to certify their freedom. They have been making their own choices for generations. They have studied, worked, led businesses, entered politics, commanded institutions, served in the armed forces, become scientists, astronauts, athletes and entrepreneurs. They have fought real restrictions and broken real barriers. Their liberation does not depend on whether a celebrity wears a particular blouse in a jewellery advertisement. That is why Rahul's intervention looks so trivial.
Everybody profits. Even patriarchy gets a new lease of life because everyone keeps talking about it.
Perhaps Rahul should leave it alone. Let brothers and sisters decide what the festival means to them.
Let women decide what they wear. While all the participants have the right of choice, the public has the freedom to laugh at Rahul Gandhi for turning a jewellery advertisement into the next great battle against patriarchy. As for Priyanka, she might want to keep her rakhi ready. The nation is waiting to discover whether Rahul will allow even one traditional family ritual to escape his patriarchy detector.
Sanon's Raksha Bandhan advertisement has triggered criticism because of its styling. She appears in a bralette-style blouse, cape and draped skirt while the campaign presents the festival in a distinctly modern fashion. The advertisement also extends the rakhi ritual to a pet dog. Critics questioned whether this was an appropriate representation of a festival whose emotional centre is the brother-sister bond.
Kriti defended herself. She said culture and tradition are in the heart, not in a woman's neckline. That is her argument and she is entitled to it.
Then Rahul Gandhi arrived. He shared Kriti's response and declared: “What a woman wears, what she does and where she goes – is her choice.” He then added the obligatory slogan: “Stop trolling women for exercising their freedom” and finished with #SmashThePatriarchy. Wonderful.
The Leader of the Opposition has apparently decided that the great battle against patriarchy will now be fought through jewellery advertising. But Rahul Gandhi should answer one simple question. Would he advise an ordinary young woman to dress in exactly the same way while tying Rakhi to her brother on Raksha Bandhan? Not in a fashion shoot. Not in a jewellery commercial. At home. With her family. Would Rahul Gandhi tell his niece, cousin or any young woman in his own family - “Wear whatever you want for Raksha Bandhan, because what you wear is your choice and if anyone objects, smash the patriarchy”?
This is where Rahul's argument collapses. A woman's personal freedom is one issue. The creative treatment of a cultural festival in an advertisement is another. Kriti can wear whatever she wants. Nobody disputes that. But the public can also ask why an advertiser chose a particular outfit and presentation for Raksha Bandhan. That is called criticism. It is not patriarchy. It is not misogyny.
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The most amusing part is that Rahul has inserted himself into a controversy involving a festival specifically built around a brother-sister relationship. Which brings us to Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
Imagine Rahul on Raksha Bandhan morning. Priyanka approaches with a rakhi. Rahul looks at it suspiciously. “Is this patriarchal?” Priyanka says, “It's a rakhi.” Rahul replies, “But why should the sister tie something to the brother?” Priyanka says, “Because I am your sister.” Rahul: “Smash the patriarchy.”
Perhaps the Congress leadership should appoint a committee to investigate. The All India Raksha Bandhan Patriarchy Review Committee. Rahul can be chairman. Priyanka can be the only member. Its first recommendation could be that every rakhi ceremony must carry a disclaimer: “This ritual is voluntary and has no intention of reinforcing patriarchal structures.” The second could be that brothers must stop promising to protect sisters because apparently protection itself may now be politically suspicious.
A commercial advertisement becomes a feminist revolution. A disagreement over festival presentation becomes an attack on women. A criticism of an outfit becomes patriarchy. And Rahul Gandhi, who has plenty of serious political responsibilities, finds time to become the chief defender of a jewellery advertisement. Why? Because “women's freedom” has become a wonderfully convenient political weapon.
No recognition that millions of Indians may regard Raksha Bandhan as something more than a marketing opportunity. And that is the real insult to Indian women.
Indian women do not need Rahul Gandhi to certify their freedom. They have been making their own choices for generations. They have studied, worked, led businesses, entered politics, commanded institutions, served in the armed forces, become scientists, astronauts, athletes and entrepreneurs. They have fought real restrictions and broken real barriers. Their liberation does not depend on whether a celebrity wears a particular blouse in a jewellery advertisement. That is why Rahul's intervention looks so trivial.
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There is also a delicious commercial irony here. The brand sells jewellery. The controversy sells publicity. Kriti gets publicity. Rahul gets publicity. Critics get publicity. Social media gets content.
Meanwhile, Raksha Bandhan the festival that existed long before advertising agencies, Instagram influencers and Rahul Gandhi's hashtags quietly waits to be celebrated by ordinary Indian families.
Let women decide what they wear. While all the participants have the right of choice, the public has the freedom to laugh at Rahul Gandhi for turning a jewellery advertisement into the next great battle against patriarchy. As for Priyanka, she might want to keep her rakhi ready. The nation is waiting to discover whether Rahul will allow even one traditional family ritual to escape his patriarchy detector.