‘Christianisation’ of Hindu festivals? Axis Bank triggers outrage with a new ad campaign featuring a Santa Claus at Navratri Garba event
On the occasion of the Hindu festival of Diwali, Axis Bank launched its new advertisement campaign ‘Dil Se Open Celebration 2025’. What surprised everyone was that in the middle of Diwali lights and Navratri celebrations, suddenly Santa Claus makes an entry. Dil Se Open Celebrations is here! Get up to 20% off* on credit cards & EMIs from Navratri all the way till Christmas! And guess what? The news has already got someone special to come early! Visit https://t.co/4lNjtT3gm4 to know the offers!*T&C apply. pic.twitter.com/HYhIWQO71S— Axis Bank (@AxisBank) September 22, 2025 Obviously, this is the same Santa who is usually considered a symbol of Christmas. By inserting Santa into Hindu festivals, the attempt seems to be to give the message that festivals belong to everyone and celebrations should go beyond the boundaries of religion. In other words, the same old sermon on secularism delivered specifically during Hindu festivals. In the video, the advertisement shows a Garba dance going on during Navratri, when suddenly Santa Claus enters. Axis Bank used this concept to promote its offers, which will run from Navratri through Diwali and then until Christmas. Social media outrage over Axis Bank’s ‘Christianisation’ The advertisement has triggered an uproar on social media. Many users are accusing Axis Bank of “Christianisation” and demanding the removal of the advertisement. On Twitter/X, the hashtag calling for a boycott of Axis Bank also began to trend. An X user, The Jaipur Dialogues, tweeted, “Axis Bank is celebrating Navratri with Santa Claus. This is the height of insulting Hindu festivals. Axis Bank must immediately withdraw this advertisement, otherwise face boycott. They must be taught a lesson.” Another user, Treeni, wrote: “Christianisation of Navratri? Axis Bank is mocking Hinduism by showing Santa Claus distributing gifts during Navratri, and plans to do the same for upcoming Hindu festivals as well!” The Christianization of Navratri?@AxisBank is mocking Hinduism by depicting Santa Claus distributing gifts during Navratri and plans to continue this throughout all upcoming Hindu festivals!pic.twitter.com/je5a6dXOpN— Treeni (@TheTreeni) September 22, 2025 “Axis Bank has Christianised Navratri. Why is this tampering always done only with Hindu festivals? Can they show Santa Claus in an Eid ad? Or Islamic symbols in a Christmas ad? Then why Santa Claus in Navratri?” An outraged user on X tweeted. A user named Advaita wrote: “I will check my insurance plan, and now I will close my account because of your stupidity. What relation does this bugger have with our Navratri??” Another user, Ritu Priya, wrote: “What kind of joke is this?? Learn to stay within limits, don’t try to exploit our festivals for your own benefit.” Vaishali Mishra questioned: “Can you make such an ad for Eid or any other Muslim festival?” Targeting Hindu festivals to preach ‘secularism’ Axis Bank has once again rolled out the tired script of preaching “secularism” — but only during Hindu festivals. This playbook is familiar: Hindu traditions are diluted, mocked, or “universalised,” while other faiths are kept untouched. We saw the same in 2020 when Tanishq’s Diwali ad promoted ‘love jihad’ by glorifying a Hindu woman’s baby shower with her Muslim in-laws, a campaign that sparked outrage after grim real-life cases of Hindu girls being brutalised surfaced. Time and again, brands hide behind “secular advertising” to peddle propaganda that paints Hindus as intolerant and Muslims as perpetual victims. Notice the pattern: Ramadan ads never feature Hindu rituals, and Christmas commercials never show a Diwali lamp. Yet, when it comes to Navratri or Diwali, companies like Axis Bank suddenly discover the need to push the “festivals are for everyone” sermon. This isn’t coincidence but a calculated marketing strategy: targeting Hindu festivals as convenient stages to deliver hollow lectures on secularism, while leaving others untouched.
On the occasion of the Hindu festival of Diwali, Axis Bank launched its new advertisement campaign ‘Dil Se Open Celebration 2025’. What surprised everyone was that in the middle of Diwali lights and Navratri celebrations, suddenly Santa Claus makes an entry.
Dil Se Open Celebrations is here! Get up to 20% off* on credit cards & EMIs from Navratri all the way till Christmas! And guess what? The news has already got someone special to come early!
— Axis Bank (@AxisBank) September 22, 2025
Visit https://t.co/4lNjtT3gm4 to know the offers!
*T&C apply. pic.twitter.com/HYhIWQO71S
Obviously, this is the same Santa who is usually considered a symbol of Christmas. By inserting Santa into Hindu festivals, the attempt seems to be to give the message that festivals belong to everyone and celebrations should go beyond the boundaries of religion. In other words, the same old sermon on secularism delivered specifically during Hindu festivals.
In the video, the advertisement shows a Garba dance going on during Navratri, when suddenly Santa Claus enters. Axis Bank used this concept to promote its offers, which will run from Navratri through Diwali and then until Christmas.
Social media outrage over Axis Bank’s ‘Christianisation’
The advertisement has triggered an uproar on social media. Many users are accusing Axis Bank of “Christianisation” and demanding the removal of the advertisement. On Twitter/X, the hashtag calling for a boycott of Axis Bank also began to trend.
An X user, The Jaipur Dialogues, tweeted, “Axis Bank is celebrating Navratri with Santa Claus. This is the height of insulting Hindu festivals. Axis Bank must immediately withdraw this advertisement, otherwise face boycott. They must be taught a lesson.”
Another user, Treeni, wrote: “Christianisation of Navratri? Axis Bank is mocking Hinduism by showing Santa Claus distributing gifts during Navratri, and plans to do the same for upcoming Hindu festivals as well!”
The Christianization of Navratri?@AxisBank is mocking Hinduism by depicting Santa Claus distributing gifts during Navratri and plans to continue this throughout all upcoming Hindu festivals!pic.twitter.com/je5a6dXOpN
— Treeni (@TheTreeni) September 22, 2025
“Axis Bank has Christianised Navratri. Why is this tampering always done only with Hindu festivals? Can they show Santa Claus in an Eid ad? Or Islamic symbols in a Christmas ad? Then why Santa Claus in Navratri?” An outraged user on X tweeted.
A user named Advaita wrote: “I will check my insurance plan, and now I will close my account because of your stupidity. What relation does this bugger have with our Navratri??”
Another user, Ritu Priya, wrote: “What kind of joke is this?? Learn to stay within limits, don’t try to exploit our festivals for your own benefit.”
Vaishali Mishra questioned: “Can you make such an ad for Eid or any other Muslim festival?”
Targeting Hindu festivals to preach ‘secularism’
Axis Bank has once again rolled out the tired script of preaching “secularism” — but only during Hindu festivals. This playbook is familiar: Hindu traditions are diluted, mocked, or “universalised,” while other faiths are kept untouched.
We saw the same in 2020 when Tanishq’s Diwali ad promoted ‘love jihad’ by glorifying a Hindu woman’s baby shower with her Muslim in-laws, a campaign that sparked outrage after grim real-life cases of Hindu girls being brutalised surfaced.
Time and again, brands hide behind “secular advertising” to peddle propaganda that paints Hindus as intolerant and Muslims as perpetual victims. Notice the pattern: Ramadan ads never feature Hindu rituals, and Christmas commercials never show a Diwali lamp. Yet, when it comes to Navratri or Diwali, companies like Axis Bank suddenly discover the need to push the “festivals are for everyone” sermon.
This isn’t coincidence but a calculated marketing strategy: targeting Hindu festivals as convenient stages to deliver hollow lectures on secularism, while leaving others untouched.
