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Smirnoff ad upsets Indians in UK

Murali Krishnan in London

It is now the turn of a Smirnoff vodka advertisement that has caught the Indian community's goat. An outrageous vodka advert, which replaces a naked woman's nether regions with a map of India, has got British Asians up in arms. The woman is nude waist down to her abdomen with the motherland seen through a bottle of Smirnoff protecting her modesty.

The makers of the top-selling tipple -- famed for its eye-catching images -- have unleashed the fury of many Asians who have lost no time in complaining to the Advertisement Standards Authority and shot off angry letters to Smirnoff.

Just a fortnight back, Hindus in Slough, Berkshire protested against the poster of soft drink giant, Irn-Bru, portraying a cow which says: "When I'm a burger, I want to be washed down with Irn-Bru." The poster was removed but not before a volley of protests and angry calls were made to the company.

Some Asian shopkeepers in London, who man off-licence stores, felt offended and have threatened to boycott the brand.

"It is crude and shallow and does nothing to enhance India's image," said one angry Khisan Malik in central London.

The advert had appeared as part of a book promotion in several lifestyle magazines including a magazine called Big Issue, aimed at the homeless and poor.

Many Hindu leaders have promised to hit back including the World Council of Hindus.

"They are taking the good, peace-loving nature of the Hindu people for granted and are issuing an apology which would not have been accepted by people of other faiths or groupings such as Christians or Muslims," said Maneesh Pradhan, a spokesperson.

Smirnoff has in the meantime issued an apology for the ad. A company spokeswoman, Alicia Tetlow, said: "We're always upset when people find what we produce is objectionable. We won't run it again."

She further added: "We did not aim to cause offence and are very sorry that we did."

But that has failed to assuage sentiments. Hashmukh Shah, head of the World Council said Smirnoff should do more to make amends.

In his reckoning, Smirnoff should issue an alternative poster and publish an apology in the same magazines in which the ad appeared.

However, all eyes are on the ASA, which expects to complete its investigation into the complaints it has received by mid-September.

The ethnic media in Britain has also come down heavily on the advert. One paper said: "The idiot who put a map of India between a woman's legs to advertise vodka obviously needs his head examined."

Thufayel Ahmed, a commentator on Asian issues in the Ethnic Media Group, resorted to a similar gimmick to hit back at Smirnoff. In one of the group's publications, he put a photograph of a bottle of Smirnoff, which sketched a demon on the reverse.

"This is what advertising whizkids really look like," was the punchline.