By MADHU AGRAWAL
Amitabh Bachchan once disclosed at Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmadabad about his not advertising for cola-drinks after a school-student at Jaipur drew his attention about harmful ingredients in cola-drinks. Even cola-companies voluntarily stopped selling cola-drinks in schools worldwide in view of increasing obesity in school-going children. Indian government should not only ban advertisements but even sale of cola drinks in the country. Earlier also, soft-drink manufacturers were asked to remove an oil from their products which was found to be harmful for health. It is noteworthy that cola-drinks are prohibited even in Parliamentary canteens.
It is time that Union government, Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) and soft-drink manufacturers should revive drinks like old and famous rose-flavoured ones, which can not only replace cola-drinks in India but even dominate global-market by breaking monopoly of harmful cola-drinks in tune with ambitious -Make in India- concept of Prime Minister. It will rather earn foreign-revenue for the country rather than Indian money being drained out to multinational cola-manufacturers. It may be recalled that almost half-century back, a famous rose-drink manufactured by a famous private confectionary company registered at Gwalior was a popular drink for persons of all ages.