Leading Indian brands - 'local' Indian brands if you like - are making a bit of staving off the challenge from MNC's who, many felt at one time, would swamp them with their reach, money and 'Brand Recall'. That is perhaps why Ayurvedic Concept's , Amul, J.K.Helene Curtis, Haldiram and Biotique are known big names capable of taking all MNC's, even on their turf.

Consider the case of The Himalaya Drug Company. Till about three years back, it was selling only its medicinal range of products. Almost everyone you know would have heard of Liv.52. But Himalaya faced no major challenge at the time from MNC's. Then in 1999, it launched its Personal Care Range of products using the brand 'Ayurvedic Concepts'. "It was by all marketing all definitions, a definitive hit". Says Ravi Prasad, President & CEO of Himalaya Herbal HealthCare.

For Himalaya there was big competition this time around from Head & Shoulders, Pantene, Clearasil, Lakme, Nivea, Ponds and Garnier. According to Prasad, his products are now available in over 55 countries and International Market contributes between 20 per cent to 25 per cent to the company's turnover.

Top Indian brands are showing why they must get due recognition globally even if they do well within the country says Sujit Das Munshi, Executive Director and Vice President of A.C. Nielsen ORG-MARG. "In India, if a brand is successful in 25 states, it is like being successful in 25 countries because you have to meet the demands of people with their specific preferences, you cut across dialects, official languages, communities, religions, castes. To me it is like Europe put together".

An AC Nielsen survey of global mega brand franchises across 50 countries covering fast moving consumer packaged goods found Anchor, Ayurvedic Concepts', Biotique, Emami, Park Avenue, Ayur and Nirma among the top brands in the country. The survey also found that some top international names like Nivea were pushed to the background. The categories covered by the survey were Personal Care and cosmetics; foods, beverages and confectionary; homecare; petcare and healthcare.

Another Indian company doing well at home and abroad is Raymond. Says, Nabankur Gupta, Group President of Raymond: "In worsted fabrics, we are the largest in the country and have a 65 per cent share of the market. That is despite the entry of brands like Reid & Taylor. We are also among the three largest in the world in this category. Ours is a story of the success of an Indian multinational."

But if you think that Indians are pushing back the foreign hand only in the fast moving packaged consumer goods market, look around you. In virtually every field, they are making a mark. Take power generation. Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited has beaten back the foreign challenge effectively and even bagged lucrative contracts abroad. Coming with a similar performance is pharmaceutical giant Ranbaxy. In banking and insurance too, Indians are taking on the foreign challenge head on.

But local companies are not constrained to stick to global norms and core values pertaining to branding. This is especially true of food. "Nestle is a global brand and a food company. But if you are in food you need to make some compromises on certain core values (to cater to Indian tastes). Haldiram, though can do what it wants without comprising on its core value", says Das Mushi. Besides, Haldiram showed how being aggressive in the market place does no one any harm. It's position as the bhujia king is virtually unchallenged.

Indeed, Indian companies are doing well enough to go beyond the issue of 'Indianness'. Raymond's Gupta feels the concept of an Indian brand and an MNC brand is no longer valid in India. "There are only good brands or bad brands and sales and brand loyalty depend on the cumulative value of experiences."