Pan-spotting in public places, from railway stations to government offices, is a significant issue in many parts of India. In a recent incident, a giant billboard advertisement featuring a woman was spat on and has now sparked outrage on social media.
Shared on Reddit, the viral post shows a woman in a billboard advertisement that reads, “A luxury haven. Curated Vogue, coming soon.” The location of the billboard is unclear. “Today I came across something that really upset me. I saw a billboard ad with a picture of a girl, probably promoting a product or brand. Someone had spit tobacco (paan) on his face. The red spots stood out, and honestly, it was absolutely disgusting and infuriating,” the post read.
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Abominable Habits: Spat Pan on Billboard Advertising
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Several users criticized the act, with one in the comments section saying, “This was not a random act. They deliberately went out of their way to deface this billboard. Or this person was 9 feet tall.” Another user commented, “All this pan masala, chewing tobacco should be banned. And, if caught, there should be a big challan. It would help keep cities clean + save lakhs of potential cancer patients, but our politicians never do that.”
This is not the first time that commuters have stained public property or structures with pan masala. A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Mumbai’s Trans Harbor Link in January this year, photos of red leaf stains on the corners of the bridge surfaced on social media.