New Delhi: After Lenskart, Air India comes under scrutiny following a social media controversy over allegations of the grooming rules for the cabin crew. This issue has ben emerged after the users have circulated the images which are taken from Air India’s cabin crew handbook, which indicated that items such as choora, mangalsutra, tilak, and sindoor were not permitted.
This post has gained traction after being shared by the users, including Pranav Mahajan, who posted the handbook on the X platform, raising questions around the cultural expression within the corporate guidelines.
It appears that this problem runs much deeper.
Here are some pictures from the Air India Cabin Crew Handbook. Bindi, Sindoor, Tilak etc not allowed.
Why are they doing this so blatantly?#SocietyFromStreet pic.twitter.com/uqVRbXBwwF
— Pranav Mahajan (@pranavmahajan) April 18, 2026
Air India has early suggested that its grooming standards were aligned with the international practices. By following its acquisition by the Tata Group, this move focused on standardizing employee presentation in line with global aviation norms.
In this controversy, Air India’s spokesperson clarified that the employees are allowed to wear bindis and stated that the images that have been circulated online were from an outdated manual that is no longer in use.
This debate has quickly gained momentum online, with some users expressing concerns that such policies could overlook the cultural and religious identities within the workforce.
While many people argued that similar restrictions exist across the corporate and institutional settings, by including the examinations and workplace environments, by sparking broader discussion around the uniformity, with the religious expression and the corporate governance in India.
