Like a man undergoing a midlife crisis, Air
India’s Maharajah mascot has lost weight, replaced his
turban-and-sherwani outfit with jeans and sneakers,
and looks decades younger. Instead of bowing
graciously to welcome guests, he’s checking his
cellphone, his mustache as long and suave as ever.
The original Maharajah was created in 1946 by Bobby
Kooka, Air India’s commercial director, and Umesh
Rao, an artist with J. Walter Thompson Ltd., Mumbai.
The makeover, prompted by a request from Prime
Minister Narendra Modi, was derided on Twitter. “Why
Air India why? You went from India Maharaja to NY cab
driver!” tweeted comedian Vir Das.
Responding to the criticism, the airline noted that
the new “hipster” avatar, as some have called it, is
only one of a number of avatars it will be using “to suit
occasion and activity.”
Compiled and partly written by Indian humorist MELVIN DURAI, author of the novel Bala Takes the Plunge.
[Comments? Contributions? Please email us at melvin@melvindurai.com. We welcome jokes, quotes, online clips, and more.]