Priya Prakashan
Priya Prakashan covers beauty and fashion for India.com. Prior to this, she has also reported on the news and entertainment beats. When she isn’t sizing up models and critiquing movie stars for thei ... Read More
The 10 crore scheme Jiyo Parsi campaign by ministry of minority affairs seems to have not got well with the Parsi community. The Jiyo Parsi campaign was in support of the dwindling number of the Parsi community. So as to not lose out on them, the Jiyo Parsi campaign was directed to young couples to marry early and procreate. The campaign also helps couples with the medical facility of infertility treatment.
The campaign is conceived and promoted by Parzor foundation, Bombay Parsi Panchayat, The Tata Institute of Social Sciences and The Federation of Zoarastrian Anjumans of India. Although the campaign was in support of the Parsi community, they have come across as sexist, offensive and downright insensitive.
Although the Jiyo Parso campaign was a check for the declining population of the Parsi community in a light-hearted and humourous way, it has received mixed reactions, taglines such as ‘Be responsible. Don’t use a condom tonight’ turned out to be misleading and not well received by the Parsi people.
The series of print ads have now become the talk of the town, along with the witty taglines, the campaign is receiving debate on equal rights to Parsi women who marry outside the community and also people are dumbstruck by how can the ad project women as baby making machines. Although the belief of saving the dwindling number of the Parsi people is a noble one, but this one seems to be thrusted only upon the women. They are looked upon as nothing but baby making machines. And the gender bias is very evident.
No matter if you are a Parsi or not you will be offended by the Jiyo Parsi campaign. Although the attempt was for to save the dwindling numbers of the Parsis, the approach was wrong. The campaign could have looked upon at intercommunity marriages rather than asking women to procreate like baby making machines. Also, there is gender bias in the Jiyo Parsi scheme as although the scheme can be availed by men who marry outside the community, but the same does not apply for the women. If the campaign was more gender neutral it would not have received much criticism for being racist, insensitive and offensive.
One of the ad reads ‘Isn’t it time you broke up with your mom?’, another says ‘Will your boyfriend ever be as successful as Ratan Tata? Who are you to judge Nicole Kidman? to comment on the unreasonable high expectations of women. In another ad, a woman is seen standing with a board saying ‘Hindu Colony-If you don’t get married and have kids, this area will have a new name in your lifetime’. This ad is the most offensive of the lot. Although they are trying to project the fear of extinction, but the message went for a toss in this particular print ad.
We made our own version of what the #jiyoparsi campaign should have been like. #justbeparsi pic.twitter.com/qzRp66g70W
— WUB WUBawaji (@bawatips) November 13, 2014
Dr Shernaz Xama, director of UNESCO Parzor Project said, “Parsi community always has a great sense of humour and ability to laugh at themselves. So, why should the campaign to save the community be a serious, morbid or a dark one.”
Although the cheeky ad campaign is addressed to the Parsi clan, but the onus and responsibility is more on the women. Even though the Parsi’s are known to have a great sense of humour, these entertaining series of ads have led Parsis against it.
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