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Friday, April 26, 2024

Brandma

Marbels – fruity candies everyone loved in the early 2000s which mysteriously disappeared

The chewy, sweet-sour Marbels were all the rage in the early years of the last decade. But despite its popularity, the candies disappeared from the counters in India.

From frosty reception to now making upma, how Kellogg’s found a place on Indian breakfast table

In 1994, Kellogg's opened a plant in Mumbai & launched its premier cornflakes, as well as products like basmati rice flakes & wheat flakes, but struggled to suit Indian palates.

The fake ‘Rohan Rathore’ rumours around ‘Emptiness’, millennials’ go-to breakup song

It wasn't only the cheesy lyrics of the ballad that struck a chord with listeners. The popular legend of one Rohan Rathore gave the song a human touch, making the video an instant hit. 

Before Bollywood entry, Salman Khan did a Hero Honda ad. But CD100 bike was its star

Launched in 1985, Hero Honda CD100 took India’s two-wheeler market by storm & ruled the roads for at least 2 decades, because of its affordability & mileage. Many remember it as their first bike.

More than cricket, Vodafone ZooZoos are what most Indians remember of the 2009 IPL season

The cute, little, egg-shaped white characters, who spoke a tongue no one understood, were launched in Vodafone commercials of 2009, during the 2nd IPL season, and fast became a popular icon.

Poet Kaka Hathrasi’s music magazine, Sangeet, struggling, not in tune with times

Started in 1935 by poet Prabhu Lal Garg, Sangeet is the first music magazine of its kind in India. But from a monthly print of a few thousand copies, subscriptions are down to 650 today.

Flop Show — Jaspal Bhatti’s 1989 satire spared no one, and the common Indian loved it

The satire in Jaspal Bhatti’s Flop Show, which made a comeback during the lockdown last year, remains relevant three decades later. And its comedy is still (largely) just as funny.

Health food or not? Hippo toasties, the baked snack that died of an identity crisis

Launched in 2009 and discontinued in 2014 by Parle Agro, Hippo munchies attracted a loyal fan following but failed to continue in the market.

Zaika India Ka: Vinod Dua’s iconic food show was a search for Indian flavours, culture & people

In the late 2000s, Dua's hugely popular programme 'Zaika India Ka' gave viewers a feel of street food first-hand — way before food blogging or vlogging took off in India.  

Hatim, a low-budget epic about an Arabian prince, gripped Indian viewers in the early 2000s

The series was only on air for a year, but stood out from saas-bahu staples with its unapologetic fantasy storytelling and novel CGI to become cult classic

On Camera

Every time the Congress thinks it has a ‘revolutionary’ idea, it shoots its own foot

From Sam Pitroda talking about inheritance tax to Goan candidate saying the Indian Constitution was 'forced' on Goa, Congress has been having its own foot-in-the-mouth moments.

JP Morgan CEO praises ‘tough leader’ Modi — ‘has taken 400 million people out of poverty’

Jamie Dimon also lauded India's Aadhaar recognition system, broad availability of banking services & country's 'unbelievable' education system & infrastructure.

Rafale to Exercise Garuda, a look at Indo-French defence ties as Chief of Defence Staff visits France

Another addition to military cooperation has been the Strategic Space Dialogue, inaugurated in Paris in 2023. Last month, India participated as an observer to France’s AsterX.

These 6 states are key for Modi’s ‘400 paar’ target. They’re also where Opposition can stop him

While this contest looks so predictable in large swathes of our political landscape, it is also more keenly contested than 2019 in some states.