The BJP's PM candidate has T-shirts, mugs, a store, fireworks, tea stalls and more all named after him, making the NaMo brand stronger.
It wouldn't be wrong to say Narendra Modi has everything when it comes to merchandise. There's a tea stall, game, song, dance, app, you name it and there's something that's named after the Gujarat CM that exists.
Narendra Modi tea
Manohar Jha, who runs a Narendra Modi mobile tea stall in Delhi reveals, "Narendra Modi is currently the flavour of India, he is seen as the person who will free India from the corrupt rule of the Congress."
The mobile Narendra Modi tea stall is slowly being established all over the country as Mani Shankar Iyer's jibe calling the BJP's PM candidate a mere tea seller has been taken up by the party as they are expressing pride in being a tea seller.
Many people are flocking to these tea stalls, Jha who has started the stall a week ago reveals that more than 3,000 people come to drink tea at his stall and he credits Modi for the success. Jha said, "I am sure Narendra Modi will be the PM, people love him so much that they are drinking tea in his name."
Taking the tea concept forward, there is the Chai Pe Charcha which has started where people from all over the counrtry can talk to Narendra Modi and discuss with him the state of the nation over a cup of tea. The first edition of this received an overwhelming response.
NaMo tea is available for Rs5.
Narendra Modi kite
Recently, Makar Sankranti saw many Narendra Modi kites being sold all over India. While the leader also engaged in kite flying, his face on many kites in the skies all over India meant the NaMo fever is now soaring to the skies quite literally.
Prashant Lal, a kite maker based in Mumbai said, "Actors and sports stars have been the in thing for some years now, this year we had Narendra Modi kites pre-ordered by BJP workers, we also made some extras and I was surprised that they all got sold in record time. Initially, I was unsure of my decision to make extras and put them on sale, but Narendra Modi truly seems to be well loved by many that they want his face on their kites."
NaMo kites are available for Rs80, Rs120 and Rs150 per kite.
Narendra Modi kurtas
The Narendra Modi-styled kurtas are the latest style revolution according to Ramesh Pawar, a BJP worker from Mumbai. Pawar who has his own clothes business said, "Narendra Modi's kurtas are slowly and steadily becoming a rage, many people want to wear clothes like him. I have got many people even telling me that they liked what he wore at a particular rally and so they'll like to dress like that. We make custom kurtas as well as his popular ones."
Kamlesh Parekh, 40, a business man said, "I am a person who wears shirts and pants, but the Narendra Modi line of clothes has appealed a lot to me. I have brought many kurtas, churidars and chappals as I want to emulate Narendra Modi who is an inspiration for me."
NaMo kurtas are available between Rs200 to Rs500 per kurta.
Narendra Modi dolls
We've seen dolls of Hrithik Roshan as Krissh, Aamir Khan and Katrina Kaif as part of Dhoom:3 as well as Barbie, but Narendra Modi also has joined this B-Town list with the NaMo doll. Available only in a select stores, this doll has grey hair and wears a kurta and is called the NaMo doll.
Though it doesn't look a lot like the leader, the doll has seen a huge spike in demand. Shopkeeper Jignesh Jha who runs a toy store at Crawford Market said, "The Narendra Modi doll costs Rs850, but there are many parents who are buying the doll for their sons and daughters. It's great to see that now even small kids know who Modi is."
Rahul Kumar, a parent who was buying the doll for his children said, "I am sure Narendra Modi will be India's PM in the next few months and I want my children to have the doll. It's a great idea and concept and I'd say that it's more than just an ordinary worthless doll, it's the future PM."
Narendra Modi crackers
Diwali saw many crackers that were named after the Gujarat PM. From Modi sparklers, to Modi rain and Modi fireworks. Javed Ali, a cracker seller from Mumbai said, "Narendra Modi crackers sold well during the Diwali season and now off season too many people are buying them. The NaMo sparklers and fireworks are really selling well."
The Narendra Modi crackers may just have the leader's picture on the box covers but that is managing to do the trick as many people are buying them.
The crackers are ranged between Rs50 to Rs3,000.
NaMo mugs, T-shits, bags and more
Vyomesh Panchmatia and 6 other enthusiasts have each pooled in Rs25,000 and are giving Narendra Modi merchandise to people. From bags to mugs to T-shirts to badges with Narendra Modi's picture on it, these are being lapped up by people, happily.
Panchmatia reveals, "The badges, bags and T-shirts have 'Development and not vote bank politics' written on them and feature Narendra Modi's face. These are in different colours and are given free of cost to people who participate in surveys and register to vote. People are very enthusiastic about Narendra Modi and college students, women and children seem to love Modi a lot and love these merchandise."
Narendra Modi dance, song and online store are other aspects of brand Modi as are the Modi game, app and mobile phone.
The Lok Sabha elections will commence soon and when the results are out, we'll know if this aggressive branding worked for Narendra Modi and the BJP or not.
Narendra Modi app
There are a number of Narendra Modi apps doing the rounds, from games, to quotes, to speeches, to ringtones, to live news, etc. Karthik Pujara, 24, who has made the Narendra Modi speech app that is available on Google Play for android phones said, "Narendra Modi is the flavour of this election season. People want news about him as he is very popular especially among the young tech-savvy people who want the latest information about him. I made this app as I am a big fan of Narendra Modi and love his speeches which are very well-written and well-delivered. After making this app that records and plays an audio-video pulled from YouTube, many people in the comments section thank me for the app as they can listen to Modi's speeches and get an idea of his plans for India."
Other politicians also trying building brands
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