Catchy slogans catch your eye

High Spirit

The ramifications of the IPL matches are being felt off the ground as well. Loads of young people have come up with interesting innovations in terms of merchandising. The frenzy is just not complete without tees in all shapes and sizes with catchy slogans on it, caps that double up as crowns and so on. And all these are made by ordinary people themselves, who have one thing in common, their love for the game.

The City’s young have always known to experiment, explore and do something different. There are among the people those who have pooled in money and bought stuff. While RCB does sell its own merchandise, one got to see exciting innovations such as turbans, paper crowns, Kingfisher bottles that double up as whistles and colourful sandals. Most people made sure they came dressed in RCB tee shirts or if they didn’t have one wore something in red. While most people got parts of their faces painted some others got their whole face painted in the colour of the team they supported.

There were kids wearing tiny red horns… all supporters of RCB. The fans proclaim the merchandise provides them the much needed visibility and adds to their energy.

Sonamdeep Kaur, an employee with Repucom International says she made sure she bought a horn before she went for the matches. “My friends and I hope to pick up RCB tees before we go for the next match. It’s exciting to go dressed in red, it boosts our spirit,” says Sonamdeep.

Ankur Dubey, an engineering student at Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Technology says he and his friends will be spending nothing less than Rs 5,000 only on merchandise. “We will carry posters, get our faces painted and of course wear the sweatshirts that we have ordered to be made for us. All this will add to the excitement,” says Ankur.

Shashidhar Patil, an employee with Tatatele Services says apart from making posters with encouraging wordings on them, he and his friends will get tee shirts and caps exclusively made for the matches, “It increases visibility and deepens our involvement in the matches,” he reasons.

Vivek George, an entrepreneur who designs tee shirts hasn’t had a moment’s rest after the IPL began. He has been getting orders in bulk from the corporates and the student community, “For RCB tees it’s plain red with the logo on it and for Kolkata Knight Riders it’s the Knight’s helmet printed in the front of the shirt with KRR printed on the sides,” says Vivek. His tees are priced anywhere between Rs 100 and 200 and the sweatshirts cost Rs 350.