Nestle has had to stop selling KitKat bars with wrappers featuring Hindu gods as a result of a furious backlash from India.
It is feared that these chocolate bars, which are adorned with images of Mata Subhadra (Lord Jagannath), Balabhadra and Lord Jagannath) will be unintentionally thrown in the bins or on the streets.
The KitKat wrapper that featured a photograph of Lord Jagannath has been in the limelight only recently. This sparked reactions across social media.
One Twitter user said that he would kindly delete the photos, and they might be stepped upon unintentionally.
Nestle India revamped the wrapper for their KitKat Range and added images of Mata Subhadra (in 2021), sparking a social media storm.
A Twitter user stated that while it was an honor to be a part of ‘Odisha culture, Lord Jagannath and Lord Balabhadra on Kitkat’, throwing wrappers in the dustbin, or accidentally stepping on them would insult the deities.
Nestle says the bars were designed to celebrate culture. However, Nestle issued an apology for the mistake and has now removed all of its bar products.
Nestle spokeswoman said that they understood the sensitive nature of the issue and regretted having inadvertently damaged anyone’s feelings. These packs were already removed from the marketplace last year. We appreciate your patience and support.
“We wanted people to learn about art and the artisans. We understand that the subject is sensitive and we regret any hurt feelings.
The Kitkats that proved offensive to the Hindu population were originally circulated in Odisha, an Eastern province of India where Hindu nationalist sentiment has been growing recently.
Nestle finally issued a more detailed statement, stating: “KitKat Travel Break Packs are meant to Celebrate Beautiful Local Destinations. Last year, we wanted to celebrate Odisha’s culture with designs for packs that represent Pattachitra. This art form is uniquely identifiable because it has vivid imagery.
“We wanted people to learn about art and the artisans. We understand that the subject is sensitive and we regret any hurt feelings.
The Pattachitra tradition is an art form known for its colourful and vivid adornments and imagery and often depicts Hindu Gods and Goddesses
Images such as the one on the wrapper are part of Pattachitra tradition. This art form is known for its vivid and colourful imagery and adornments.
Nestle is just one of many companies who have had to apologize to the Hindu community because they were feeling pushed to the limits by nationalist and religious sentiments.
Indian jewel brand Tanishq apologized in 2020, and retracted its campaign that featured what appeared to be a Hindu daughters-in-law for a Muslim family.
Recent controversy also involved Zomato and Unilever as well as Manyavar.
As India is seeing some of the fastest economic growth in the world, the country´s ruling party BJP seems to become increasingly wary of freedom of expression, commentators have pointed out.