Gandhi: A brand the world flaunts!

From Swiss luxury giant Mont Blanc to Bollywood blockbuster 'Lage Raho Munnabhai', Mahatma Gandhi, the apostle of peace and non-violence, has now become a brand the world proudly flaunts.

To commemorate Gandhi's historic salt march in 1930, Mont Blanc recently unveiled an 18-carat gold nib plated with rhodium pen which costs Rs 14 lakh (Rs 1.4 million) -- making the Mahatma their brand ambassador.

Yes, more than six decades after his assassination, the icon of India's Independence has moved beyond road signs, statues and artists' strokes to a modern and digital image, seen in promos and advertisements.

On his 140th birth anniversary, Gandhiji, once called the 'Naked Fakir', lives on in luxury brands, tees and even many popular flicks - he's now very much a part of the RemixGeneration's psyche.

Sanjay Dutt-starrer 'Lage Raho Munnabhai' in 2006 was an instant hit with the Bollywood actor demystifying the ideologies of the 'Father of the Nation' with "Gandhigiri".

Adman Alyque Padamsee, who played Mohammed Ali Jinnah in 'Gandhi' says that "Brand Gandhi" is still the most powerful Indian idol celebrated globally.

"International leaders from Martin Luther King Jr to Barack Obama have all used Brand Gandhi to reach out to the masses."

In fact, Italy's telecom giant Telecom Italiato, and Internet search engine Google have also helped Gandhi to take the centrestage in the 21st century.

While Mont Blanc company claims the pen is an ode to him and his ideals, Gandhi's grandson Tushar Gandhi says: "We must learn to accept that Mont Blanc is not associated with being frugal as Bapu was. Still, they have felt the need to salute his image."

In a recent media interview, Tushar even recalled an anecdote when the makers of high-end Audi car had conceived of a campaign, only for Spain, using Gandhi's name.

"I asked them how would they justify the use of Bapu's image in that campaign. They replied it was the 'long-lasting untarnished image of Mahatma Gandhi' that they wanted Audi to be identified with," he said.

In the 1990s, US-based Apple used Gandhi's meditating image to launch its Mackintosh range of computers.

"That's now a collectors's item," says Tushar adding even Telecom Italiato commercial using Gandhi's image helped it grab many awards.