Can Symbols Protect a company? Reflections on Karachi Bakery and the Indian Flag

My post on Karachi Bakery elicited an enthusiastic response, and I am grateful for the same. Karachi Bakery remains the cynosure of the public for many reasons, such as its impeccable quality and the controversy linked to its name, Karachi.

As many have pointed out, Karachi Bakery is the brainchild of an Indian who migrated from Pakistan and set up an eatery in Hyderabad. Similarly, a bakery exists in Pakistan called Bombay Bakery. So far, no riots or attempts to vandalize Bombay Bakery have been reported in the press.

Yes, you are all right. As you have pointed out, the idea is to show that Karachi Bakery is Indian, and it is a clever attempt to distance itself from the “Pakistani connection.”

But as some of you might know, until 2004, the usage of the Indian flag was restricted only to Republic Day and Independence Day. There was a strict protocol about its usage, and only official government institutions had the right to fly our national flag.

However, in 2004, in a landmark judgment following an appeal by Naveen Jindal, a businessman, the Supreme Court ruled that all Indians had the freedom to fly the national flag without restriction.

Here is my contention. Yes, Karachi Bakery has been a target, and it has been vandalized. But can the Indian flag be used for commercial purposes—and that too as a shield against vandalism and stone-throwing? Can the proud national symbol of India become just another token of symbolism? Especially when the Indian government frowns upon the use of the word India for commercial purposes. Naming institutes as “Indian Institutes” is restricted only to IIMs and IITs.

The Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950 prohibits the use of certain names and terms—including those that suggest government or national patronage—without explicit permission from the Central Government.

But where there is a will, there is a way. Arindam Chaudhuri flouted the rule by naming his institute IIPM (Indian Institute of Planning and Management). How did he get away with it? He never went in for accreditation with AICTE. He made merry as long as the going was good but had to shut shop when his bluff was called. 

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Key words: Karachi Bakery name controversy and public perception in India, Use of national symbols like the Indian flag in commercial branding,  Legal restrictions on Indian flag usage for businesses, Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act 1950 explained, Supreme Court ruling on flying the Indian flag – Naveen Jindal case, Difference between patriotic expression and commercial exploitation,  Bombay Bakery in Pakistan vs Karachi Bakery in India public response, Political symbolism in branding and its social consequences, Restrictions on using "Indian" in business names in India, Arindam Chaudhuri and the IIPM branding loophole, History of national flag usage laws in India pre and post-2004,  Use of Indian national identity in private business defense, Cultural sensitivity in naming businesses in India and Pakistan, Impact of Indo-Pak history on brand perception and public sentiment, Role of the judiciary in defining patriotic expression in commerce, Intersection of nationalism, law, and marketing in India, How brands use national symbols to avoid controversy,  Ethical dilemmas of using the Indian flag in private enterprises, National identity and business branding in post-partition South Asia, Can patriotism be a marketing tool or is it exploitation?