[Click on images for a bigger view]
Simplex (The Simplex Mills Co. Ltd)
Vimgran (Squibb TTT Sarabhai Chemicals)
Sathe Chocolates (The Sathe Biscuit & Chocolate Co. Ltd.)
Matador ‘Terene Suiting’ (DCM Silk Mills)
The Indian Iron and Steel Co. Ltd. (IISCO)
Ads from November 1965
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random thought…why were all these Indian vintage ads in English?i have seen English ads in cities in India mainly. even towns have some regional-language ads (Tamil Nadu comes to mind… Chennai, its capital, is full of Tamil everywhere!)?
<>o anonymous reader<> A very valid observation. Let me attempt to figure out the reasons behind this (it was entirely unintentional but subconsciously done):1. This blogger possesses limited faculties in the languages listed in the Eighth Schedule (can read and write Bangla and Hindi; Assamese, Marathi, Oriya, Punjabi, Nepali and Urdu seem comprehensible). Will need help from bloggers of all tongues.2. The chances of finding English language stuff of archival value at second-hand shops is brighter.3. My personal collection over the years has been in the language that our rulers before 1947 left us with.4. English traverses across linguistic and national boundaries, therefore more people can relate to the posts.Will attempt at an entire season dedicated to regional-language advertising. But that has to be a collective effort (with credits of course), I wouldn’t be able to justice to the project on my own.
where do you get all these ads 🙂
Hey,Re: your reasons, fair enough. I was more surprised that ads in English were in abundance, than at the fact that you were posting them up. I expected them to be more in Indian (Indic?) languages, for the simple fact that a significant percentage of the Indian population cannot read/understand the level of English used. Example: VITAMINS AND MINERALS… one.I don’t understand how you got hold of these pictures – do you take pictures of these ads, or do you get them from websites? And I don’t understand what you mean by your “personal collection”… are these ads yours (not yours in the sense that you created them, but the ones you have with you)?By the way, I am the same ‘o anonymous reader’… I have finally got myself a blog!
<>Sunrise (previously known as o anonymous reader), Pallavi<> The first set of ads (Season One) were from Indrajal Comics, which I had borrowed from the Comic Project. But this ongoing series is sourced from magazines that I dug out from cardboard boxes and trunks at home and also purchased some from the second-hand shops in Shillong and Delhi. I scan them and put them up.
as far as Bangla ads are concerned, I can send you some but I don’t think I can find such ancient ones like in 60s or 70s. most of these would be from 90s, which won’t make it fall in the category of vintage.