Zomato, the food delivery brand, recently got into trouble after their new Kachra ad campaign which has now sparked controversy across the internet.

The campaign’s tagline, Don’t waste food, Don’t’ be Kachra, was displayed alongside a series of advertisements presenting left-over food in an effort to promote cleanliness and decrease food waste.

The campaign, which was released on June 5 on the occasion of World Environment Day, aimed to increase awareness of the burden that plastic waste has on the environment and to highlight how many kilograms of waste is used to produce even the most basic items. For example, a paperweight requires 3-4 kg of recycled waste, while hand towels require 9-12 kg.

The Zomato advertisement showed how the company chooses to deliver food without using any plastic, therefore protecting the environment.

A comparison between Kachra (trash) and the outcast character in the film Lagaan, which was released in 2001, was made by Zomato. The advertisement also featured the actor, Aditya Lakhiya, who played the character of Kachra in the film Lagaan. Given the larger backdrop of commercial entertainment in India, some users said, Kachra’s character in Lagaan had a contextual meaning.

The actor was presented in a variety of contexts, including as a recycled hand towel, a similar flower pot and paper.

However, the campaign failed to connect with the audience and received criticism for its insensitive approach and was referred to as a casteist idea on various social media platforms.

Users have now flooded the internet with their criticism, expressing their dissatisfaction towards the ad. Twitter is filled with #BoycottZomato.

One user wrote, Zomato’s Kachra advertisement was not an accident, rather, it was a planned and intentional act that may have been approved by the company’s senior management. The user went on to criticise Zomato, labeling it as having casteist ideas. While another said, Zomato’s highly casteist campaign can be attributed to a lack of diversity.

https://twitter.com/peeleraja/status/1666418206146453504?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1666418206146453504%7Ctwgr%5Ea3fbc40e5966d35dcdf822dbbbc0be015493ca21%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.livemint.com%2Fnews%2Findia%2Fzomatos-kachra-campaign-draws-ire-of-netizens-11686188672827.html

However, the company informed in a Tweet about the advertisement being pulled down after the flak by the users and justifying its campaign wrote, on the occasion of World Environment Day, its intent was to aware the audience about the alternative usage of plastic waste and its recycling in a humorous way but unfortunately it hurt the sentiments of some individuals and community.

To this decision of Zomato taking the campaign back, it again received crticism from the users, while some called it arrogance for not making any apology, while some were satisfied with the timley action by the company.

A user wrote, the usual day casteism was unfortunate and was happy with Zomato’s timely action by removing the advertisement.

Scammers widely use the instant messaging app, WhatsApp, to trap innocent people nowadays. While these instant messaging apps are giving a convenient communication experience to users, it also invites new kinds of scam like work-from-home job offers, international calls, shopping links, etc. However, amid news of such scams, a recent conversation between a scammer and an individual turned into a wonderful masterclass on life, money, and friendships. 

Twitter user Mahesh shared his unique interaction with a scammer. He posted the screenshot of the conversation and wrote that a WhatsApp scammer taught him a valuable life lesson.

During the initial conversation, the scammer asked him if he had a few minutes to discuss something regarding work. In response to that, Mahesh told him that he wants to make friends. The scammer ignored the message and continued to share work details. But Mahesh again sent a message that he wants loyal friends and not two-faced. 

On this, the scammer turned into a life coach and said that making friends is good but making money was better than that. The scammer proceeded and said that life is not all about love and friendships, and that thinking for ourselves should be our first priority. 

After all the conversation, Mahesh responded that nobody has ever cared so much to teach him this. This post has attracted so many people online. People are offering their comments on this. One person commented that this conversation was worth a lot. While another said that the scammer was more honest than the people we see and encounter daily.

Last week, the messaging company was directed by the Indian government to submit a report detailing the telecom carriers that were predominantly used to create fraudulent accounts to which WhatsApp has agreed. Now, WhatsApp will share the report with the government. Also, it is ramping up its artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) system to reduce spam calls.

With vehicles increasing on the road day by day, it is obvious that space to park them becomes scant. In a video which is going viral, two women from Uttar Pradesh can be seen arguing and attacking each other over what both claim as their garage space.

The woman, who made the video and posted it on social media, can be seen charging the other slightly elderly woman and her husband for using his position to grab the space paid for by the woman making the video.

The video begins with a handyman who is seen breaking the lock of a caged garage space and the woman shooting it can be heard saying she had it built herself. She then threatens the elderly woman that she will post the footage on social media, but the elder woman nor the handymen seem particularly alarmed by it.

When things turn violent, the elderly woman throws broken lock away. The other woman tries to prevent her from doing so and ends up grabbing the elder woman by her neck. The recording ends when the elder woman retaliates by slapping the younger woman several times, leading to her phone falling.

Over 47,000 people have seen the video since it has been uploaded. People are giving different reactions to the video. One user said these are common things in small towns and cities, another said the last slap on the phone was hilarious while others were dropping laughing emojis on it. 

However, these days, such videos showing violence between women have become common on social media. A few days ago, a video from Delhi Metro went viral where two young women got into a heated argument which quickly turned into a fistfight.

The women can be seen preparing for the fight by setting aside their phones as the video begins with one of them taking off her sneaker and brandishing it like a weapon. Other passengers can be heard begging them not to fight.

Parking-related arguments and fights have snatched many lives in the Delhi National Capital Region. Luckily in this video, the violence did not reach such fatal ends.