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    ICC World Cup 2023: Make My Trip ad poking fun at Pakistani cricket fans draws ire for being 'tone-deaf & insensitive'

    Synopsis

    The ad went viral on X, for being condescending to Pakistani fans who had travelled to India to witness the match between their country and India.

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    The ad, which is addressed to Pakistani nationals who travelled to India to cheer for their team, who participated in the ICC World Cup 2023, has drawn huge flak for its condescending tone.
    An advertorial by online travel company Make My Trip, is grabbing eyeballs and hogging headlines for the wrong reasons.

    The ad, which is addressed to Pakistani nationals who travelled to India to cheer for their team, who participated in the ICC World Cup 2023, has drawn huge flak for its condescending tone.

    The ad was published in the print edition of the Ahmedabad Times ahead of the match. The ad offers “an open invitation to Pakistani fans,” and special discounts if their team suffers a loss.

    “Let's take a moment and forget our rivalries. After all, it's not everyday that you visit us... So staying true to the Indian tradition of 'Atithi Devo Bhava,' we want to extend some heartfelt offers to you. If Pakistan loses by 10 wickets or 200 runs, get 50% off. Use code: BoysPlayedWell; 6 wickets or 100 runs, get 30% off. Use code: EkShaheenHaar; 3 wickets or 50 runs, get 10% off. Use code: NoMaukaMauka," reads the ad.

    The ad went viral on X (formerly Twitter) for being patronising and tone-deaf. One X user retweeted the ad and wrote, “Such a horrible ad! We are not a sporting nation, we are a sparring nation.”

    Another wrote, “Make My Trip is just full bunch of communal cringe people.”


    An Indian X user stated that they will be adding Make My Trip to the list of brands to boycott. “Horrible!! Horrible!! So that’s one more brand to ‘boycott’ for me at least … what have we become??? Does any other country do this to Indian fans? And it’s not about any love for Pakistan… this is just a game even kids won’t do this,” they wrote.


    However, if that was not enough, hotel aggregator Homestays & Villas invited even more ire and fuelled the controversy with a post that dissed Make My Trip. Calling the advertisement “disgraceful,” it wrote that they would not be renting their property to Pakistani tourists. The distinctly communal tone of the post, which further widened the polarisation between the two nations, did not go down well with netizens from both sides of the border.

    An X user retweeted the post and wrote, “Never staying at any of your properties.”

    Bollywood actress Swara Bhaskar also called out the ad for being “petty unfunny and grammatically incorrect.”

    Another X user wrote, “You should be ashamed for not offering your miserable property to non-Indians. You are right to dissociate from make my trip, but stupid in joining the jingoism that is killing India. Only scoundrels are patriotic.”

    Another pointed out that such jingoistic ads are only sullying India’s reputation. “We are the World Cup hosts. Thanks for showing the country in this terrible light to the whole world. If this was a joint effort in bringing the stature of the country down, you guys did a brilliant job .”


    India and Pakistan had a face-off at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on October 14. India emerged victorious.

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