Gajanan Pendharkar pioneered sponsored TV serials, kept low profile himself

NAGPUR: Those in their 40s have indelible childhood memories of the ‘Vicco turmeric ayurvedic cream’ jingle telecast before the popular television series ‘Yeh Jo Hain Zindagi’ in 1985. For the older generation, Vicco was the omnipresent brand advertised ahead of films in theatres. The man behind it all, though, was seldom seen.
Gajanan Pendharkar, the man who introduced the idea of sponsoring television shows in India, through which he took ayurvedic cosmetics and Vicco to the global level, died in Mumbai on Thursday.Chairman of Vicco Laboratories, the 81-year-old was engaged in the company’s day to day activities till three months before his death, say officials of the organization.
Though the business originated in Mumbai, it had a strong Nagpur link. The company set up a unit in Nagpur in 1985, since then brand Vicco has been linked with the city. Pendharkar’s two brothers, Jayant and Yashwant, have settled here to manage the unit at Hingna MIDC.
Vishnu Industrial Chemical Company, as VICCO stands for, was established in 1952 by Gajanan’s father Keshav Pendharkar at a chawl in suburban Mumbai. It was under Gajanan’s leadership that Vicco emerged as a brand. He joined the business in 1957 after getting a degree in pharmacy from Ahmedabad and became the chairman in 1971 after his father’s death.
By 1971, the company had a factory at Dombivli, Mumbai. In 1985, the Hingna unit was set up followed by Goa in 1996. At Butibori, it has a 100-acre farm where raw materials for the products are grown. Both Vicco Vajradanti Toothpaste and Vicco Turmeric Ayurvedic Cream were developed during his time.
A senior official in Vicco said Gajanan took the company’s turnover from just 1 lakh to 350 crore today. The company is now eyeing the 400 crore mark.
“He had a novel strategy of advertisement blitzkierg for promoting a new product. When we proposed the idea of having television ads none took us seriously. After deliberations with Doordarshan, for which it was a new idea too, we started with the Shafi Inamdar and Swaroop Sampat starring comedy serial ‘Yeh Jo Hain Zindagi’, and it clicked,” said an official here.
Those days there used to be video cassettes. The company put its advertisement in all the cassettes having films of any language. This took the product international since even Indians abroad watched the movies, he added.
The turmeric cream was the first of its kind, since the conventional snow or winter cream ruled the market. There were apprehensions that the cream with turmeric content may leave yellow shade on the face. “Our salesmen were sent with mirrors and asked to apply the cream on the retailers’ face and show them the mirror. Soon, we were able to make a dent in the snow cream business,” said the official.
A case won after 20 years of litigation with the central excise department also gave a major boost to the company. This allowed Vicco’ claim that it was making ayurvedic products and not cosmetics, which brought it major tax relief.
Despite the company growing to newer heights, the family preferred to keep total control within the family. Despite several suggestions, it did not go public, said a close relative.
The sprawling house at the Crorepati Gali in Civil Lines, Nagpur, left many awed, though the Pendharkars always maintained a low profile in the city’s social circles.