Headlines
The Maggi way of life: The story of India's favourite noodles
By
Bhavana Akella New Delhi/Noida, June 6
For Ramesh Nayak, 26,
living got tougher after Maggi noodles were banned in Delhi. His cart in
south Delhi selling Maggi noodles was his only earning until a week
ago, when the local distributors stopped supplying him Maggi.
"He
hasn't been running his cart for a week. He might now have to start
selling chow mein," added Kamlesh who runs a lemon-water stall next to
the place where Nayak's cart once was.
Maggi, which grabbed the
headlines after it courted controversy over charges of excessive lead in
its noodles, which it vehemently denied, first entered the Indian
market in 1982. The instant noodles debuted as the "two minute noodles"
and quickly becoming the most favourite snack among the young and saw
many a celebrity becoming its brand ambassador to promote it as a food
that was "fast to cook and good to eat".
In a country with a
culture of slow cooking over wood and coal fires, Maggi fired the
culinary imagination of a whole generation of Indians and freed mothers
from the tedium of cooking elaborate snacks for their hungry children.
"When I was 10, I was always excited to have my mum pack Maggi for me
as a school lunch. My teachers used to shun the sight of Maggi for
lunch," Manasa Datta, a 22-year-old student in Delhi, told IANS.
Maggi noodles were a comfort meal for her for more than 10 years she added.
"If
someone asks me if I can cook -- I could safely say Maggi. I guess I
can't do that anymore," added software professional Tharun Reddy.
Maggi
then re-positioned itself with a new tagline: "Taste Bhi, Health Bhi"
(Taste as well as health)," telling its customers that the product was
not just instant an snack but also gave the consumer more calcium and
protein for his money.
Variants soon emerged - whole grain,
atta (wheat flour), vegetable multigrains, chicken noodles, curry
noodles, Maggi Cuppa Mania, and the most recent, oats noodles - in its
30-plus years.
Menus at local cafes, school and college canteens
still remain with long lists Maggi with vegetables, cheese, chilli and
eggs et al.
Apart from its noodles, Maggi had also introduced
Tomato Ketchup, Maggi soups, Magic Cubes, Bhuna Masala, Coconut Milk
Powder, Masala-ae-Magic and Pazzta, to become a brand in itself.
Maggi
noodles, which became a staple for Indians, are imported from India by
many countries in Europe and Asia, as also Britain and the US.
"A part of the manufacturing done in India goes for export," Himanshu Manglik, an official at Nestle India, told IANS.
In fact, enquiries reveal that most of the exported Maggi noodles find their way to Indian stores abroad.
"I
feel close to home when I find Maggi noodles in the Indian stores here
-- they bring back many memories," said Uday Kiran, 34, a NRI living in
London, told IANS in an e-mail.
“I cannot believe the tradition of over three generations has been halted,†Kiran added.
(Bhavana Akella can be contacted at [email protected])