Most Indians had one of the “Almirah”, which they formally call ‘Godrej’, and is actually a cupboard. Indian mothers count on these almirahs to lock up their jewellery, and the entire family gets ready in front of the only full-length mirror in the house fixed on the right door of the Almirah. Considered the safest place in Indian households, these almirahs are made by the Godrej Group, a 126 years old Indian company renowned for making the world’s first cruelty-free soap. 

It was 1897 when Ardeshir Godrej, with his sibling Pirojsha Burjorji Godrej, started Godrej since his career as a lawyer never took off. Earlier, in 1895, he started manufacturing surgical equipment, but his most significant client refused to accept the ‘Made in India’ branding on the tool. After two years, Godrej got its first taste of success when Ardeshir set up a lock-making factory. 

The World Got The First Vegetarian Soap 

At the beginning of the nineteenth century, Ardeshir got involved in the Indian freedom movement. At that time, bathing soaps were a relatively new invention and the first bath soap was invented in Europe in the early 19th century. Ardeshir observed that all soaps are made using animal fat, a substance deeply offended by the majority of the Indian population. The use of animal fat in British rifle cartridges triggered the Mutiny of 1857. 

Ardeshir broke the myth that start and tallow can not be substituted in soap-making. He identified the gap and seized the opportunity in 1919 by launching Chavi, the first-ever vegetarian soap in the world made using vegetable oil extract. 

Ardeshir Gideraj: A Marketing Genius 

Despite the innovation, Ardeshor worked around a remarkable marketing strategy. He tagged the first Chavi brand of soaps with “Godrej No. 2.”  It triggered the curiosity of people –  why not No.1? The idea behind this was that if people found No.2 so good, they would expect No.1 would be even better when it was introduced. After three years, Godrej launched No.1 and proved the idea right. 

Source – Old Bombay Photos 

Cruelty-Free Swadeshi Soap 

The time when Mahatma Gandhi led the Swadeshi Movement was at its peak, and Godrej was the top contributor to it. Several leaders assumed that Indians must replace British products with homegrown products, even if they were deficient; Godrej had his own perception that Indian manufacturers must raise their standards and deliver comparable quality to consumers. He came to blows with some of the leaders publicly. 

Gandhi deeply admired the contributions and support of Adershir during the struggle. That is why he refused a request to endorse the products of Godrej’s rival soapmaker; however, Gandhi didn’t use the soaps, at least in the second part of his life. Another national icon, India’s first Nobel Prize Winner and the man who gave the ‘Mahatma’ title to Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore, endorsed Godrej No.1. As per the ad, Tagore said, “I know of no foreign soaps better than Godrej’s, and I will make a point of using it”. 

Source – Godrej Archives 

Apart from Tagore, Dr Annie Besent and the political mentor of Mahatma Gandhi, C Rajagopalachari, were other national icons who endorsed Godrej No 1, the Swadeshi soap. 

 Source – Godrej Archives 

Godrej No. 1 is among India’s most popular and widely used soap brands, even more than a century after its launch. The company sold more than 380 million soap bars each year. Today, Godrej No. 1 is one of the longest-running Swadeshi brands, and all credit goes to the man who recognised and believed in the power of “Make in India”. 

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