DNA Edit: Sweet Taste of Nostalgia - The brouhaha over shortage of Rooh Afza

There will be few who have not tasted Rooh Afza — the semi-transparent red coloured sweet syrup (too sweet for some people’s taste) used to keep you cool during the scorching summers of India.

The drink became subject of discussion suddenly as it was not available for the past few days in several parts of the country. As per the manufacturer, certain ingredients to make the syrup were short in supply. People started to speculate if the popular summer choice for many had become extinct.

The Pakistani firm that makes the same there offered to help, subject to the lifting of government sanctions over trade, but the Indian firm, helmed by the cousins in the same family has now said it will be soon available across India.

It may have been very soothing for the firm to know that their drink has such a big fan base, especially in the northern and western parts of India. Such is the power of nostalgia that companies cannot dare to defy them and make any changes in the product lest it upsets the fan club.

Coca Cola, the US soft drink giant tried to change the taste of its classic Coke, only to face popular fury. Ironically, the company that acquired Parle Drinks in India could not remove the iconic Thums Up brand from its offerings in India, despite having similar taste and threatens to cannibalise Coke sales. Nokia, albeit held by another company now, managed to use the same power of nostalgia, and succeeded to cover a lot of lost ground offering products from the past with fresh coat of paint and features. Blackberry, on the other hand, could not do so and has recently killed the Blackberry Messenger that once upon a time ruled the corporate world. Memories are sometimes sweet.

Not always!