Untold Maggi Mania

Maggi has been crafted for every household name. One of the longest journeys by Nestle to change the foodie behaviour of Indian Masses as Instant Noddles in 2 minute strategy. Healthy or unhealthy, restrictions to pregnant lady and to infant due to MSG, it is not an issue. But acceptance by the masses especially the younger generation of every decade is a special untold story. Two minute strategy was a marketing gimmicks. Adding vegetables or egg or anything else as per the mania is an individual choice.

But during the 90s, we at JNV advocated, appreciated, gave thumbs up to Maggi Mania without availing the taste or enjoying Maggi, but certainly to get punished in the morning assembly.

During that period, Zinc Nagar was one of the most clean, properly organised, well maintained colony of Sundargarh district of Odisha. That was Mini India with people from almost every state who were progressive, financially sound employees with greater affordability with the interest of different cuisine.

Maggi lovers of the colony after enjoying the 2-minute strategy disposed the wrappers of Maggi at certain dumping places. We, as wards could not afford this 2-minute strategy there due to restraints of the hostel. Moreover, Maggi was never in the Menu of breakfast or snacks there, might be due to scale of preparation required.

But Childhood is specially designed to explore new ideas, motto and motives. We started to collect and hoard the wrappers of those Maggis enjoyed by progressive elites working in Hindustan Zinc Limited just like rag pickers, so that we could mail those wrappers to Nestle. We were not able to understand those marketing gimmicks at that time during Childhood.

Remembering the poem "Barter" by Sara Teasdal, we always hoped to get some gifts in the form of a paint book or a picture book etc. from Nestle. ...And Nestle never cheated to keep us despondent. The more the gifts we received from Nestle, the more we started to collect the wrappers like manual rag pickers. We fooled Nestle that we were enjoying Maggi by buying their products. Afterall, we were selectively cleaning the Environment by picking the wrappers.

But when the scale becomes monumental, scrutiny arrives. That was the point we did not notice at that time, but learnt in later part of life. Moles are present everywhere in every sphere of life. Escalation of Maggi Wrapper Mania was investigated by the Enforcement Agency, nobody other than our teachers. Inbound shipment of gift item envelopes by Nestle were seized directly from the source i.e. the delivery post office. Recipients' names were loudly decorated during Prayer Assembly- it just felt like humorous humility. ...And as punishment is always considered as a corrective measure, it led to vanishing of 'Maggi Wrapper Mania'. One thing we learnt- 'children are good marketing agents for corporates'. But simultaneously, children have the power to fool corporates.

But in the later part of life, we accepted Maggi. We cooked Maggi with our own flavour. It doesn't take days or months to build a brand, it takes decades, but if you don't compromise with your quality. Whenever I enjoy Maggi, the Maggi Wrapper Mania of our childhood flashes to re-vitalise our happiness towards foolishness . We were the consumer of that generation, Nestle thinks. Actually, we were saving Nature by collecting wrappers from trash for our own happiness. Happiness never lies. Love you Maggi.....