Tortoise, Chelpark, and Phantom Cigarettes | #167
+ a secular festival in Delhi ➡️
Hello,
We can guarantee that anyone who’s heard the "Vicco Turmeric, nahi cosmetic,” jingle once, has not forgotten that catchy tune. Growing up in India in the 80’s and 90’s meant growing up with with limited options. We all developed an affinity to certain brands and products. Anyone who glanced at a ballpoint pen, instantly hummed "Reynolds, sirf naam hi kaafi hai"? These brands were more than just products, they were our trusty sidekicks in this adventure called life.
Some of these brands exist today, but only in our collective memories. This week’s newsletter is a heartfelt memory to some of those forgotten brands.
Things we learnt this week 🤓
India's urbanization brought about various challenges, chief among them being mosquitoes. In response, G D Gokhale of Bombay Chemicals introduced the spiral mosquito coil which he named Tortoise, a name that cleverly emphasized the coil's slow and long-lasting effectiveness. Innovative advertising, like the iconic "Kachua jalao machar bhagao" radio jingles, propelled Tortoise to household recognition. For nearly two decades, the brand ruled the market, but eventually faded as newer products such as liquid vaporizers took over. Bayer acquired Tortoise at the turn of the century, initially eager to revive the brand, but has discontinued it since. Slow and steady, in the case of this tortoise, did not help it win the race.
The writer of this newsletter was not blessed with the best handwriting and would always envy his school classmates when they received “extra marks for good handwriting.” Those overachieving kids swore by Chelpark ink, which was available in a variety of colours - blue, green, red etc. In 1943, Parker Pen decided to discontinue their partnership with the TTK group and continue their India operations with the Chellaram family. The name - Chelpark is a portmanteau of the 2 companies involved - Chellaram and Parker. In the 70s, much like Coca Cola, Parker Pen decided to move out of India and liquidated their assets. The company continued to use the name Chelpark and had a majority in the market until it lost popularity to gel and ballpoint pens. Feeling blue? That may just be an ink stain from a Chelpark bottle.
Daag Achche Hain featuring Chelpark Question: What connects a celebrity chef’s signature dessert at his restaurant ‘Indian Accent’, and Alia Bhatt’s character in the film Kapoor and Sons?
Answer: Phantom Cigarettes made by Harnik. This Pune based company, somehow made it acceptable for kids to smoke in front of their parents. Manish Mehrotra’s ‘Indian Accent’ in Delhi serves the cigarette along with ginger ice cream, cheeni ki roti and marshmallows. Thankfully these ‘cigarettes’ are available online from Harnik’s website.
From IWTK, with love 💌
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In these turbulent times, it is important to remember that we have customs that are celebrated by all religions. A secular festival in Delhi.
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❤️ IWTK