Benazir and Musharraf, Modi and Thapar

I have been thinking of ending this year and beginning next year writing things pleasant. But the happenings around has forced me to take stock of our neighbourhood. I have not been too much of a fan of Benazir Bhutto. I have not been in awe of her baritone voice or her macho looks. But her assassination truly was something that shook me. She was after all the first woman Prime Minister of any Muslim nation and also the beacon of the Bhutto legacy and family, and her life snuffed out like this shows the terrorist politics of the region. Nawaz Sharief too needs to be aware of the risks, though I am sure he will know what it is to be a politician in the military-ruled Pakistan, that any Pakistani politician is open to. As long as Musharaff supports and has the support and blessings of the "groups", he need not worry about his life. He is safe. But the politics and the fabric of the Pakistani politics and society has definitely taken a sharp dip southwards. Hoping our bretheren too can breathe easy in a "free and democratic" Pakistan soon.

I was also reading a write up by Karan Thapar about "Modification of Politics". The last paragraph was something I could not really comprehend. What does Thapar mean by sudden removal of Modi? He should be careful about the words he uses. Whatever said and done, Godhra or whatever, Modi is the democratically elected leader. This statement is unbecoming of a senior journalist. Ofcourse everyone has the right to freedom of speech and expression as enshrined in the Indian Constitution but this is definitely inflammatory to say the least. Some check definitely needed here

P.S- I see that the last paragraph in this write up is blocked now. Is it intentional or just accidental. Anyways, here is what was there when I first read it


Only the sudden removal of Narendra Modi can stop this. For he is the agent forcing this change. And whilst he's with us, he will do just that. I have no doubt Indian politics after Sunday the 23rd is another country. We have to live with new challenges. Some of us have to accept new leaders.

Priceless Amul

[Key Indian cricket fast bowlers Zaheer Khan, Munaf Patel, R.P.Singh and S. Sreesanth grappling with injuries. - Amul Ad for December '07]

All of us would have met the little moppet wearing the polka dotted frock. And we would have smiled at her, at her punchlines at some point or the other. This according to me, is advertising at its best. This endearing cherubic moppet has a place in the Guiness Book of World Records as the Amul's has the honour of being the longest running advertisement campaign. The moppet is none other than our little Amul Girl.

Amul ads have always been very creative, apt for the current situation, taking a dig at politicians, film stars or the current situation.Amul is said to be derived from the Sanskrit word, "Amulya" which means priceless. It however, is also the acronym for Anand Milk Union Limited.

We have heard about the big success story of the Co-operative movement in Gujarat to market milk which was eugolized in the Hindi Movie "Manthan". The architects of this movement being Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel and Morarji Desai which led the farmers to do their own procurement, processing and marketing. In December 1946, Tribuvandas Patel and some dairy farmers registered the Kaira District Co-operative Milk Producers Union. Verghese Kurien, the father of the White Revolution, joined the union as general manager in 1950. In 1957 Kaira Co-operative registered the brand ‘Amul’ and Press Syndicate was entrusted the advertising job under the guidance of Jit Kantawala. In 1973, the Gujarat Milk Marketing Federation was set up which is today the largest milk federation.

The Amul Girl as the mascot was created so that at a time when hoardings were all hand painted, it was easy to paint her. The people who created the remarkable ‘utterly butterly delicious’ campaign were K Kurian, Eustace Fernandes, Sylvester Da Cunha and Usha Katrak of Advertising and Sales Promotion Company.

The Amul ads are something like the Common Man's cartoons by R.K. Laxman. Apt for the day. A mirror of our lives.

The Amul ads through the past four decades let us know how we have travelled the past 40 years. Hats off to a very Indian product, a very Indian mascot and advertisements very Indian.


[Bollywood's actress and dancing queen Madhuri Dixit in the movie "Aaja Nachle" (Let's Dance) in which music and dance being the essence of the movie - Amul's Ad for November '07]