Pune Parents Demand Action on Alcohol Ads After Child’s Innocent Question About ‘Teachers’ Sign
Pune Parents Demand Action on Alcohol Ads After Child’s Innocent Question About ‘Teachers’ Sign
Pune-Bavdhan July 23, 2025: Teachers a word synonymous with dignity, wisdom, and cultural reverence now blinks in bold neon outside liquor shops across our cities. Not as a tribute to education, but as branding for a global whisky label. And while such signage has become common, it’s time we reflect on what it truly communicates especially to our children.
A Noble Profession, A Global Liquor Brand, Capitalism — and an Impressionable Mind.
— krunnal gharre (@krunnalG) July 22, 2025
A child, pointing to the glowing sign, asks her father: “Is this the place where teachers sit?”
When innocence meets misplaced branding, society must pause and reflect.
Adv. Krunnal Gharre pic.twitter.com/f1WwYVfZot
Across Maharashtra, State Excise Rules prohibit the use of illuminated, oversized, and public-facing advertisements for liquor brands. Yet, such boards continue to be installed across the city often in direct violation of these rules. This might have gone unnoticed as part of the everyday visual noise of urban life until one moment made it impossible to ignore.
A parent recently shared an experience: while walking past a liquor shop with a large neon sign that read “TEACHERS”, their young child innocently asked
“ह्या दुकानात Teachers बसतात का?” (“Do teachers sit in this shop?”)
This simple, genuine question cut through the noise. It forced many of us to reconsider the impact such branding has on impressionable minds and how deeply disconnected it is from the values we claim to uphold.
Advocate Krunnal Gharre, a lawyer from Pune , shared, “Parents of children asked me to intervene. Frankly, I was taken aback when I heard the child’s innocent query, it hit me hard. I am sure many have never thought of it that way. These neon ads were just part of the routine cityscape. But that question was an eye-opener. I’m sure even the shopkeepers never intended such an association. But now that they know and the Excise Department knows, and we know it is against Maharashtra State Excise Rules, I sincerely urge them to take responsibility and remove such boards. It’s our future we’re talking about.”
This is not an isolated issue. From “Teachers” to other whisky brands, alcohol advertising is slowly but surely creeping into spaces where it doesn’t belong, This isn’t just about the law, it’s about our collective conscience.
The conscience calls upon :
The State Excise Department to enforce existing rules and take action against illegal signboards
Shopkeepers and liquor vendors to voluntarily remove culturally sensitive and misleading signage
Brands and advertisers to reflect on the social implications of their messaging
Municipal authorities to monitor and curb the growing trend of neon alcohol branding in public view
Let’s not wait for more such questions from our children. Let’s ensure public spaces reflect the values we want them to inherit, not just what’s profitable or flashy.
