Muhammad & Mahindra, Old Monk, and Lakshmi | # 78
Also, Fun Facts about Dune that you did NOT know
Hello
Any feature (name, term, design or symbol) that distinctively identifies a good or service from others of the same is a brand. Considering that definition, the epitome of success for any brand would be them becoming synonymous to that product or service. The names Surf, Colgate, Dettol are all regularly used to refer to the product these brands sell. The major reason being customer loyalty, yes. But sometimes people don’t even want a Colgate toothpaste, they just want toothpaste. Come to think of it, phrases like, “Google it”, “Xerox these”, “Dunzo it”, have become part of our lingo, haven't they?
In this week’s issue we’ll be talking about some popular Indian brands and their etymology.
Things we learnt this week 🤓
Mahindra & Mahindra - The Indian multinational automotive manufacturer was initially established as Muhammad & Mahindra in 1945 by Malik Ghulam Muhammad and brothers K.C. Mahindra and J.C. Mahindra, in Ludhiana, Punjab to trade steel. In 1947, after the Partition of India, Malik Ghulam Muhammad left the company and moved to Pakistan where he became the first finance minister. The company’s name was then changed to Mahindra & Mahindra.
Old Monk - Created in 1954, the name for this iconic Indian dark rum was inspired by the Benedictine monks who Colonel Ved Ratan Mohan, the creator, came across in one of his trips to Europe. The name was his attempt to capture their spirit in the bottle and his way of paying tribute. Incidentally, the origins of Old Monk can be traced to Dyer Breweries, started by Edward Dyer. One of his sons was Reginald Dyer who, as you may know, ordered the Jallianwallah Bagh Massacre. The story goes that Nehru refused to visit the brewery because of its association with Dyer, and the name was then changed to ‘Mohan Meakin Breweries’ in 1960.
Lakmé - Speaking of Nehru, he once persuaded J.R.D Tata to set up a cosmetic manufacturing company to curb the money flowing out of the country through imported cosmetics. The name of this subsidiary of Tata Oil Mills, was inspired by the opera Lakmé which in turn is the French rendition of Sanskrit name Lakshmi, the Hindu Goddess of Wealth, known for her beauty.
JIO - Jio was initially registered as Infotel Broadband Services Limited (IBSL). In 2010, Reliance bought 95% of the stakes in IBSL and changed the name to Relianco J.I.O Infocomm Limited. WhatsApp forwards claim the name Jio is the mirror image of "OIL" but there’s no doubt that Jio has revolutionized data connectivity in the country and is worthy of a phrase - Jug Jug Jio.
Only in India 🇮🇳
Malayalam actress Anupama Parmeshwaran has passed the Bihar teacher exam. She might have cheated as her hall ticket had the name of one Rishikesh Kumar. Apparently Sunny Leone topped in the junior engineer examination earlier this year.
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