How Air India Mascot Maharajah Owned Indian Stereotypes
Words by Divya Goyal
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How Air India Mascot Maharajah Owned Indian Stereotypes by Divya Goyal
A stout man, dressed in a red sherwani and turban, greeting passengers with a slight bow, closed eyes and a smile hanging on to a handlebar moustache, Air India's mascot Maharajah became a symbol of Indian hospitality and the epitome of humility. Maharajah was the mascot of India's first international airline. Still, he was more than just a mascot welcoming guests to India. Maharajah was also the aspirational Indian who toured the world and showed newly Independent Indians the treasures the world held and inspired their wanderlust. On the one hand, he was India's first globetrotter, who fuelled the desire to travel. But, on the other hand, he embraced the Indian stereotypes like a boss – nay, like a Maharajah – and in doing so, he influenced the global perception of India.
The story of how Maharajah came into existence is as enjoyable as his escapades. Though Maharajah was intended to be an icon designed for the inflight memo pad of the airline, it became larger than life after it was adopted as the mascot. Maharajah was co-designed by Bobby Kooka, the commercial director of Tata Air (later rechristened as Air India) and Umesh Rao, an artist with J. Walter Thompson (the airline's advertising agency). Kooka conceptualized Maharajah on a flight, and he was brought to life with Rao's input. It is rumored that Maharajah's iconic moustache was inspired by Kooka's friend - Syed Wajid Ali.
In her book A History Of Indian Advertising In Ten-And-A-Half Chapters, author Ritu Singh wrote, "He (Kooka) knew that the small airline was competing with giants like TWA and Air France and needed to stand out somehow. While on a flight, he fiddled with the idea of using a monarch-like illustration on the company's letterhead - something like a Maharajah that would symbolize the warmth, exclusivity and Indian-ness he wanted the airline to be associated with."
Though he is called Maharajah (literally translated as the 'big king'), he was never meant to be royal. Kooka clarified the shade of royalty in the mascot's name, "We call him a Maharajah for want of a better description. But his blood isn't blue. He might look like royalty, but he isn't royal."