Masterchow and tgthr pause tempting food posts in solidarity with Karwa Chauth fasters
Karwa Chauth is the one day when a food brand is irrelevant. Seeing delicious food while fasting makes you want to eat it—and that obviously can’t happen on Karwa Chauth. That’s why Masterchow, the Asian food brand, in collaboration with tgthr India, has launched a groundbreaking 12-hour campaign introducing the country’s first “visual fast” on social media. Titled #TheKarwaChauthPause, the initiative features a full-day break from appetizing food visuals across Masterchow’s digital platforms, in solidarity with thousands of people fasting today.
On Karwa Chauth, Masterchow’s usual stream of mouthwatering food posts to their millions of followers across platform paused for the day. Instead, followers were greeted by humorous “unappetising food shots,” and videos from Masterchow CEO Vidur, explaining the move and encouraging fasting viewers to resist temptation until the moonrise. The intent was to reduce cravings triggered by food content and offer emotional support to those fasting.
Vidur kataria, Founder and Director, Masterchow, said: “Masterchow is all about good food, but today, for Karwa Chauth, we wanted to show solidarity by shifting focus from the feast to the fast. The #TheKarwaChauthPause is our way of supporting the community and creating a social movement that puts celebration of resilience ahead of appetite—even in the digital space.”
Aalap Desai, CCO & Co-founder, tgthr, said: “The idea was to flip the typical food advertising narrative. By creating the world’s first ‘visual fast showing purposely unappetizing food shots and pausing tempting content—we helped our audience feel seen and supported in their unique journey. It’s about brands participating in ritual, not just selling products.”
The campaign started when the day started and will run till the moon comes out.
With #TheKarwaChauthPause, Masterchow and tgthr set a precedent for culturally empathetic digital engagement, turning food brands from temptation into thoughtful partners in festive rituals.