Brands
Patanjali Paridhan launches; celebrates Indiapan!
MUMBAI: Patanjali Ayurved Ltd has launched its apparels range called ‘Patanjali Paridhan’ with a brand-new campaign conceptualised by L&K Saatchi and Saatchi building on its brand values of providing a range of world class apparel for every Indian’s needs and wants.
The brand shared that the primary objective of the launch campaign was to introduce the brand Paridhan by the mother brand Patanjali, carving out a special positioning niche for Patanjali Paridhan within the larger brand equity of Patanjali while retaining youth, modernity, fashion, and trendiness.
It revealed in a press release, “The big insight that the agency unearthed was the fact that fashion in India is still very west focused. If you discount the token FabIndias, Manyavars, and a few local players, there is no national level India-centric fashion brand. Also, Indians feel slightly defensive about Indian fashion as compared to western fashion, unless it is ethnic wear. The brand wanted to bring Indian fashion fabrics and styles back into everyday life. To prove that Indian fashion is best suited for our body type and climatic conditions, and to celebrate our rich and varied fabric heritage. The idea was to create a movement – Tann Maan Dhan Indiapan, to remind people of the rich heritage of fashion that we have surrendered in the blind pursuit of western fashion.”
Commenting on the same, Patanjali Paridhan CEO KN Singh said, “India was once one of the biggest exporters of clothing, textile, and styles. With changing language and cultures every 200 kms. in India, one can see a blend of different weaves, textures, and styles. Gradually, we have moved to adopting too much of western clothing and styling. The aim is to bring the focus and interest back to Indian clothing. Every outfit can be adapted for comfort and that is what we aim at doing. We are creating fusions and blends of different clothing formats and styles. Patanjali's objective, through Paridhan, is to mould the old format of dressing into the latest, more comfortable styles, for the Indian youth, while helping the various state handloom corporations and the weavers. All of the products have been selected basis the colour scheme, mood board and quality defined by the global authority on garment quality. Even products and styles from all the Indian states have been given space on our shelves. Our prices are at least 60% less than the international brands. But consumer has to try and use the product to know Patanjali's quality in apparel range.”
L&K Saatchi and Saatchi managing partner Anil K Nair said, “Patanjali is a home-grown brand that has proven that Indian brands can achieve great success on its own. And on the back of this, Patanjali wishes to provide a range of world class apparel for every Indian’s needs and wants, and that’s the philosophy behind the inception of Patanjali Paridhan. The brand is built on a strong foundation of values that include pride and respect for our cultural identity, being comfortable in our own skin, a celebration of our rich heritage, providing value for money, and being aspirational. And also moving public consciousness from a western-fashion-orientation to ‘desi coolness and swag’.”
L&K Saatchi and Saatchi executive creative director Kumar Suryavanshi said, “Very rarely does one, as a creative person get a chance to work on a unique brief to build an indigenous fashion brand. I thank Patanjali Paridhan for giving us such an opportunity. The challenge was to maintain a balance between Patanjali's Indian values and fashion codes and sensibilities. The challenge was to bring alive the feeling of Indiapan while showcasing fashion, which has always been associated with international brands. I think we successfully managed to capture the soul of the brand and expressed it beautifully through visuals and the anthem. With the help of a super energetic team, we shot across the country to celebrate diversity in the brand’s offerings. We want people to take pride in Indian fashion and break conventions. We are very thankful to Swami Ramdev baba who has agreed to play a pivotal role in the film and gave us a free hand to make this beautiful and evocative film.”
L&K Saatchi and Saatchi executive creative director Ashish Naik further added, “It was a pleasure to shoot this campaign as the clothes were vibrant and captured the true essence of India's diversity. The beautiful locations added to the charm of the campaign.
The campaign will be running on TV, Print, Outdoor, Radio and Digital platforms including the social media handles of the brand and the talent.
Brands
Reserve Bank of India cancels Paytm Payments Bank licence
Central bank cites compliance failures; curbs tighten as wind-up looms
MUMBAI: India’s banking watchdog delivered its sharpest blow yet to Paytm Payments Bank, cancelling its licence and effectively ending its ability to operate as a bank under the law.
The Reserve Bank of India said the entity can no longer conduct banking business under the Banking Regulation Act, citing concerns that its affairs were not being run in the interest of depositors or the public and that it had failed to meet licence conditions.
The move escalates a crackdown that has been building for months. The bank had already been barred from onboarding new customers since March 11, 2022, and later faced restrictions on deposits, credit and wallet top-ups. In January 2024, the central bank ordered it to stop accepting fresh deposits, pointing to persistent non-compliance, including lapses in customer due diligence, use of funds and technology systems.
Operationally, the bank is now on a tight leash. It may process withdrawals of existing deposits and facilitate loan referrals through banking correspondents, but it cannot take fresh deposits.
The central bank said it would apply to the high court to wind up the bank.
Paytm sought to ringfence the fallout. In a regulatory filing, it said the licence cancellation applies to Paytm Payments Bank Limited, a separate entity, and should not be attributed to One 97 Communications. It added that there is no exposure or material business arrangement with the bank and that it operates independently, without Paytm’s board or management involvement.
“As informed earlier, Paytm (One 97 Communications Limited) and its services, which have been operating without interruption, will continue to operate uninterrupted. These include the Paytm app, Paytm UPI, Paytm Gold and all other services offered by its subsidiaries and associated companies,” the company said.
The distinction may reassure users of the app ecosystem, but the regulator’s verdict is unequivocal. After years of warnings, caps and curbs, the payments bank experiment at Paytm is being shut down—decisively, and with little room left to manoeuvre.
