Skip to main content

Which day of the week is more pious?

Over a great looking meal on the table, discussion roamed around the good food that all love. The occassion was to drown ones sorrows after a beating from the boss. Spirits had to be lifted up. Choice was to sit in the room and sulk or better go for a good meal. Decision - unanimous - f#*$ it - lets have good drink and food.

Life has its own tales. Especially when you have a group of 15 gathered from various parts of country - chants like "Ekach Lakshya", "Surya Ast - x state mast". Some of them still sulked that they can't enjoy the party as it is a tuesday. One did not drink, a few others did not eat non veg and one claimed to be on a fruit diet.

Then the penny dropped. Indians in different parts treat different days differently. In some cases, it is tuesdays (popular in North and East), in some it is thursdays (West) or fridays (South).

Consumers have their own reasons to have their behaviors and that effects the markets significantly.

Over the pegs of Captain Morgan, Bacardi, RC et al, discussion went to explore these "idiosyncracies" of consumption patterns

- do not buy vehicles/iron/steel goods on saturdays
- no shaving/cutting hair on tuesdays
- no alchohol on tuesdays or thursdays or fridays
- no meat on similar days
- no washing hair on saturdays or thursdays
- yellow clothes on a thursdays


It would be nice to see a dossier that collates all such behaviours. All of us are aware of such things. Do we incorporate this in our phasings of annual plans.

I remember that during a particular lunar month, matrimonial advertising business collapses. A newcomer will be clueless. Shravan, Paush etc are not good months for some activities.

So is Monday more pious than friday or someday else?

Cheers for all days

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Are you ready?

Scaling up? How about doing it in a short time? How about when demand is much beyond your plans? How much is much? Let us look at how such enormous challenges have been met in a matter of a few weeks. India was found awefully incpacitated to meet the demand of masks, PPEs and sanitizers. Demand soared by 1000X (and perhaps even more). In a matter of under 8 weeks, we started manufacturing all three in reasonably required quantities. Adjacent skills were deployed. Licences granted at lightening speed. And by 12th week, we had more than enough capacity and stocks. So much that we are exporting all of the requirements to the needy across the world. And costs and prices have gone down by 3X if not more. Can you do a simulation of your business for such a scenario? How quickly can you pivot? It's an amazing case study of entire industry standing up to the challenge. #covidopportunities   #businessexpansion   #pivoting   #businessmaze

Niche opportunities in India

Niches are often overlooked as business opportunities. One such business that is well over 1000 cr but has only one large organised player with a market share south of even 5% in India. It's henna (or mehandi). Extensively used, largely by women, for skin and hair colouring, naturally and safely. Been in use for centuries in Indian Sub Continent, Middle East and North Africa. Finds a reference in ancient scriptures and Bible. A highly fragmented market with largest part being unorganised. A huge value addition comes from 'designers' applying the same on hands and feet. It has a huge cultural (many say religious as well) impact so much so that a marriage ritual has become a stand alone function called 'mehandi'. The colour comes from the leaves, younger the leaf, richer the colour. And Rajasthan, especially the districts of Jodhpur and Pali make up for almost two thirds of India's production. Hub of activity is in Sojat in district Pali. It's a small tree wi...

The Golden Quadrilateral and more roads

Over the last couple of weeks I had a chance to travel by road in five north Indian states. What a pleasure? The road network is becoming really fantastic. I started on National Highway 8 and then on to NH 1, 21, 22, 70,72 and 88 apart from many state highways. It is not the roads only that impressed me but also the new flourishing enterprises it has generated alongwith is the key to the trip. Many a voillages and towns that were cut off from nearby larger places are now well connected. Movement of people and goods is leading to a greater economic involvement and is helping in the inclusive growth mantra. I was also witness to an amazing incident - towns of Rahon and Samrala are barely tens of kilometers apart but could take upto 5 hours by road a few years ago and now less than half an hour. I could see a stretch limousine (a genuine one and on top of it a Lexus) in a small village wedding in the prosperous "Doaba" region of Punjab. On being generously invited (despite being...