Devita Saraf, the woman who advertised her support for Trump

Twitterati choose to view this as a blatant public relations exercise

It is no secret that US President Donald Trump has a special place in his heart for Hindus. He counts Shalabh Kumar, founder and president of the Republican Hindu Coalition in the US, among his close aides who contributed to his presidential campaign. Trump, at an election event, proclaimed how he would be a friend of the “Indians and Hindus” if elected. But it is also no secret that Trump has a special place in the “Hindu” conscience. Take, for instance, the Hindu Sena, a right-wing group that celebrated Trump’s birthday in New Delhi last year to celebrate the “messiah against Islamic terror”.

It seems this mutual admiration has only strengthened since Trump took office. A day before his inauguration on January 20, Devita Saraf, CEO and founder of Vu Televisions, brought out a full-page advertisement in a leading national daily congratulating Trump. She then took to Twitter to share an image of the advertisement and her excitement at his victory. “Congratulations@realDonaldTrump , I’m inspired by your self-belief & commitment to leadership. Thank you for calling me ‘India’s Ivanka’,” she tweeted. It was only a matter of time before she began getting trolled for declaring her support to perhaps one of the most unpopular presidential choices in recent history.

But the 35-year-old says she remained unfazed. “I think I handled all the trolls like a boss,” she says over the phone. “For me, this advertisement was a means to express the view of young Indian entrepreneurs. What matters now is how Indo-American economic relations take shape under the new regime.” What is striking about the advertisement, though, is her picture with Trump. Beaming into the camera, Trump has his arm around Saraf in a friendly gesture. This picture, she explains, was taken by Ivanka Trump, Trump’s daughter, during an event that Saraf attended in the US a couple of months ago. “He is almost my father’s age and we had a conversation about fathers grooming their daughters to become successful businesswomen.”Her father, Rajkumar Saraf, is the founder of Zenith Computers, a company his daughter first started working at before founding the television company.

But several people who saw this picture did not choose to see it the way Saraf intended. Twitteratti chose to view this as a blatant public relations exercise. In all fairness to her dissenters, this may well be true. Saraf is no novice when it comes to marketing and PR. Her website, separate from the official Vu Television website, enlists her various accomplishments and media mentions. Several photographs of Saraf on the covers of magazines and at prominent events are interspersed with her illustrious academic qualifications, which include diplomas and certifications from Harvard Business School, UC Berkley and London School of Economics.

Her well-travelled, suave persona seems to have helped her deal with the backlash. “I am not someone to lose my temper easily. And when I don’t even have time to sit down to have a meal, where will I find time to take these negative statements seriously?” she laughs as she finishes her lunch in her car. “I don’t read the tabloids. As for the trolls, I feel sorry for them. There is such wasted energy among the youth today, which if put to better use could do so much for the country.” 

Saraf says that she was also flooded with several congratulatory messages, especially from those who see her as a “model entrepreneur”. “People in my family I didn’t even know I was related to called to congratulate me. Almost everyone agreed that it was a courageous thing to do.” Though she says it’s too early to reveal any reactions coming from the White House, she says she was present at the American Consulate in Mumbai during Trump’s swearing-in ceremony. Saraf certainly doesn’t lack gumption.