Rooh Afza has been a much-loved cooling drink consumed by people across the country for years — notably during the scorching summer months and during Ramzan, when there is both fasting and feasting.
However, its consumption is not restricted to India. People in Pakistan and Bangladesh, both of which are neighbours to India and were created out of it after the 1947 Partition, are also significant Rooh Afza drinkers.
The Delhi High Court recently ordered Amazon India to remove the listing of a drink manufactured by a Pakistani company under the same name ‘Rooh Afza’ off its platform, possibly to avoid customer confusion in India.
According to reports, the order was issued in response to a petition filed by the Indian social welfare NGO Hamdard National Foundation, which stated that the ‘Rooh Afza’ listed on the Indian e-commerce site are not all manufactured by Hamdard Laboratories (India), but by Pakistani companies whose names are not printed on the packaging.
Interestingly, the drink’s history dates back to pre-Partition India — all the way back to a single family — when there was no Pakistan or even Bangladesh.
Hamid Ahmed, the CEO and trustee of Hamdard Laboratories (India), Food Division, and the grandson of Hakim Abdul Hamid, the founder of Hamdard, which was founded in 1906, stated that Hamdard Laboratories owns the drink’s trademark (India).
“This product cannot be sold in India, either directly or through grey channels, because it is already manufactured here.” This is why we discussed it with Amazon and other e-commerce players, who demonstrated their incapacity to remove it. “We had no choice but to go to the Supreme Court,” Ahmed stated
Ahmed explained that there was only one Hamdard in 1906. “However, after 1947, when my great-grandfather remained in India with one of his sons, his other son — Hakim Mohammed Said — migrated to Pakistan to establish another Hamdard.” When Bangladesh became independent in 1971, a third Hamdard emerged: Hamdard Bangladesh. “However, all three manufacture Rooh Afza,” he explained.
The simple Rooh Afza, according to Ahmed, was the first-ever branded product made by Hamdard in 1907. “[This drink] predates the founding of Pakistan and Bangladesh!” It is an Indian product, and we sought to protect the Indian market against grey market invasion.”
According to the CEO, Rooh Afza was initially a medicinal rather than a drink or sherbet, and it has cooling effects, which is why it is always in demand throughout the summer. “While its ingredients have stayed consistent throughout the years, manufacturing has evolved due to the introduction of new technology.” When it was first introduced in 1907, it was most likely prepared in a modest kitchen, but today it is prepared in factories using cutting-edge technology.
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