2017 was a year particularly messy for self-styled 'Godmen' and Babajis who have come under scanner for various misdemeanors.
Social media has ripped these Babajis apart with some hilarious to serious comments, even making the image of a Babaji in India rather funny and 'memelicious', so to speak. In such a scenario, since November, another Babaji has surfaced on the internet and over the past two months, he has enjoyed a steady increase in popularity due to his rather hipster appeal. Meet Lucky Baba.
While most such Babajis try to hold up the bastion of righteousness and spirituality, Lucky Baba has pretty much broken all stereotypes. Right from the word go, he looks fishy, more like a hippie you'd find in Kasaul than a Sadhu you'd find in Varanasi. He claims to be the King of Luck and has been trying to convince people that life is all about luck and belief in ethereal symbols rather than persistent hard work or skills.
Some people are rather amused by Lucky Baba while others are pretty disappointed with him. The internet seems to be divided in opinion with some calling it a mockery of traditionalism and some calling it a rather funny take on the situation today.
Lucky Baba is actually a construct for the promotions of India Online Poker Championship, or IOPC 2018, presented by The Spartan Poker. IOPC being India's biggest online tournament series is all set to begin on January 12th, 2018 till January 21st, 2018. This edition will see The Spartan Poker doling out over Rs. 6+ Crores in pay-outs.
Lucky Baba has been created for the #BabajiRaiseTheBar campaign by The Spartan Poker and Mastermind Branding and Advertising LLP to present the nuance of poker in India in a rather funny way.
Amin Rozani, Co-founder and MD of The Spartan Poker remarks, "The #BabajiRaiseTheBar campaign is about disrupting the imagery of Poker most Indians hold true, and present them with the truth - that Poker is a game of skills and strategy by making the whole communication quite unlikely of any Poker company in the market. It fits right in with our previous successful marketing campaigns in recent times, where we have only promoted Poker as a skill-enhancing sport. "
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The #BabajiRaiseTheBar Campaign is also garnering massive engagement and traction on the social media pages of India Poker Championship which is promoting the event.
At a time, when India is brewing with news about Fake Babajis and self-styled Godmen, who have millions of followers, who believe that these fake Babajis are the answer to every problem in life, presenting the Babaji as the representative of the Indian belief in Luck and Superstition. This campaign aims to gradually present Babaji as Luck personified, and break the myth by promoting skills and strategy over Luck, i.e. Babaji in this case. It's a bold move and the internet audience is already starting to pick sides. Which side are you on?
Follow the India Poker Championship on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to get a glimpse of Babaji being challenged by Skills and let your opinions flow in the comments.
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