Livemint Blogs - Latest Comments

Re: The black and white of things

Ravneetsangha — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 04:01:50 -0000

excellent article ! love it

Re: The black and white of things

Brown and Happy — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 11:50:47 -0000

I was appalled when I saw Shah Rukh Khan and Hritik Roshan advertise a similar cream for men. Not sure if it is a HLL product but nevertheless it is a shame.

Re: The black and white of things

Meetddentist — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 07:05:30 -0000

How true . .
We are bunch of dumbs . We 'll protest on streets for racial discrimination against indian but at the end most indian families will like /want a "FAIR" looking bride for their son . .. Its pathetic.
But glad you wrote such an insight full article . You and me can only change by bringing the change in our attitudes and acceptance!

Re: The black and white of things

Skinkitchenworldwide — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 06:26:13 -0000

Excellent article! I am the founder of a spa that uses all natural products and all women want to be is 'fair.' I love the way you've written this article!

Re: The black and white of things

Nikita — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 03:54:54 -0000

You surely did miss the point!

Re: The black and white of things

Nanaiah Pattada — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 03:11:42 -0000

I Love HLL - for the Dove which leaves your skin oily all day, for the Lux - which stops lathering and feels like a pumice stone even before 50% of it is used, for the shampoos they make which kills your hair in no time, the atta - which has more maida than Atta in it(may be they want it to look white), for the Red label which they have given a make-over 50times over and still can't beat the reused dhabewali chai and it still retains the bitterness on your tongue. It is the world's only company which still behaves like the British where everone and every other product is an Untouchable. They have a culture which is nausiating to say the least. They sit in the same office but don't look in the eye. They have no qualms compromising on the quality of any of their product. Take any 10 sub-brands of theirs from 10 stores and put it through a 3rd party QC and you will find that they are just fooling the consumer. Their margins are the lowest for the WS, REtailer and the C&F. Till recently they had monopolised the CSD and not allowed any other competitor to be sold through the CSD. Why there was no enquiry on this nobody knows. Colgate was allowed to be sold only since the last 6 or 7 years.

Re: The black and white of things

Mukta Naik — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 02:20:45 -0000

Very well said! Those ads make the blood boil! No responsibility at all...its all about selling the product. Business ethics, what's that?

Re: The black and white of things

v kUMAR — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 02:15:59 -0000

HUL needs to make money... anyhow that is.
Great CSR stuff by launching so many products to make people from dark and dirty fair and lovely.
Thums down.
Great article, I share the anger expressed. Let HUL present one hamper to Mayawati and watch the fireworks.

Re: The black and white of things

Varsha Sindhu — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 02:02:41 -0000

I think you missed the point

Re: The black and white of things

Wheatish (haha) from Chennai — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 01:35:31 -0000

Slow clap. Well said, Gayathri.

Re: The black and white of things

Karmakant — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 20:43:58 -0000

Well what is ur point?? U mix up so many things Rosa Parks to random racist attacks in Australia to Shadeism..even in that video women who talk come with pretty good make up...so it is the women who drive the cosmetic industry..and by doing stories like this u can pretend to be different..and nothing else.

Re: The black and white of things

arjuns — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 13:51:09 -0000

Excellent article! Growing up in India, I was amazed at how entrenched attitudes around skin color were - a lot of these biases promoted and by the media portrayals in advertising campaign by HUL and their ilk..... there was no "male fairness cream" category until some marketer decided to create demand thru a concerted campaign. In the US or the UK, it is unthinkable for a reputed company to be carrying such a product line, or advertising it in national TV - they would be lambasted by the media!

I do think that appealing to the good sense of HUL marketers does not go nearly far enough as a potential remedy. What is needed for a change of heart is:
1. A campaign (could start on facebook), that gets people to boycott all HUL products until they withdraw their fairness cream product line, all associated advertising and issue an apology - we need to hurt their pocketbooks, the same way as De Beers diamonds were boycotted during the 80s when they were supporting the South African apartheid government
2. Amendments to our employment discrimination laws that make it a crime to consider color of skin in employment, job advancement decisions

Hey, maybe the DMK and AIADMK could even find common cause here :-)

Re: Flipkart launches Flyte: an online mp3 store

Kartik — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 01:29:50 -0000

"one can hear a 30 minute preview" is incorrect. It should be "30 sec" preview.

Re: Oscar versus Filmfare

smandan — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 13:59:12 -0000

Good that you have commented on the crap FF awards. There is more buffonery by actors like SRK and RK.It is the not the talent (acting) which is appreciated but the business such awards generate. TOI or its publications were always business propostions.

Re: Flipkart launches Flyte: an online mp3 store

Siddhartha Reddy — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 23:52:48 -0000

I'm part of the search team at Flipkart. Thanks for pointing out the buggy search for U2 — we have now fixed it.

Re: Twitter wants to know your story

Binary Options — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 13:51:19 -0000

I like Twitter. Makes life cool.

Re: RBI pulls up government for lax policy stance on inflation

Binary Options — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 13:50:22 -0000

Can you actually trust the numbers they put out?

Re: Sit at home and protest?

Binary Options — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 13:49:48 -0000

Seems all countries are cracking down of Free Speech. In a few years it will be extinct.

Re: Fashion with a cause

Binary Options — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 13:48:34 -0000

Great idea!

Re: The crazy life of an online daily soap fan

Binary Options — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 13:47:12 -0000

Man, I am tired of these soap operas. It's all the same.

Re: Looking away from the stripes – Tiger trailing in South India

Pavankunch — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 08:00:56 -0000

Very well written \m/ \m/

Re: Davos – To convince as much as to dialogue

Sunder Thadani — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 05:58:14 -0000

I enjoyed reading Live Mint online.
Best Wishes to the team

Re: The Responsible Report: Lessons from a session at Dharavi Transit Camp Municipal School for Teach for India Week

kcrrRajakcrraja — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 03:07:23 -0000

How inspiring!

Re: The Delhi male’s feathers

cheeseblue0 — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 04:13:04 -0000

Nuggets of sense hidden in tonnes of pretense. Starts off on a good though obvious note - the delhi male's attitude, but soon digresses into sartorial tastes while making half-hearted attempts to critique both. The female of the species, probably unintended, gets both the sympathy and censure in equal measure. My conclusion - this lady has a long way to go.

Re: RIP Amit Saigal

Akshay Gandhi — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 04:46:02 -0000

I was lucky to be a part of that audience on the GIR kick off boat gig like Lalitha Suhasini. The memory of ZERO and Orange Street performing is still fresh. I still remember the whole boat swinging to "Banana Boat Song"and the ever smiling face of the long grey haired guy....who had this immense rock star like presence, enough to light up the room... your presence will always be felt.....cheers..:)