CITY BRANDING IN INDIA- INNISHARI WAY

I have been using ‘5000 year old culture’, as a referential phrase for India, while speaking in several forums. I have not seen this phrase being used anywhere in the ‘incredible India’ campaign so far. I have been wondering why has the chronological reference not been taken into account for branding India? May be I missed seeing it. At least all the major airports of the countries I frequent, don’t have it. Wonder which other country can boast of this fact and actively promotes it? KOREA, yes, when you land on Incheon airport, at Seoul, South Korea proudly announces that their culture is also 5000 years old. When I went to Indonesia, well they were talking of way more longer.. millions of years.. neolithic ages  J. Yes, Indonesia was the land where the remains of legendary ‘Java’ man (Homo Erectus) were found (Java is not the programming  language alone, it is an island in Indonesia with an ancient cultural roots). 

But none of these countries we spoke about so far have the sense of ‘country’ or ‘city’ branding what the western countries have. In Berlin, I saw huge shops selling Berlin Souvenirs. The souvenirs, unfortunately, were nearly all, made in China (just like all the London souvenirs). However, it was a big business. At least the imagery that was being printed out on these souvenirs was consistent. It is a different point that they were also selling some ridiculous items like broken chunks of erstwhile ‘Berlin wall’.   Imagine, purchasing pieces of ‘Wagah border’ wall one day...

One of the visuals for Pune branding by Innishari

Anyway, no one brands their city like Americans do. ‘I love NY’ t-shirt has been seen in literally every major city in India. People wear it probably just to show either they or someone in their family or friend circle has been to this city. Sometimes, people wear it just because it looks ‘cool’. The graphic is bold and makes a statement. Americans can brand literally everything. India is still recuperating from its colonial penury and making a very slow progress on these things which only occur to a nation once there is some wealth. While roads and bridges are criss-crossing the country and nearly every airport is undergoing an overhaul right now, there is no thought on MESSAGING on the airport. One sees, aluminium clad walls thatched all over the country in a race to make the airports ‘world-class’. What is lost in this race is a more settled feeling of ‘permanence’ and ‘cultural signature’ of every place.  Bhutan has shown the way. Thimphu airport does not copy the architecture of these ‘modern airports’. But such cases are rare in India. Kerala was the only state which took up the state branding much ahead of the country’s brand and successfully culled out a niche of ‘God’s own country’.  Tourism soared into a multi-billion dollar industry.

Last week Indian Express reported the Pune city branding initiative by an upcoming start-up ‘Innishari’ that had created a set of modern visual narratives on Pune. This was put up in a local mall as a part of the ongoing Pune Biennale.  A series of seven visuals presented were in a mixed style- ‘realism’ and ‘abstraction’. Realism makes it understandable and abstraction makes it refreshing.  Realism connects to masses and abstraction connects to the intellectuals. Pune as a city has so far been identified only with a picture of ‘Shanivaar wada’, a rather not-so-grand a fort made by Peshwas. Beyond that Pune has little visual identity. A city that is bubbling with more than 5 million population out of which hal f of them directly connected with IT & manufacturing industry; where something unique amongst Indian cities- 300 German companies have found their home; which is the cultural and educational hub for western India, cannot be merely depicted with a picture of one fort (the restoration of which, too needs to be taken up seriously by the government)!

You go around the city and you don’t even find any poster that promotes the city. Whole city has been plastered with pictures of small and big time politicos. These posters appear not only on the designated hoardings but also on temporary structures that spring up as anybody’s guess.  Every small time politico worth his name has to put up a big hoarding congratulating some big-wig of his party on his or her birthday, or offering just a welcome note. Half of the faces put up there can be used to scare a child. City municipal council seems to ignore any sense of visual order or disorder against the political pressures. Same situation exists in several other cities. Beautiful cities of Lucknow and Cochin (where I have recently been to) show the same visual mess. This visual cancer can only be cured by a level-headed political leader who should put his foot down to save the city and ban the temporary hoardings. But along side, efforts of city branding like what Innishari has put forth, must be given space. In the eyes of a global visitor passing through the city, it will reflect the connoisseur pulse of its citizens.  This, I believe is the real DNA of Pune, a city that attracted me to it sixteen years ago!

Here is the recent press coverage of the event:

http://m.indianexpress.com/news/window-to-the-city/1060581/