This article first appeared as a thread on Twitter by @palakzat

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Washing powder Nirma, washing powder Nirma… — this jingle can transport any 80s and 90s child back to when they were in school and get drowned in a strong wave of nostalgia, when television sets were mostly black and white. The homegrown detergent brand, which went on to become a household name, had a unique journey that started on two wheels.

A humble beginning

Karsanbhai Patel, born into a family of farmers in Gujarat's Ruppur village, was working as a lab technician after completing his BSc in Chemistry when he started experimenting with phosphate-free synthetic detergent powder. The year was 1969 and he was all of 24. From a tiny room of his house, he started manufacturing and packaging the product and went door-to-door on his bicycle selling the indigenous detergent powder for extra income. He named it 'Nirma', after his daughter Nirupama and the image of the girl in a white frock is that of her.

Mass appeal

The product immediately appealed to people for its affordability — it was priced at just Rs 3.50 a kg as against the Rs 13 a kg that Surf – a product manufactured by Hindustan Lever Limited (now Hindustan Unilever) -- demanded. Nirma shattered the perception of detergent being a premium product, something that only affluent Indians could afford.

Jingle success

Three years later, Patel quit his job to take up the detergent making business full-time. He set up a shop in Ahmedabad where he started selling Nirma powder. The business was successful, but Patel wanted a wider reach. He collaborated with Purnima Advertising Agency for a catchy ad that would promote the product and boost sales. Thus, the jingle was born — Washing powder Nirma, washing powder Nirma… It hit radio airwaves in 1975 and was a massive hit. In 1982, actress Sangeeta Bijlani was roped in for a television commercial.

No looking back

A desi touch was given to the jingle with common Indian names such as Hema, Rekha, Jaya and Sushma being thrown in, which struck a chord with the masses. The ad pushed up demand so much that the company, at some point in the 80s, was forced to withdraw most of its stock from the market for nearly a month. As demand soared, the market was once again flooded with Nirma detergent powder that took sales to new highs.

Beating competition

By 1985, Nirma had overtaken Surf to become the best-selling detergent brand in India and three years later it had 60 percent of the total detergent market share in the country. Despite the spike in business, the company stuck to its low pricing and gradually, stepped into the business of other products such as soap cakes. The Nirma Beauty Soap was endorsed in the 90s by Bollywood star Sonali Bendre, who appeared in an ad campaign directed by Kailash Surendra. That ad was run in cinemas and on television from 1997 to 2009, marking a milestone for the company.

Strengthening women power

Showing how women power can make a difference, in 2011, the company gave a makeover to the characters of Hema, Jaya, Rekha and Sushma. It launched a campaign where these four characters, who are travelling by car, get down on seeing a crowd, and push an ambulance stuck in the mud, even as the men around them just stood and watched.

In 2016, Nirma took another progressive approach for another ad campaign. This time the company roped in Hrithik Roshan and challenged gender stereotypes around women and laundry. The ad portrayed the message that doing laundry was a gender-neutral activity.

Of diversification and acquisitions

Apart from detergent, Nirma group of companies is into the business of soap, soda ash, cement and other products. Among its major acquisitions, in 2016, Nirma acquired Lafarge India for $1.4 billion. It clocked revenues of Rs 15,335 crore in FY19. In May 2020, the company acquired Emami Cement for $770 million, through its subsidiary Nuvoco Vistas to expand its cement business.

Today, Patel occupies the 30th spot on Forbes India's richest with a net worth of $3.7 billion. He is a Padma Shri recipient. As part of his philanthropic activities, he set up Nirma Education and Research Foundation and Nirma University.

Palat Zatakia is Founder of Sublist, which puts out curated lists of interesting content.

First Published:Jan 28, 2021 7:33 PM IST