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Monday, October 13, 2025

Brandma

From a rabbit selling ‘papad’ to a pug for phone network, these ‘warm’ ads brought us closer

Dogs to cats and gorillas, the Indian advertising industry has incorporated animals to create impressionable ads that have stood the test of time.

Raj Comics – publishers who brought home your friendly, neighbourhood desi superheroes

From ‘Nagraj’, the king of snakes, to anti-hero ‘Doga’, ‘Dhruva’, the super commando, to 'Parmanu', Raj Comics gave Indian children a whole new world of original Indian heros.

Fuss over Ranveer Singh’s nude photos isn’t a first, Milind Soman-Madhu Sapre ad is a reminder

A 1995 advertisement for the shoe brand courted controversy for featuring nude photographs of the two models. The brain behind the campaign was advertising legend Elsie Nanji.

‘Karamchand’ — detective series with a carrot-munching sleuth who made investigation look cool

Launched on Doordarshan in 1985, the show starred actors Pankaj Kapur and Sushmita Mukherjee as the lead characters. It was written by Sudhir Mishra.

BBM — instant messaging app that ruled business & wooed young users before it became not so cool

BBM, or BlackBerry Messenger, represented a transitional period in the world of instant communication and left a significant mark on popular urban culture of the mid-2000s to 2010.

Bournvita Quiz Contest — from radio to tv & digital space, a show that evolved with the times

What began in 1972 as a competition hosted in schools, the show went through several stages of evolution, including one that was hosted by Derek O’Brien.

Thums Up — Legendary Indian cola that beverage giant Coca-Cola tried to ‘kill’

Thums Up was bought by The Coca-Cola Company from Parle in 1993. It was widely believed that this acquisition was a way to diminish any competition Coke faced.

From Lakshmi to Lakmé — story of India’s first cosmetic brand, envisioned by PM Nehru

The brand was named after the popular French opera Lakmé, which in turn is the French word for goddess Lakshmi.

‘Shararat’ — the sitcom Indian kids tuned to for daily dose of magic before Harry Potter

‘Shararat – Thoda Jaadu, Thodi Nazaakat’ aired on Star Plus from 24 January, 2003 to 17 November, 2006, and centered around the lives of three generations of friendly witches.

Radio Ceylon — the Sri Lankan channel India turned to when AIR banned film music in 1952

In its heydays, Radio Ceylon had managed to capture all of India’s major vernacular markets, by dividing the day’s programming schedule into Hindi, Tamil and Telugu segments.

On Camera

No Mamata Banerjee, women’s safety isn’t a curfew issue

For Indian women, the smallest unit of control becomes the family; the largest, the State. Both speak the same language.

Niti Aayog recommends fully decriminalising 12 offences under new I-T Act to ‘foster more trust’

Recommendations appear in Niti Aayog’s Tax Policy Working Paper Series–II. It says there is a need to shift away from fear-based enforcement to trust-based governance.

India, UK sign £350 mn deal for Martlet. What are these Lightweight Multirole Missiles

In service with the British military since 2019, it is also known as the Martlet missile. Ukrainians have also deployed these missiles against Russian troops.

CJI, IPS, IAS & Homebound: A wake-up call 75 years in the making

Education, reservations, govt jobs are meant to bring equality and dignity. That we are a long way from that is evident in the shoe thrown at the CJI and the suicide of Haryana IPS officer. The film Homebound has a lesson too.