"Glorifying Poverty": Harsh Goenka Slammed For Sharing Pic Of Mother Working With Baby

Businessman Harsh Goenka is facing backlash on Twitter for sharing a picture that many deemed offensive for glorifying poverty. The picture shows a woman carrying lights in a wedding procession, with her baby in a sling tied to her shoulders. "I feel like I put in too much effort sometimes. And then I saw this photo! My salute!" wrote the Chairman of RPG Group. 

I feel like I put in too much effort sometimes. And then I saw this photo! My salute! pic.twitter.com/i8vUbLybB6

— Harsh Goenka (@hvgoenka) March 21, 2021

The picture, shared on Sunday, has racked up nearly 20,000 'likes' and several reactions on the microblogging platform. Although reactions to the photograph were largely negative, some Twitter users also praised the pic. 

And she is carrying her baby in her jholi..! #Mothers????

— Simi Garewal (@Simi_Garewal) March 21, 2021

On the other hand, several Twitter users felt the picture was distasteful, especially when coming from a billionaire who has, in the past, faced similar criticism about romanticising poverty. 

"Instead of saluting her courage we should feel shame that she has to go through these hardships," wrote one Twitter user.

"Stop glorifying poverty!" another said.

We must stop glorifying our own failures again and again. From migrants walking and cycling hundreds kms to justifying this really unsafe carrying of child and our own inabilities to create conducive surroundings for new mothers... Shame I would say.

— જિજ્ઞાશુજીવ (@maulikshengal04) March 21, 2021

Acceptance is the first step to recovery.

Let's accept that there are number of things wrong in the tweet and the picture.

Starting with elitist attitude of romanticising poverty... https://t.co/loOlqHNSNi

— Piyush Thorat, IRS (@PiyushTho) March 22, 2021

Mr Goenka, however, has defended his stance as he responded to some of the critical tweets coming his way. He wrote that he only sought to glorify the "love and courage of a mother"

Is it poverty or a relationship between a mother and child ? Obviously it depends on your own warped lens!

— Harsh Goenka (@hvgoenka) March 22, 2021

Glamourising love and courage of a mother

— Harsh Goenka (@hvgoenka) March 22, 2021

In September last year, Mr Goenka had shared a photograph of a woman construction worker balancing bricks on her head and a baby on her back. That post, too, was met with a largely negative reaction on Twitter.