Iconic India - Part 4

IV

WEEK END ICONIC INDIA

MUMBAI

JANUARY 3 2009

BUSINESS STANDARD

Hamara Bajaj The sight of a couple and two children is the first thing which probably comes to your mind when youu think of a scooter. A Bajaj scooter. And the jingle “Buland Bharat ki buland tasveer, hamara Bajaj’” stuck the right note as it symbolised what a great and progressive Indian middle class stood for..

Monk in a bottle It is probably India’s favourite rum, or rather alcoholic brand. From its uniquely shaped bottle (oak-patterned surface), to its taste, Old Monk’s popularity cuts across all segments and it remains the largest-selling brand in the country for good reason. It’s affordable, it goes down well with almost everything, it is there on all party menus, and, of course, it tastes great. It has probably been around for as long as, well, an Old Monk!

The devil watches TV As is the case with last words, the green devil’s were also extremely famous. “Neighour’s envy, owner’s pride”, he said, the catchline for an ad for Onida. The cheeky devil was first seen on our TV screens in 1982 and was an instant hit. The big ears and tail added to his evil look.

The Maharaja at work A Maharaja, greeting you like a common butler? No, no, he was welcoming you as an equal into Air India’s “palaces” in the air. But this one was a working Maharaja. He donned many costumes for his airline — from that of a sumo wrestler (Japan) to a Red Indian’s (the USA) — always, however, keeping his famous moustache. He made his first appearance in 1946, and became one of India’s most recognisable mascots.

W ashing your linen Be it Chitrahaar in the old Doordarshan days or the K soaps in today’s era, Nirma, or “washing powder Nirma”, as the jingle went, has been on the menu for many commercial breaks. Generations have grown up listening to the jingle and even though the packaging may have

changed, who can forget the dancing girl in white?

Taste the Thunder Probably the first-ever “masculine” brand in India — who can forget the Taste the Thunder campaign? Despite foreign brands, Thums Up remains India’s favourite and original cola with desi macho icons like Bollywood’s reigning king Akshay Kumar endorsing it.

The name is Tendulkar What can you say about a man who has been carrying the hopes of an entire nation ever since he was a teenager? Decades have passed but India still stops when Tendulkar is at the crease. People rejoice when he scores a century whereas a pall of gloom descends on the nation when he gets out. Tendulkar continues to enthrall the young and the old with his dazzling performances.

RS and MS Pandit Ravi Shankar and M S Subbulakshmi offer interesting sociological insights through their personal lives. Subbulakshmi, born a devadasi, became the face of post-Independence, south Indian Brahminism, referred to as “more Brahmin than a Brahmin” in her later years. Ravi Shankar, born of Brahmin blood, married a Muslim first (Annapurna Devi, daughter of Ustad Alauddin Khan), fathered a daughter, Norah Jones, with the American Sue Jones and finally fathered Anoushka Shankar before his second wedlock. In his defence, it is said he was helpless as “women threw themselves at him.”

Utterly, Butterly For the past 40 years or so, she has been a traffic stopper. She effortlessly turns into Aamir Khan,, Sachin Tendulkar or Zinedine Zidane and looks the part in each of her avatars. Political upheavals,, terror attacks, sporting glories, she has been through it all and yet remains as fresh as she was. The ads still remain utterly butterly delicious! Yes, that’s the Amul girl we’re talking about.

Tr yst with destiny The hockey wizar d Wizard, genius, legend. We could go on with the superlatives and still not do justice to the man that Dhyanchand was. Such was his unbelievable skill that sporting authorities had to break his stick to see whether there was a magnet inside it or not. A true hero in a country where non-cricketing heroes are few and its first global superstar.

THE BS CROSSWORD #137

ACROSS: 1 Outright rejection of an apartment? (4,7) 7 Beastly character with a head for drink (3) 9 Record goals scored at the former capital of Nigeria? (5) 10 Sore troubled with angel being the bearer of a message (9) 11 Task for students is short - week's revision (9) 12 A notable climb, as it were (5) 13 Keeps in touch with new isles with very good heart (7) 15 For accommodation, helps with the gardening (4) 18 Cries of disapproval as the word "liquor" is voiced (4)

20 Drawback a worker is facing (7) 23 A foundation to degrade one (5) 24 Theatre music, an outstanding example (9) 26 Assembled then to go off one after the other (2,3,4) 27 Commonly speaking, it isn't an unpleasant stigma (5) 28 Can a fool make a comeback? (3) 29 Houses finished off with a bit of craft (11) DOWN: 1 Knows beyond doubt there's plenty of ink? (44) 2 The sort of gale with rain you get in Africa

3 4 5 6 7

8 14 16 17 19

(8) Holidays taken by some potters? (5) Shuts up and accelerates? (7) Not a tall boy burnt the fuse ! (7) But it's not sweetbread (4,5) He goes forward and back with a wagging head. Sounds like an ass! (6) Cellar to occupy in vulgar retirement ? (6) It would clear the air for the South not to have any donkeys (9) To the friend back, home, it's relevant (8) Certified to the altered date when holding trial (8) Old Egyptian

instrument is in play (7) 20 A medical definition in the list got changed (7) 21 Uncouth person may go a lot astray (6) 22 Secure - strong as "X' can make it (6) 25 An Irishman a little tight but a beautiful singer (5)

SOLUTION TO # 136

June 25, 1983. The day when the world sat up and took note of Indian cricket. Since then, Indian cricket has not looked back and has grown into a monster. As rank outsiders, Kapil’s Devils stunned the entire cricketing world with their memorable win at the mecca of cricket, Lord’s, on June 25, 1983, against the mighty West Indies.

Yoga cool Yoga is now fitness orthodoxy (it came home to urban India after the West made it cool), so it has developed new sects and yogacharyas galore, each with a celebrity cheerleader. Madonna and her vigorous Ashtanga yoga, for instance. For every ailment now, someone will bracingly tell you to “Try yoga.” Yoga is popular because it usually doesn’t involve hard, that? rcise — where’s the space for sweaty, repetitive outdoor exe