How a father kept her daughter alive on a detergent packet

“Nirma… Washing powder Nirma….” This Indian detergent commercial jingle was once very popular. The song had become a kind of cult song all over India as a laundry powder song. You may remember the little girl in the white frock on the detergent packet.

But what's even more interesting is that there's a long story behind this jingle-and-white frock girl. Almost everyone who's spent their time on the TV screen in the ’90s can't ever forget the lyrics and catchy jingle young girl in a spotless white frock in a Nirma commercial advertisement. But most of us didn’t know the real reason for set up one of the most popular detergent brands in India and a man who nurtured this brand like a daughter.

There was a chemist in Gujarat, India. His dream came true; thanks to the popularity of this detergent company, Nirma. Our hero of the story is Karshan Patel. Karshan Patel started his business in 1969. He used to work at the Institute of Natural Resources, Ahmedabad. But apart from his job he had an interest to build up a company of his own and after thinking for a long time he decided to make detergent powder. He was trying to mix Soda Ash and a few ingredients to make detergent. One fine day, he got the formula right and it was it. In his early days, the powder was manufactured in his 10/10 foot factory at his home and sold door-to-door on his cycle. And he had to do this whenever he got time from his job.

Like all early-stage companies, people rejected his product because it was not well known. Up to 15-20 packets are sold per day. Little by little he implemented his new business ideas. For example, he started selling the powder at just 3 rupees per kg. It easily attracted people and his business started booming. By 1972, Patel's growing self-confidence and interest in his own business led him to quit his job. Then he gave more time and attention to his business. Several new employees were also hired. However, few customers failed to pay on time after taking debt. As such, they faced a capital shortage. And that's when the idea of television advertising came to him.

Nirupoma was actually the daughter of Karshan Patel who died in an accident. Karshan called her Nirma affectionately. This hit Karshan hard because he loved her daughter very much. In memory of her daughter, he painted her picture on the packet. The illustrations are by Bengali illustrator Dhirendranath Shur. This advertising bell quickly spread across India. It flew from mouth to mouth on every housewife. Demand for Nirma detergent surged at stores.

And this is how a father kept his daughter alive on the packet of this detergent. Karshan Patel now owns US$400 core, according to Forbes. So far, they have 6 factories in different regions of India with advanced technology. His low-price Nirma brand sparked a detergent war with bigger rivals such as Unilever and Procter & Gamble.

By 1999, Nirma was a major consumer brand, offering a range of detergents, soaps and personal care products. The group also set up a healthcare subsidiary called Nirlife to manufacture intravenous fluids.

In November 2007, Nirma purchased American raw materials company Searles Valley Minerals Inc., making it among the top seven soda ash manufacturers in the world.

Nirma Group started cement manufacturing in 2014 from a single plant in Nimbol. In 2016, Nirma acquired Lafarge India's cement assets for $1.4 billion. In February 2020, Nirma acquired Emami Cement for ₹5,500 crore (US$690 million)

“Washing powder Nirma….Washing powder Nirma!! Dudh si safedi Nirma se ayi. Sabki pachand Nirma...."