Coke was forced to leave India in the year 1977 by George Fernandes .
Pepsi
was active in India in 1950 s but left India voluntarily it seems
around 1962 . It returned in 1980 s , initially , as Lehar Pepsi .
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Around
1970 , if I remember correctly , Coke bottle cost around 25 paise . In
those days Coke in India was available only in glass bottles (
returnable ) and had 200 ml ( present glass bottles have 250 ml ) of the
soft drink .
These
Cokes had more gas than compared with their current avtaars and there
was a tingling sensation of CO 2 gas in the drinkers' nostrils.
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In
1970 s ,Coke's companion soft drink Fanta introduced , in India
,another flavour - grape . But this flavour was rejected by fans of
Fanta who continued to go in for its orange flavour
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Fellow
Nabhaite ( alumnus of Punjab Public School , Nabha) and fellow
Stephanian ( R/o Allnutt South ) Rajiv Bakshi went on to head Pepsi
India .
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Previous
Indian bottlers of Coca Cola, owners of Pure Drinks Ltd with their
Registered office at Patiala ( a Sikh family headed by S Charanjit Singh
) were close to our College . I remember , in 1975 , a truck full of
Coke was gifted to the College and there was a total , as they used to
say the " Gaddar " while distributing these to students at Andrew's
Court . After they lost their Coca Cola franchise Singhs introduced
Campa Cola etc and set up a grand five star hotel , La Meridien .
opposite Chelmsford Club , Raisina Marg . New Delhi
These
chaotic scenes at Andrew's Court left our Principal fuming . He later
called for , in the Assembly Hall , a more orderly behaviour in future .
He said he had to cut a sorry figure before Mr. BM Bhatia , Principal,
Hindu College , who had keenly watched the goings on from his side and
being suitably astounded , asked Mr. Rajpal what the ruckus was all
about .
