Individually Poor, Collectively Rich (Wk #03)

@ReelNReal

The book "We are like that only" was quite an exciting read. It gave some simple but unconventional & wow insights about Consumer India. The author Mrs. Rama Bijapurkar, gives two compelling take-aways

1. Develop 'Made for India' strategy. Dont try to replicate your global strategy here. Reasons being (a) India is a bundle of contradictions - Any truism about India is negated by another, (b) Schizophrenic India: The pattern of many Indias becoming many more Indias will continue, (c) DNA of Indian society is "This as well as that"
2. Dont ignore Consumer India just because it's complex to understand and difficult to execute in. She is affirmative that Consumption in India is certain, even if people are abysmally poor. She calls it "The Great Indian Number Trick" - i.e. Individually poor, but collectively rich. Couple of humorous quotes, "Consumption is like maternity, a certainity. Income is like paternity, merely a matter of inference."; "Consumer India is like a drunken man - 2 steps forward, 1 step sideways, 1 backwards. But eventually, he will be back home"

This blog is not just to give you the summary of the book. Nor is to recommend you to read the book [Though given a chance, I would do so ;)] - The catchy phrases "Individually poor, collectively rich" & "This as well as that" just stuck me. I tried to recollect any personal experiences. Here it goes:

• Share Auto* - People wanted the convenience of getting dropped near their home and probably the convenience of sitting while traveling. Public transport is less frequent and have limited stops, but private auto-rickshaws are way too expensive. Came the Share Auto Service! Frequent. Convenient. Affordable.
• Self Help Groups - The successful emergence of women SHGs and Micro-finance is a clear case in point. Banks and organizations which once ignored them have started taking notice. Yes, not as strong as a lion, but garner strength through the group of cattle
  
• Amman Pongal - This is prominent in Tamil Nadu, if not everywhere, definitely in villages and semi-urban areas. For the less-informed, it's a yearly celebration for the small Goddess idol kept in every street - residents pool in money (as small as 10 or 20 rupees) for the festival and get a sense of it being THEIR function. One can't imagine such a fanfare from that kind of population. True indeed, collective richness!
• Surf + Wheel - I remember when I was a kid, the product Surf Excel was considered very expensive but works well with washing machines. My parents used to use 1 spoon of Surf Excel and another spoon Wheel in the washing machine. Yes, innovations started happening in Indian households before the R&D labs of Unilever.
• Chota pack - The miniature version of everything! From shampoo to coke to vodfone. The packaging innovation helped mineral water, which was considered only to be served for the rich, reached poor through 'Water packet'. Indian housewives buy vegetables on a daily basis. Everything is cut, sliced and made affordable. An interesting piece here is the triangular coconut slice (It's a different story that its size get reduced when the moms send their sons to the shop ;))
• Organized Retail - Who said organized retail is untested, unworkable with Indian poor. The famous Saravana Stores in T.Nagar, Chennai is on par and at times ahead of Wal-marts of the world when it comes to operational efficiency. Quite true that Kishore Biyani himself acknowledges it for being inspiration to Big Bazar.

Yes, Indian mass wants choice, quality at affordable prices! Perplexed at how everything is possible? Yes, possible - Where there is Will, Skill and Brill! And if Rama and CKP are to be believed, the Thrill is guaranteed!

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*Share Auto - Bigger size autos used in cities like Chennai - it allows people to board or alight at their desired location. Fares are marginally higher than public transport.

@Regular

I thanked the Almighty for being 30 mins late to the movie Chandni Chowk to China! Expected it to be a laughter-coaster, rather it was a crying-coaster - The poor Sidhu of the movie gets sentimental with every damn thing - from potatos to his step-father to his girlfriend to her dad to Liu Cheng (if you are curious to know who this is, watch the movie!). I am sure the Cricket Siddhu would have made us laugh a lot better than CC2C's!

The Ferry ride @ the Gateway of India, the reopened Taj Palace & Towers and the bustling streets of Colaba, InOrbit mall - Yes, finally.. I have spent time in these much-talked about places after being in Mumbai for 6 months. The queues and the crowd really made me think are we really in a slowdown.

I think the thread and the theme continues - another book on India. 'The Great Indian Novel' by Shashi Tharoor is next on cards!