When a delivery platform needs to operate while respecting certain faiths, but considering the needs of their customers, how to compromise?
For instance, in light of the Hindu festival known as the Maha Shivratri, last held on February 26th, grocery delivery app Swiggy Instamart has temporarily prohibited the deliveries of non-veg items to customers, such as eggs, meat, and fish in, in select Indian cities.
The reaction of customers who do not commemorate the feast: frustration.
On Wednesday, Swiggy Instamart took down those non-vegetarian items in cities like Delhi, Pune, Ahmedabad, and Hyderabad in celebration of the Maha Shivratri festival. The deliveries were shortly restored by evening, but not in every city where it previously banned the items.
Indian media said the decision to temporarily remove non-vegetarian items from the delivery menu in select locations was made to respect those who commemorate the occasion, since also, Swiggy Instamart is delivering the sacred TandulMahaprasad Laddus directly from the Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple on Mahashivratri.
Tandul Mahaprasad Laddu is your rice flour-based laddu that is the official prasad of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi. The laddu is made with ghee, dry fruits, and bel leaves, which are sacred to Shiva.
Maha Shivratri is a Hindu festival that gives honor to Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva is one of the main deities in Hinduism, known as “the Destroyer” within the Hindu Trinity, alongside “the Creator,” Brahma,” and “the Preserver,” Vishnu. Shiva is primarily worshipped and venerated as the god of destruction, responsible for dismantling the universe so it can renew and reborn in a cyclical process.
This Hindu festival is believed in history as the night when Shiva performed the Tandava, the cosmic dance of creation, preservation, and destruction. Like during Ramadan of Muslims and Lent of Catholics, several Hindu devotees celebrate the occasion by fasting and abstaining from consuming eggs, meat, fish, and the like.
Amitesh Jha, the chief executive officer of Swiggy Instamart, stated, "Maha Shivratri is a time of deep devotion, and we are honoured to bring this spiritual experience to our users’ homes. The Tandool Mahaprasad holds profound significance for devotees during this auspicious time, and we’re making it simpler than ever for them to receive these sacred offerings without compromising on authenticity.”
However, several Swiggy Instamart customers, do not like this move.
“Quite annoying this policing,” said one user on X.
Another user vent their frustration in a funny way. They shared a screenshot of the website, wherein when the customer searches for eggs, what appears are bread and milk.
“Why are eggs & meat not showing up in Instamart app search results on Mahashivratri Thursday 26 Feb 2025? Is this a deliberate decision?” another user questioned.
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