ICCR Exhibition :Tagore in Advertisement

Besides penning immortal poetry, novels, short stories and essays, Rabindranath Tagore also made a mark in the world of advertisements. Between 1889 and 1941 Tagore featured in over a hundred advertisements endorsing a variety of products including books, medicines, cosmetics, food products and stationery. Though Tagore never charged for endorsing a product, he always used the opportunity to forward the nationalist agenda. Rare advertisements in which the bard either contributed to the script or acted as a model are a part of this exhibition. Those were not really the years of a promotional blast prior to the launch of a consumer product.

And it is difficult to associate the personality of Tagore with the endorsement of cosmetic products - but he did it to push the nationalist agenda. Rabindranath’s endorsements were special because of his command over the language --- his use of catchy phrases and words and brevity in expressing an idea. Tagore’s advertisements offer a kind of meta-narrative of the growth of advertising in India --- the language, the coinage, the imagery, the desperation of competition and of course the beginnings of celebrity endorsement.
Date: 
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Venue: 
Nehru Centre
Further Information: 

http://www.nehrucentre.org.uk/