On the eve of 12th of May, Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation and threw light on a vision. This vision, amid the nationwide lockdown and worldwide economic distress due to COVID, focused on a new thought- A self-reliant nation or Atmanirbhar Bharat.
India is a land of intelligence and innovation. We have been inventors and developers of extraordinary sciences. However, deep within the urban Indian society lies a notion that directs them to acknowledge each other’s accomplishments based on the acquisition of foreign products. Over centuries, this idea has left us on the whims of videshi manufacturer’s produce. Perhaps we are also unaware about their Indian equivalents. Here are 5 personal care products that you can swap to support an atmanirbhar (self-dependent) and nirbhay (fearless) Bharat.
1. Soaps
Did you know Dettol, Lifebuoy, pears, savlon, dove, and Lux are all foreign brands firmly gripped in the Indian markets? If you thought that the best antibacterial soap existing today is none other than Dettol or Lifebuoy, do try their Indian counterparts Medimix or Himalaya. If you think Indian brands don’t make deodorant soaps, you are mistaken! Go for Cinthol and Park Avenue. Instead of Johnson’s baby, try Mama Earth or Maate.
2. Shampoos
Bid goodbye to brands like Loreal, Dove, Pantene, Sunsilk, and Garnier. Instead, try Patanjali, Himalaya, Chik, Vatika, Kesh King, Shehnaaz Hussain for surprising results. These Indian brands claim to suit Indian scalp conditions. Most of the Indian brands rely on Ayurvedic and organic recipes that work better than synthetically processed chemicals. So next time you walk the supermarket aisle, ditch the videsi and go desi!
3. Toothpastes
Ditch colgate, pepsodent and closeup for Meswak, Dant Kanti and Dabur Red. These toothpastes are formulated with tooth-enamel protecting herbs. Like their foreigner substitute, these desi toothpaste brands keep your teeth and gums healthy. They also help in case of tooth sensitivity, cavity or bleeding gums.
4. Talcum Powders
Swap Dermi cool and ponds for apna thanda thanda cool cool Navratna Cool Talc! Infact, Indian brands are performing really well in this sector. Thanks to the brand ambassadors like international bollywood stars Amitabh Bachhan and Shahrukh Khan. Some other popular Indian brands include Eva, Cinthol, Fa, Sprinz and Boro Plus.
5. Skincare Creams
Ask your mom, she will rather trust Vicco Turmeric Cream instead of Fair and Lovely for brightening your dull complexion. Olay, Ponds, Nivea and Garnier are all foreign brands that we have been using for decades now. On the other hand, some great replacements for these come from Lotus Herbals, Mama Earth, Himalaya, Patanjali, Ayur Herbals and Emami.
You didn’t know about many of them, right? Let us tell you something even more interesting! Did you know that Hindustan Unilever is also a non-domestic company? Shocked? Yes! HUL that houses more than 500 brands like Lipton, Brooke Bond, Knor, Surf Excel, Kissan, Vim, and Lakme with a turnover of 39,136 crores is a joint venture between Dutch company Naamloze Vennootschap Margarine Unie and Lever brothers thus making the name ‘Unilever’. In fact, to your surprise, Peter England, the famous men’s clothing brand is a native Indian brand under Aditya Birla Nuvo Ltd.
Shakespeare rightly said, ‘What’s in a name?.” Isn’t it?
So next time when you go shopping, choose wisely! Because Sahi chunega India, Tabhi Toh Atmanirbhar Banega India (When India will choose wisely, only then it will become self-reliant).
