Advertising in India dates back to the relics from the Harappa and Mohenjo Daro which indicate names engraved on delicate earthen, stone or metal works, comparable to present day trade mark.

   For spreading the teachings of Buddha, the emperor Ashoka after the Kalinga war set up rock and pillar edicts all over the Indian Territory between 563 and 232 B.C. These pillars are sort of present day poster advertising. The wall painting in the cave temples of Ajanta, Sanchi and Amraoti are akin to today’s indoor visual communication.

   It was ‘Bengal Gazette’ or ‘Calcutta General Advertiser’ the first Indian newspaper started by James Augustus Hicky on January 29, 1780, the newspaper which carried classified advertising – simple messages typeset by the newspaper and ‘classified into different categories for reader’s’ ease of reference and usually printed across the full front page.....