John Lemon: Came to Rishikesh, Had Some Paan, Started a Band

Design Stories — Nº 42 · 3 min read

History says the Beatles came to Rishikesh and found enlightenment. Our version found paan. Meet John Lemon — the citrus rockstar who came to India, chewed some betel, and named his band The Betels.

The joke, decoded

John Lennon becomes John Lemon, the Beatles become The Betels, and a legendary spiritual pilgrimage becomes a beautifully desi detour. It is music history, remixed with paan-stained joy.

All you need is paan.

It is the perfect collision of global icon and local flavour — Western legend, thoroughly desi punchline. A layered pun that rewards anyone who knows both their classic rock and their nearest paan shop.

Your kind of legend?

Classic rock 🎸Full desi 🪘Paan first, music later 🌿

A person of taste. John Lemon nods respectfully.

The soul of the joke. The Betels welcome you.

Priorities in perfect order. Enlightenment can wait.

Why desi-fied icons hit different

Taking a global legend and dropping it into an unmistakably Indian setting is comedy gold — familiar and local at once. Desi parody works because it is affectionate: it does not mock the icon, it invites it home for chai and paan.

The design philosophy

Two puns for the price of one, layered with cultural wink. Brainsick loves a joke that rewards you twice — once for the rock reference, once for the very desi twist.

Who it is for

Music nerds, pun lovers, and the proudly desi. Anyone who can name a Beatles album and their favourite paan in the same sentence. Wear it to stand out and make heads turn.

How to wear it

Expressive and easy. Oversized over jeans is effortless-cool; three colourways for the discerning fan. Heavyweight cotton that plays every gig from tapri to concert.

Okay, but is it a good t-shirt?

A funny tee that dies in three washes is just sad laundry. So John Lemon is built on the same base as everything we make: 240 GSM super-combed cotton, heavyweight and oversized so it drapes instead of clinging, with a crack-resistant print that outlives the joke. The full breakdown: what 240 GSM actually means.