Issue and Opposition: The Pink Chaddi action was launched by members of the Consortium of Pub-Going, Loose, and Forward Women as a protest against Hindu right-wing aggression toward women in a Mangalore pub. On February 6, 2009, male members of the Hindu conservative political party, Shri Rama Sena, entered a Mangalore pub and assaulted women drinking inside because the Sena thought this was against Hindu traditions. This assault was led by Pramod Muthalik, a Shri Rama Sena party leader. Muthalik and his men also announced that they would attack young couples found sitting together in public places on Valentine’s Day (February 14) since such open mixing was against Hindu culture. They further announced that couples found outside together on Valentine’s Day would be taken to temples and wedded.
Dilemma Action: Initiated by a group of young women- Nisha Susan, Mihira Sood, Jasmeen Patheja, and Isha Manchanda- the Pink Chaddi action encouraged women to mail pink panties to Muthalik’s office on Valentine’s Day. Women from different parts of India joined the protest and mailed thousands of women’s underwear to the “Love Sena” of Muthalik. This was not a part of any larger campaign but an isolated action.
Outcome: The action was a great success. The panties started arriving in the Sena mailboxes before Valentine’s Day and continued beyond it, and the action was widely covered by the domestic and international media. According to media reports, 34,000 pink panties (“chaddi” in Hindi) were mailed to Muthalik’s office by February 14. The action attracted more and more women every day and grew in strength. Most press reports cheered the protesters, although there were a few that criticized that the humor in the action distracted people from the more serious issues, such as women being assaulted by men for drinking or leading their lives freely. To counter the Pink Chaddi brigade, a group of conservative men launched the Pink Condom Campaign. Muthalik and his followers were put in police custody on Valentine’s Day to prevent them from carrying out attacks on couples in the name of Hinduism.