When we celebrate a festival there is no class segregation; there is no rich and poor. Festivals are meant to trim down such gaps to create an egalitarian society where there is colour in everyone’s life, not prejudice.

However, the overall impression that the world of advertisement creates is, sadly, the other way round. Let the high and the mighty celebrate all the festivals and let the children of a lesser God remain on the fringes.

The other day I was watching a TV jewellery commercial on the occasion of Diwali, starring many popular film stars. From tradition to rituals and much more it celebrates the lives of the elite-class society, or rather it creates the impression that every festival is meant for the high-class society.

Such an advertisement has two misleading elements that could not be justified in a democratic society like India. One, it creates the false impression that all celebrations and rituals are associated with the upper-class and the upper middle-class society. The other thing is that the advertisement creates the impression that their products are meant for the upper class only.

Definitely, there are products that are exclusively meant for a certain class, but jewellery is not among that. It caters to every community, every religion.

The same prejudice I have seen in the advertisements of textiles as well. There also the advertisements create an upper class, upper caste air – directly and indirectly.

This is not an isolated case. Cutting across languages and cultures, almost every Indian commercial has this upper-class upper-caste syndrome when it comes to jewellery, textiles, food supplements and even FMCG.

Advertisements are well-researched products and they have their commercial interests too. But at least during the seasons of celebrations like Diwali that bring the society closer, there should be something that does not focus on the privileged class alone, because it sends a wrong signal. Diwali is one such festival celebrated in many parts of India irrespective of class and creed, and it is not in good spirit to create the impression that festivals belong to the high-class society.

The social prejudice of the creators of the advertisements is the same when it comes to the products for children. All those ‘tiny tots’ appearing in electronic and print commercials are fair-skinned plum ones whereas the reality is just the opposite.

When I said this to a friend, his question was very simple.

“Have you seen the ads of paints in Kerala, your native place?”

My answer was in affirmation. But when he explained the class and communal representation in most of the advertisements, I was baffled. Yes, the social segment that spends the highest amount on painting their houses luxuriously has never found a place in any of those advertisements.

We wrongly believe that people, or the class, with buying potential find representation in the print and electronic commercials. These advertisements have a clear agenda to tempt the lesser privileged ones, and make them believe that their identity would be recognized only when they behave like the privileged. The researchers burn the midnight oil to create such advertisements that are politically incorrect.

Incidentally, this Diwali is the season when some research went wrong too. Recently Netflix India launched a Diwali commercial titled Cherrapunji Ki Diwali. The advertisement focused on the rain that dampens Diwali celebration. Still people celebrated it. However, the researchers forgot one thing. In the northeastern states Diwali is not a big festival and all those colours, lights and rangolis are not part of their life. Though the advertisement tried to evoke the spirit of Diwali, it proved to be a damp squib that also invited the wrath of the netizens from the north-eastern states of India.

However, there are some advertisements that literally break all such class and caste barriers. One such advertisement was by Amazon last year. A mother and son are driving over 50 kilometers to hand over a Diwali gift to someone, which they actually purchased from Amazon. The son asks why they should go and give it when Amazon can directly deliver it to the recipient. The son realizes the importance of delivering it directly when the mom explains that the person they were going to meet was the one who saved his life the previous year, when he fell ill. All social elements of human bond come to life in that advertisement, which clearly says, “Our box can’t deliver your love to them.”

These are the moments when an advertisement breaks all those barriers of class and communal prejudices, but rarely do such moments happen in the world of advertisement when they create commercials to commemorate festivals.

Hope next Diwali there will be something that keeps aside such prejudices.

Happy Diwali!