A Bengaluru woman criticized BigBasket for including free flowers in her grocery order during the festival of Onam. Sushma Iyengar took to the social media platform X to express her dissatisfaction, questioning BigBasket’s decision to add marigold flowers as a complimentary gift. Her post sparked a heated debate online, with many questioning why one would object to receiving flowers.
Onam, primarily celebrated in Kerala, was not appreciated by Iyengar, who is based in Karnataka and is known for her support of the pro-Kannada movement.
On X, she voiced her displeasure, stating, “According to BigBasket, we SHOULD celebrate Onam! It’s not up to us; it’s up to them!” She further criticized the company for “forcefully” imposing the flowers on customers, asking if they would do the same for other festivals like Varamahalakshmi, Dasara, or Deepavali.
So according to @bigbasket_com , we SHOULD celebrate onam! We like it or not is not upto us. It is upto them!
They come and forcefully dump this on us. Will you do the same for other festivals?? Varamahalakshmi? Dasara? Deepavali?
Why give it for free for ONAM?? This is worse… pic.twitter.com/bV0oiWr8UR
— ಸುಷ್ಮಾ ಅಯ್ಯಂಗಾರ್ (@malnadkoos) September 15, 2024
Iyengar’s post has gained over 4 lakh views on X and has received mixed reactions. While some users supported her concerns about demographic changes in Karnataka, others felt she was overreacting. One user pointed out that BigBasket regularly sends free gifts for various festivals, regardless of religion. Another commented, “They’re literally giving away free flowers, and you found a problem with even that. Insane.”
Stop making everything an issue. I had received free gifts on Yugadi as well. By playing such cheap tricks you’re only bringing hatred towards our language, culture and people. Let’s respect everybody and their culture.
— Shady Addy (@MSDFan_007) September 15, 2024
The debate continues, with many wondering why a simple act of gifting free flowers could provoke such a strong reaction.
