U.S., Israeli brands face boycott over Gaza

OMAR RASHID

Many Mumbai shops say ‘no’ to them over killings

Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s Swadeshi movement, a Dawoodi Bohra Muslim bottler, Mohsin Hajoori, gave up bottling for the British. With his defiance, India got its first Swadeshi drink, Sosyo, whose foundation was laid in Surat in 1923 by Hajoori’s brother Abbas.

An item of protest then, the dark beverage, which is today marketed as “Apna desh, apna drink”, has a new-found visibility in the refrigerator of Ismael Usman, a restaurant owner in South Mumbai’s bustling Bhendi Bazaar. Glued just above the cash-counter in Usman’s joint is a small paper-bill urging customers to boycott Israeli and U.S. products, including beverages Coca-Cola and Pepsi.

“We do not want to strengthen the hands of the killers of humanity,” reads the bill that also lists Nestle and Nescafe.

Over the past week, bottles of Sosyo, and other regionally marketed beverages such as the MASST range of Indore-based UNO Foods and Big Cola marketed by Peruvian company AJE, have replaced Coca-Cola and Pepsi in many restaurants across Mumbai. The boycott of products is part of the protest led by shops and hotels in Mumbai against the Israeli offensive against Palestine in Gaza.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/us-israeli-brands-face-boycott-over-gaza/article6258866.ece?homepage=true