E-Paper
Man threatens legal action over ‘Buri Nazar wale’ on Rajma Chawal container
A tagline on a cup of ‘Rajma Chawal’ served on board an Indigo flight has left a Gurgaon-based passenger fuming and mulling legal action against the airline.
A tagline on a cup of ‘Rajma Chawal’ served on board an Indigo flight has left a Gurgaon-based passenger fuming and mulling legal action against the airline.
The passenger, Vinod Kumar, a businessman, said he felt humiliated when he saw the tagline ‘Buri Nazar Wale Rajma Chawal Khale’ (Hey you evil-eyed, eat Rajma Rice) while travelling in a Pune to New Delhi flight on September 1.
The phrase has its roots in ‘Buri Nazar Wale Tera Munh Kala (Hey evil-eyed person, your face will be blackened), that the Chennai-based food packet manufacturer Triguni Eze Eats tweaked. The phrase is found painted on many Indian trucks.
However, Kumar did not appreciate the humour.
“How can they call someone evil-eyed? It is humiliating,” said Kumar, who lives in Gurgaon’s Om Nagar area.
On board the flight, Kumar chose his ‘favourite’ Rajma Chawal. After having the meal, he removed the tissue covering the cup and found what he called the ‘offensive’ tagline.
Kumar, who was travelling with his sister-in-law, raised the issue with the airline staff but they “feigned” ignorance, he said.
Kumar said he wanted to lodge a complaint on board the flight itself. “One of the airhostesses told me to lodge a complaint on a particular number, which I did after the flight landed at IGI airport in Delhi,” he said.
Two days later, Kumar got a call from the airlines apologising for the inconvenience. However, Kumar remains unconvinced.
“I will file a case against the airline and the Chennai-based food company that supplies the food box in flights. I want them to explain how they can keep this product with an offensive tagline on board,” he said.
The airline serves many products with catchy phrases such as ‘Nut Case’ for a box of cashew nuts, ‘Corny Chips’ for a box of chips and ‘Stick Man’ for potato sticks.
When contacted, an Indigo spokesperson said that the tagline was meant to be humourous.
“It’s a known joke that is actually addressed to the person sitting next to the consumer. It is not meant to hurt anyone,” said the spokesperson.
