Pink Chaddi Campaign

Here was a campaign of 'Gandhigiri' with a difference: Over 3,000 people joined 'The Pink Chaddi Campaign' to send a bagful of pink underwear to the office of the Sri Ram Sene, on Valentine's Day. This was a nonviolent protest launched in response to various incidents of conservative and right-wing activism against perceived violations of Indian culture. The Sri Ram Sene was responsible for the violent Mangalore pub attack, that enraged people across the country and sparked debates over what the group termed as an act to protect the Indian culture.

The campaign was conceived particularly in protest against a threat by Pramod Muthalik of the Sri Ram Sena, who had threatened to marry off and take other action on any young couples found together on Valentine's Day. Muthalik is a former member of the RSS, the Bajrang Dal and the Shiv Sena.

The pink chaddi campaign started as a group on Facebook on February 5 by a young woman, Nisha Susan. It was fuelled by a group of women, who called themselves "Pub-going, loose, forward women", urging people to join in the novel form of protest. Thousands of people joined the Facebook group, urging their friends through emails and other messages to send pink underwear to Sri Ram Sene.

The campaign saw underwear being sent in from all over India: Hundreds of pink chaddis were couriered to the Shri Ram Sene offices. It received widespread media coverage, and some political reactions as well. As a precautionary measure, Muthalik and 140 others of the Sri Ram Sena were held in preventive custody on Valentine's Eve.