Two recent news bites on the same day geared my brain-cells into overdrive. The first was the Nobel Peace Prize jury in Oslo deciding to honor Barack Obama with the Peace Prize. The second was the launch of the Mont Blanc special edition Gandhi pens in India. Both these events are connected to one factor which makes the world go round – Brand.
Popular opinion is that the Nobel jury is actually trying to improve its murky reputation by hanging on to the Obama brand. That is, an attempt is being made to compensate for the fundamentally and politically incorrect decisions made in the past by the people in Oslo. For the first time, it looks like the Nobel needed a Laureate, not the other way around, and who would be better suited than Brand Obama? However some sympathize with Mr. Obama because the Prize may actually be a crown of thorns. The politically manipulated award might be a forced incentive for him to do some tangible work. They’ll say; “We award you the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize. Now, do something to show you deserve it.” So we hope that the US conscience-keepers respond to the call. But hold on! Didn’t Obama grab it as a golden opportunity to boost his sagging brand? The Obama brand, of late, has been facing criticism for failing to meet the expectations of the elite United Nations leaders. The ‘change’ hype that wrapped the US administration in glory and praise is now wearing off. Obama’s Men are following the same old trend of pumping money and might into the War on Terror and the War against Recession. In short, the Obama brand has been accused of selling old goods with a new label. Perhaps this ‘Champion of Peace’ title is a godsend for the President, at a time when he needs so badly to brainwash the masses into believing that he is actually a superhero who fights terrorists, and is as of now facing the dreaded kryptonite of a failing economy. I conclude that in this pretentious world Nobel needs Obama as much Obama needs Nobel to glorify their mutual existence. Let me however live with hope and optimism since the President is very young and has more than 4 years of tenure left .He can ill afford to live in ignominy and disgrace rest of his life for discrediting the HONOUR prematurely bestowed upon him. If he performs, we may see the rise of wannabe laureate green horn politicians, which bodes well for the world!
Let us now move on to the other issue I mentioned. Mont Blanc recently launched ‘Gandhi’ special edition white gold pens costing 11 lakh rupees ($ 25000) apiece, in time for Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday. This event is yet another pointer to the fact that Gandhi has become a corporate poster boy for marketing. The case of Gandhi is slightly different, though. Being long gone, this apostle of peace and non-violence has little to gain from associating with Brands unlike Obama from Nobel jury and vice versa. The profit is purely one-sided. Alas it is not so entirely! Someone from Gandhi family did not hesitate to abuse the brand the way it was abased by the corporate Mont Blanc. While the great-grandson Tushar Gandhi has bartered his prestige for money by choosing to inaugurate the launch, Mont Blanc has disgracefully used the mahatma’s place in Indian society to sell their jewellery. The image of Gandhi has changed a lot since India’s independence. From being a leader of the nation, who lived and died for the people, he is now considered by many of my generation as a mythological hero, who fought demons, and not as someone who was flesh and blood. The political parties have encouraged this perception, and now the Mahatma’s words and image are being used as sheep’s cloak by the wolves. Is it that those who can afford these pens are elite upper caste Gandhiites? To such people, I would say that it is even worse than tokenism, towards all that Gandhi stood for.
