By IANS
Kathmandu : A retired Indian Army soldier in Nepal has launched a different kind of war – on Coke, Pepsi and other soft drinks produced by multinationals – and is concocting local brews that he says will help keep Nepalis' money in Nepal.
Hum Bahadur Gurung, a retired Gorkha soldier who served with the Indian Army, is selling his home-made 'Dosti Cola', that resembles Coke and Pepsi, in his home district Syangja in western Nepal to take the fizz out of the multinationals' markets.
Gurung received training in manufacturing soft drinks while serving with the Indian Army and his concoctions were served in Indian Army camps, Nepal's state media said.
After retiring from the army, he returned to his village, Kokhe, where, with the help of two machines and inventiveness, he is churning out four kinds of soft drinks and marketing them in the neighbourhood.
Gurung's brews are said to taste like Pepsi, Coke, Fanta and Mirinda. He has been adding the juice of local flowers to enhance the taste, the Rising Nepal daily said.
The prices are cheaper too, with the retail price less by Nepali Rs.1 and the wholesale price less by almost Rs.5, compared to MNC prices.
"Almost 75 percent of the income generated by Coke and Pepsi in Nepal goes out of the country," the former soldier told the state media.
"If people start drinking my soft drinks, it would save a huge amount of money from going out of the country."