It must be a strange feint of irony that one of the most notorious poachers of south India is now the poster boy for an international cosmetics company. Veerappan, smuggler and poacher, brigand who has felled elephants and sandalwood trees alike, over 10 years after he died, sits in all his hirsute glory on the lid of the company Lush Cosmetic’s round jar of Moustache Wax. At least that is predictable.
“Add a daring and debonair twist to your facial hair with our vegan moustache wax,” the company’s US website says. Selling Veerappan Moustache Wax for a princely sum of $15.95 for what seems a mere dollop (0.3 oz or just over 8 gms), the company assures you that “Veerappan works wonders to soften split ends too.” And as advertising is prone to hyperbole, “Veerappan’s mild woody aroma will keep your head clear and focussed.”
Stretching a point, perhaps it is Veerappan’s way of making amends after a lifetime of being the cause of much hair splitting between at least two States on who should take him down, or indeed, how they should take him down.
And it is not just wax for moustache, Veerappan also features as Smuggler’s Soul, one of the “company’s new Gorilla perfumes.” Lush prides itself on “fighting animal testing,’ being ‘100 per cent vegetarian’ and ‘ethical buying’ and it is strange they zeroed in on the strangest of ambassadors, a man who lived in the polar opposite of the company’s avowed policy. It is estimated that Veerappan might have killed at least 200 elephants and smuggled several millions of dollars worth ivory and sandal wood, killing people who stood in his way, before he was shot in 2004.
But it is not as if Lush’s dalliances with the long-gone poacher have gone unnoticed. In fact, an online petition has been started on thepetitionsite.com calling the smuggler, well, a smuggler: “Tell LUSH Cosmetics: Don't Glorify Elephant Poaching!’’ Started by Chris Wolverton, the petition has 68,513 signatures so far, just short of its target of 69,000.
Wolverton clarifies first that Veerappan is a bandit and smuggler who killed elephants for their tusks, and goes on to ask Lush to drop using him as a brand name. The petition says, “Now, LUSH Cosmetics is glorifying the figure, describing him as romantic, soulful and intoxicating. Given their vocal stance against animal testing, it seems hypocritical to use a notorious poacher's likeness to sell their products. Please sign the petition to urge LUSH Cosmetics to drop all references to Veerappan in their line of products!” Efforts to reach Lush through their online site did not yield results.
Will Veerappan, who clearly was chosen on the strength of his facial hair alone, be dropped when it becomes clear that he stood for all that the company opposes.
All we have to do is look at his track record, and beyond his monster moustache.
