Hamara Bajaj - Good Bye & RIP !!!

It was last week , when I was talking at a forum where Ad guys in Kochi had assembled and the topic turned out to be nostalgia and the images of the past in advertising…. The organisers showed the Hamara Bajaj ad… No one clapped for a long second but when it broke it broke as if it was the first time they were seeing it.. most of them for sure were young chaps but some of them belonged to the generation which had an unquenchable liking for Bajaj scooters (for want of choice for many but a genuine liking for at least some)…

The product couldn’t be bought as ,from where and when one desired ( a shocking fact for the new Gen who gets everything everywhere) ,waiting lists were ridiculously long, people got MLA’ s and MP’s to recommend, Bribes and premiums to supercede seniority were quite common and Bajaj Scooter was there in any wannabe bride grooms wish list…



Well ! As all good things, now this one too is coming to an end.. the rear view mirror image of the past is to be forgotten, the ghost of the past is shed and to be the “the largest motorcycle maker in the world” Bajaj auto is stopping its Scooter division… Hamara Bajaj nevertheless was a symbol.. of an India that was emerging… of a people that are traditional and yet modern, of a social idea called India that was un paralleled … A benchmark campaign, if there ever was one! It created lots of heartburn for other agencies as well, as every second client kept asking his agency `why can't we do a Hamara Bajaj?'

While in Lintas I have heard long and short stories of how the whole thing was born.. for any one in Lowe Lintas this was a prized posession in the showcase... before the campaign, a lot of factors which has strong India-association, such as, Independence Day, sports and cricket in particular,cinema and heritage were listed down... a press campaign with the theme ‘the great Indian spirit’ as a precursor of sorts to the TVC which followed which had to (and it did) connect the emotions and moments of the viewers to the brand.

Lyrics for the commercials were first written in English and later translated in Hindi. The birth of ‘Hamara Bajaj’ took place with the Hindi translation. Bajaj, promptly replaced ‘the great Indian spirit’, identifying the potential of ‘Hamara’. The term ‘Hamara’ encompassed the entire target audience - consumer or not; it led to a strong association with India.... ( I was told that American and German examples became inspiration for the whole exercise..) Indians are proud to say ‘Hamara India’. Thus, ‘Hamara Bajaj’......

While I refuse to buy “the scooter is dead” school of thought ( there are scooters still made ,sold and doing huge business here) , Let us say a good bye to the good old Bajaj Scooter and hope that later they don’t wake up and say ..hey ! that was a mistake

RIP Bajaj !!!