NaMo on your dinner table

From stainless steel plates to sweets to T-shirts, brand Modi is going places

You have seen him in giant hoardings and on your television screens almost 24x7. Soon, you will be able to have BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi at your dinner table.

Well, almost.

Thanks to his numerous fans and volunteers across Gujarat and other states, brand 'NaMo' is finding its place in day-to-day utilities like stainless steel utensils to sweets.

If on one hand regular discussions by a group of 'volunteer entrepreneurs' on Modi's fan page on Facebook led to the recently launched online apparel and stationary merchandise store 'The NaMo Store', on the other hand, an Ahmedabad Metalwork Manufacturing Association launched 'household stainless steel products' with NaMo stickers. That's not all. The NaMo Store is also working on products such as an alarm that girls can carry for their safety.

"The objective behind this is to support Modi and this has nothing to do with business," says Jabarsingh Rajput, president of the Ahmedabad Metalwork Manufacturing Association.

The association members have devised a slogan 'Har Har Modi, Ghar Ghar Modi ' which is part of the sticker with Modi's photo on products such as steel plates/ thali , steel buckets, steel pitchers and cooking pans, to name a few . "As our business is spread across the country we will be able to spread the popularity of Modi in other states," adds Rajput who heads the 250-member association.

According to Manish Saini, one of the volunteer entrepreneur behind 'The Namo Store', the portal will have products that will carry both a utility and a social message surrounding Modi. "We believe in the values and vision he is trying to bring in, such as the 'India First' attitude. We want these social messages to percolate into the society through related products. We are developing products for old age people," says Saini.

The portal further states that the company - Take India Beyond Merchandising Pvt. Ltd. - sees Modi as a dynamic brand, promising a unique merchandising opportunity.

"Ever since the word 'NaMo' first appeared in public consciousness, it caught on like wildfire; to become an entity in itself and a calling card for the largest democracy in the world. The fascinating journey from being a village lad to amongst popular choice for the highest office of the nation, is a source of immense inspiration. Brand NaMo is about more than just revenue generation - it is about being the turning point, rising above, altering mindset and above all, being the change," the portal states.

However, while for some it's the "vision and values" of the man behind the brand that translates into products, for others it is their way of offering support to Modi for the upcoming elections.

On its part, the NaMo Store is currently selling designer apparel, stationary and products such as t-shirts, pens, planners and USB pen drives under the brand names of 'NaMo Mantra', 'NaMo Lekh' and 'NaMo Tech'.

In September this year, on the occasion of Modi's birthday a sweet shop in Jamnagar came out with 'peda' embossed with Modi's image on it. The shop owner had to increase the size of the sweet in order to emboss the image.

Though the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) welcomes the move, it says the party has no role to play in these efforts. "All the products name after Modi that you hear about or see in the newspapers have been promoted by the chief minister's well wishers and fans," says Harshad Patel, Gujarat BJP spokesperson.

According to Patel, Modi has a number of fan clubs comprising of professionals and experts in their respective fields.

"These individuals are either members of Modi's fan club or are influenced by his work in Gujarat and have, as per their ability and expertise, designed products and are marketing them. They have been acting on their own will, creating products named after Modi. There have been NaMo mobile phones, mobile applications, T-shirts with Modi's profile picture, key holders and a number of other items with Modi's name or picture on them. Party has no role to play in promoting or marketing the NaMo brand products," he adds.

Patel also claims there is a store in the US which features a special counter for "Modi-based products".

Besides such products, the style of kurtas worn by Modi have also come to be known as 'Modi Kurta' - a modified version of normal kurta which is up to knee-length but has half-sleeves. Party sources also state that the Modi masks, which became a rage during the 2009 state assembly elections, may also return during the upcoming general elections.

If that's not enough, the brand-Modi was also seen during the December 2012 assembly elections in Gujarat when Modi's clay image joined the club of Kondapalli toys from Andhra Pradesh, the dancing dolls with spring necks. This small dancing doll was launched by Gujarat Gaurav Fan Club (GGFC) before the last year's assembly polls.

The half-feet tall ceramic dolls were designed and manufactured in Ahmedabad and were aimed to cheer voters at the assembly election level. Yet again, these dolls are also likely to surface for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.