Brand ambassadors

A few hours later, when I had almost forgotten the episode, I had a chance encounter with a businessman from Lahore. He told me that a lot of shops in Lahore like keeping Sikh salesmen because, when they see a Sikh salesman, locals assume that the products being sold are from India. In other words, for Pakistanis, Sikhs and India are almost synonymous 8212; even though Pakistan has a Sikh population.

Some thoughts came to my mind; the most important was one that we have always known, but was reconfirmed for me: that our goods are in demand across the border and unlike earlier, when Indian goods were hypocritically not appreciated openly, things have changed.

More importantly, despite the tumultuous period in the 8217;808217;s and 8217;908217;s that saw unrest in Punjab, misguided elements in the Sikh community and their counterparts in the Indian administration failed in all their nefarious designs. The time when Sikhs had to hide their religious identity may be past us. More than a decade later, Sikhs seem to be permanent brand ambassadors for India, while Monty Panesar has a time-bound contract with both Adidas and Walkers Crisps!