Men of masala
Do you find the oft incredible claims made by our politicians hard to swallow?
Pakistani politics may not always be the most tasteful, but it certainly has enough masala to satisfy the appetite. We’re force fed slogans and platitudes that don’t quite settle the stomach, but so long as it’s our favourite leaders dishing it out, we always seem to come back for another plateful.
Perhaps this is why a businessman from Lahore developed a new churan brand and named it ‘Nawaz Sharif Chatpata Churan’. The wrapper of the tiny packet carries a photograph of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz chief along with the slogan: “Teri jurrat ko salam ... Qadam barhao qaum tumharay saath hai”. The photograph shows Nawaz, dressed in a black suit with a red tie, smiling charmingly — almost inviting you to take a taste.
The churan did well in the beginning, and was successfully marketed at different shops in the city. But expectedly, the idea did not go down so well with a group of people who believe in bringing about a ‘tsunami of change’ in the country and vehemently oppose the PML-N. Yes, you guessed it right. These were our well-meaning compatriots from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.
Our enterprising churan-wala spotted an opportunity in that as well and quickly launched another brand: ‘Tabdeeli Ka Nishan Imran Khan Churan’. The wrapper of the new brand carried a dashing, smiling photograph of PTI Chairman Imran Khan below which there was a flag of the party. However, the churan-wala appeared to have run out of creative slogans and interestingly, the wrapper of Imran Khan churan has the same slogan as the Nawaz one. Was that a political message or sheer laziness? Pick your poison.
Initially, distributors didn’t show much faith in the potential of the brands, deeming them too political for something as, well nondescript, as churan.
“When the salesman first brought Nawaz Sharif churan to me, I bought only a few packs. Those sold out very quickly, which is why a month or two later when the salesman brought Imran Khan churan, I happily stocked that at my shop too,” says Saeed Khan, a shopkeeper.
Inevitably, political battle lines were drawn as the churan became more and more popular. “The product did very well. I sold it at different shops. There were shopkeepers who would want to sell only Imran Khan churan and then there were those who would just sell Nawaz Sharif churan,” says Muhammad Ramzan, the main distributor of both brands.
While some customers preferred their churan with a side of politics, others were interested only in the taste. “Young children didn’t prefer churan on the basis of what photograph was on the wrapper. They made choices on the basis of their taste. It was the elders who were keen on buying only a certain brand,” Ramzan explains.
The supply of the political churan brands, however, is as inconsistent as Pakistan’s political scenario. And there are as many theories regarding its sudden disappearance as there are people involved. While Saeed says there is some sort of shortage at the supplier’s end, Ramzan says the churan-wala suffered heavy losses in business and thus isn’t preparing any more just yet.
But like ordinary Pakistanis who refuse to give up hope, they are both certain that the business will bounce back.
“He definitely plans to re-launch the brands soon,” says Ramzan with surety.
So confident is Saeed that come elections, he is preparing to stock even more of the two brands. “I think they will become very popular during election days. For their campaigns, PTI and PML-N supporters will distribute these small packets among their voters and supporters,” he says.
Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, September 30th, 2012.
Perhaps this is why a businessman from Lahore developed a new churan brand and named it ‘Nawaz Sharif Chatpata Churan’. The wrapper of the tiny packet carries a photograph of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz chief along with the slogan: “Teri jurrat ko salam ... Qadam barhao qaum tumharay saath hai”. The photograph shows Nawaz, dressed in a black suit with a red tie, smiling charmingly — almost inviting you to take a taste.
The churan did well in the beginning, and was successfully marketed at different shops in the city. But expectedly, the idea did not go down so well with a group of people who believe in bringing about a ‘tsunami of change’ in the country and vehemently oppose the PML-N. Yes, you guessed it right. These were our well-meaning compatriots from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.
Our enterprising churan-wala spotted an opportunity in that as well and quickly launched another brand: ‘Tabdeeli Ka Nishan Imran Khan Churan’. The wrapper of the new brand carried a dashing, smiling photograph of PTI Chairman Imran Khan below which there was a flag of the party. However, the churan-wala appeared to have run out of creative slogans and interestingly, the wrapper of Imran Khan churan has the same slogan as the Nawaz one. Was that a political message or sheer laziness? Pick your poison.
Initially, distributors didn’t show much faith in the potential of the brands, deeming them too political for something as, well nondescript, as churan.
“When the salesman first brought Nawaz Sharif churan to me, I bought only a few packs. Those sold out very quickly, which is why a month or two later when the salesman brought Imran Khan churan, I happily stocked that at my shop too,” says Saeed Khan, a shopkeeper.
Inevitably, political battle lines were drawn as the churan became more and more popular. “The product did very well. I sold it at different shops. There were shopkeepers who would want to sell only Imran Khan churan and then there were those who would just sell Nawaz Sharif churan,” says Muhammad Ramzan, the main distributor of both brands.
While some customers preferred their churan with a side of politics, others were interested only in the taste. “Young children didn’t prefer churan on the basis of what photograph was on the wrapper. They made choices on the basis of their taste. It was the elders who were keen on buying only a certain brand,” Ramzan explains.
The supply of the political churan brands, however, is as inconsistent as Pakistan’s political scenario. And there are as many theories regarding its sudden disappearance as there are people involved. While Saeed says there is some sort of shortage at the supplier’s end, Ramzan says the churan-wala suffered heavy losses in business and thus isn’t preparing any more just yet.
But like ordinary Pakistanis who refuse to give up hope, they are both certain that the business will bounce back.
“He definitely plans to re-launch the brands soon,” says Ramzan with surety.
So confident is Saeed that come elections, he is preparing to stock even more of the two brands. “I think they will become very popular during election days. For their campaigns, PTI and PML-N supporters will distribute these small packets among their voters and supporters,” he says.
Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, September 30th, 2012.