Nowadays, several foreign companies around the world have been aggressively promoting the concept of "Activated Charcoal" as a revolutionary natural cleansing agent for teeth & gums. But there was a time when more 90% of the population in India was actually using activated charcoal on a regular basis, thanks to a certain Ayurvedic brand which had started producing it more than a century ago and was available at most stores across the subcontinent. It's the legendary "Monkey Brand Black Toothpowder".
The Monkey brand toothpowder has very interesting origins, as it dates back to the early 20th century when Indians were slowly waking up to the the swadeshi revolution & independence movement. It was during that phase, when Ganesh Balkrishna Vader, a young nationalist, approached a Saint (who became his spiritual master) and sought his advice on contributing to the society & participating in the national movement.
The Sadhu laughed at him and said that if one is genuinely interested in serving the nation, he need not search or wait for opportunities, as there can always be opportunities and resources right in front of us. He went on to provide an example by picking up a charcoal lying next to him, and asked Ganesh if he can think of using something as simple as that charcoal to reduce India's dependency on foreign imports, and at the same time, help people enhance their health.
That simple advice struck his mind as a thunderbolt, and it inspired him to study Ayurvedic texts to understand the importance of charcoal, and even went on to unearth several ancient texts which described the formulation of a powder using charcoal & various herbs, for the purpose of dental health. That's how in thr year 1911 he started producing "Monkey Brand Black Toothpowder", which was also popularly called "Bandar Chaap Kaala Dantmanjan".
Gradually, Monkey brand gained popularity across India due to its effectiveness with immense health benefits, and had already become a household name by the 1930s. Over the decades, thanks to the large Indian diaspora who were loyal to the Monkey brand, it managed to build a strong foundation in several parts of the world. In fact, it was so popular worldwide that it got featured in several international publications, including the New York Times!
Today, Monkey brand is one of the very few veteran Ayurvedic brands (with century old legacy) which is still going strong, but is surprisingly more popular abroad than in India. However, thanks to rising awareness among young Indians about the benefits of activated charcoal & Ayurveda, demand for Monkey brand is on a rise in India as well nowadays, and is available for purchase through their official website, and also at top e-commerce sites.
Guruprasad (or “GP” in short) is a Chief Engineer & Technology Mentor by profession and spends a...
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