New Delhi: Celebrity Chef Harpal Singh Sokhi has a complaint — there is no emoji for lassi, one of the most popular beverages in India, on WhatsApp. The chef known for his unique style of humour is quite serious about this and has started a signature petition, requesting Unicode to adopt a lassi emoji for the Meta-owned messaging platform.
In his petition titled ‘Assi Demand Lassi’, filed on Change.org, Sokhi says: “...lassi is one of the most popular beverages in India, along with tea and filter coffee. World Emoji Day is around the corner and I request Unicode to add a lassi emoji on WhatsApp for us.”
Arguing his case, the chef’s petition started earlier this month says lassi is famous not only in India but also abroad, and restaurants across the world make and serve the beverage to thousands of people every day.
“It is known to help digestion, improve bone health, boost the immune system and it is a good source of probiotics,” he says.
Appealing to people to sign his petition so lassi gets an emoji of its own, Sokhi says: “Be it sweltering heat or a fun outing with friends, a cold glass of lassi is often our choice of drink…Let us give this desi and tasty drink its due.”
Chef Harpal Singh Sokhi is a known face on television and YouTube as he hosts cookery shows, and is often referred to as the “Energy Chef of India”. He was also one of the participants in Jhalak Dhikla Jaa Season 9, a dance reality show on Colors TV.
Sokhi can always be seen dancing and singing on his shows, and saying his popular line “Namak Shamak Namak Shamak Dal Dete Hain”, loosely based on the hit Bunty Aur Babli film song “Dharak Dharak…”
How An Emoji Makes It To Unicode Library
In his petition, Chef Sokhi has requested Unicode to give lassi a place in its emoji library.
Unicode, or Unicode Standard, is the ‘world standard for text and emoji’. It has on its website described in detail how an emoji is selected.
It says the Unicode Consortium regularly solicits proposals from the public asking which new emoji should be considered for inclusion in the standard.
The Unicode Emoji Subcommittee then reviews the proposals for new emojis. The selection criteria broadly looks into four factors — compatibility, usage level, distinctiveness, and completeness — before adding an emoji to the standard, according to the website.