Colgate in 2015 advertises about salt and charcoal in tooth pest and also launched herbal products like Colgate Salt and Colgate need. The history of the arrival of Colgate in India dates back to 1917.. With the arrival of Colgate, India has seen a new beginning in the use of tools in cleaning teeth which replaced the age old tradition of cleaning teeth. Eventually toothpaste and toothbrush replaced herb twigs, salt and charcoal. When they arrived in India, they got astonished seeing Indians using charcoal and salt instead of toothbrush. What they did not know that India has been following the tradition of cleaning teeth since time immemorial, long before the birth of Lord Christ. As the adage goes, Old has always been Gold, the age old tradition of India cannot be rejected given the fact that India is now living in the age of advanced technology. We may be far better technological player and country with modern approach, but we should not forget our ancestors and traditions.
Now the question did not we use to brush our teeth before the arrival of Colgate in India? Didnโt they brush their teeth? Of course, they do. They used to use teeth cleaning wig which helps to prevent tooth decay and gum disease. You have heard of Miswak I guess which is also known as Salvadora Persica. Apart from that, we used to clean our teeth with salt and charcoal. Salt prevents gum bleeding. Thought it was age old tradition, but it was useful tool in keeping our teeth white. In the ancient India starting from the Rig Vedic age, people used to use herb twigs in cleaning teeth. In the year, 1917, when Colgate officials came to India, they found it surprising that we Indians, used charcoal and salt instead of toothpastes. According to a survey conducted in the 2012, it was revealed that only 51% of Indian use toothbrush.
Despite having a good amount of natural resources, we Indians, still look forward to using Western products like Colgate. Whereas Colgate, has hired the idea of making indigenous process of making a product. There were a time, when Colgate officials used to mock Indiaโs culture of using twig and charcoal instead of toothpaste. But now they are launching products like Colgate Salt, Colgate Neem etc. So, now they are following Indian method realizing its usefulness in cleaning teeth. On the other hand, we Indians are pathetically ignoring the usefulness of this natural resources and unable to understand its value. Often we see our granddaddies and grandmothers using twigs in cleaning teeth, but instead of praising, we mock this and often they are seen as the alien stuffs as if they have come from other world that use twigs instead of toothpastes and toothbrush. It is not we who are to blame; itโs our scarcity of knowledge of the resourceful potential of our country.
So, itโs high time for Indian government encourage re-using the twigs instead of toothbrush, salt and charcoal instead of toothpaste. It is the one step ahead in keeping our old age tradition alive. We may be living in the world of advance technology and with the advancement of technology; our lifestyle has been changed in a great extent. But we should not forget our old practices and before doing so, we should keep our eyes around us and see that the old practices, which we are about to almost forget and are ignoring as a part of our boastful attitude towards these age old practices, the rest of the world is following and using these practices in the context of modern business scenario. Government should launch a program encouraging the innovating thought among the youngsters.