Art inspires life or life inspires art - The Ashwin Uber 25 Rs for 3 Kilometres Ad

The argument goes on and on, but the cause–effect relationship is not clearly known. In my view, the knife cuts both ways — that is, both are true.

Take, for example, movies and advertisements. Many argue that movies inspire people to act in a particular way, and many times movie makers have claimed that it is the incidents that happen in real life that give them inspiration.

 A case in point is Hyderabad, the capital of the Telangana state. It is a Thums Up guzzler. There is a predominant leadership for the brand that is unmatched anywhere else in India. Why? There is a popular belief that after partaking an oily, mutton- or chicken-filled biryani, a Thums Up will magically wash away the ill effects of oil intake and aid in digestion. Is this true? Doctors disagree and say that a cold drink after a biryani harms more than it does any good.

But the belief is steadfast — and the Coca-Cola Company does not mind it one bit. Hence, it was not a surprise that Coca-Cola did an advertising campaign where Shah Rukh Khan very proudly says: “Miyaan, biryani ke Baad soft drink Nahi… Toofani (Thums Up) Peete hain.” Meaning, after a biryani, one does not drink a soft drink he has a Toofani (Thums Up).

Similarly, I have always wondered about the concept of using one’s own bike or car in a country where ride-hailing apps are a dime a dozen, the rates are competitive, and they arrive in a jiffy. I have been a big fan of public transport and ride-hailing apps, and in fact, I call myself an MMTS (Multi-Modal Transport System) guy.

I find metro train travelling very convenient, and not having a personal vehicle forces me to walk and keeps me healthy. I have been using ride-hailing apps and find that most of them are convenient, reasonably priced, and can be used whenever we want. Unlike owning a car, they are not a dead investment when they are not being used.

Yes, human beings are status conscious. I am not very bothered about what others think of me. In a way, it is: “I live my life as I like it.” That is why the Uber ad featuring Ashwin and Dhoni (or is it a Dhoni look-alike?) resonated with me.

The ad features a suave  and obviously a well-educated South Indian  Ravichandran Ashwin, who is on an Uber motorcycle, asking a Dhoni look-alike who is admiring his new bike:

“What is the cost of this motorcycle?” A taken-aback Dhoni look-alike answers: ₹25 lakhs. Ashwin, with a smug expression, responds: “These Haya Vayas are all a waste. Why don’t you use Uber Bike? It is only ₹25 for 3 kilometres.”

I did some quick math. Should one buy a superbike/car or use ride hailing apps. 

Uber Bike vs Owning a Superbike / Car (Suzuki Hayabusa)

Background: Ramesh, a professional working in an Indian metro city, travels daily 40 kilometres for work and errands. He is considering whether to continue using Uber Bike or fulfil his aspiration of buying a Suzuki Hayabusa on EMI. The decision is analysed purely from a cost perspective.

Option A: Uber Bike Usage 

Daily cost                                            : Rs 400 (at Rs 10/km)
Working days per month                     : 25
Months per year                                  : 12

Monthly cost                                       : Rs 400 × 25 = Rs 10,000
Annual cost                                         : Rs10,000 × 12 = Rs 1,20,000

Total annual Uber Bike expense         : Rs1,20,000

Option B: Owning a Suzuki Hayabusa/car

On-road price                                    : Rs 20,00,000

Down payment                                    : Rs 2,00,000
Loan amount                                       : Rs 18,00,000
Loan tenure                                         : 5 years
Interest rate                                         : ~8.5%

Monthly EMI                                      : approx. Rs 39,000
Annual EMI cost                                 : Rs 4,68,000

Running Costs

Petrol price                                          : Rs 110 per litre
Mileage                                               : 25 km/litre
Annual usage                                      : 5,000 km

Fuel cost per km                                 : Rs 4.40
Annual fuel cost                                  : Rs 22,000 

Maintenance & Ownership Costs

Insurance                                             : Rs 25,000
Servicing & maintenance                    : Rs 20,000
Tyres & wear                                      :  Rs15,000
Miscellaneous                                      : Rs 10,000

Total maintenance cost                       : Rs 70,000

Total Annual Cost – Hayabusa

EMI                                                     : Rs 4,68,000
Fuel                                                     : Rs 22,000
Maintenance                                        : Rs 70,000

Total annual cost                                 : Rs5,60,000

If one adds a driver for a car @ Rs 25,000 per month, that adds another Rs 3,00,000 per year.

Comparison Summary

Uber Bike annual cost                                     : Rs 1,20,000
Hayabusa / Car annual cost (with driver)       : Rs 8,60,000

Difference                                                       : Rs 7,40,000 per year

Mind-boggling, isn’t it? One can save roughly Rs 7.5 lakh per year, and this amount can be invested  maybe in mutual funds, gold, or even real estate. It can be used as a down payment to buy a flat.

Even from a plain savings point of view, Rs 7,50,000 per year would amount to ₹75,00,000 in ten years — an amount with which one can decently purchase a flat in Hyderabad.

Learning Business Strategy from the Streets: A Real-World Lesson in Pricing

Relearning in life comes from practical observation and learning. Take the case in point: Chinese food, which is tremendously popular in Hyderabad. In our colony, a single plate of Veg Manchuria costs around Rs 60–70 at roadside shacks, and even in small roadside restaurants it costs around  Rs 80–100. Along with a normal roti or rumali roti, a plate should be Rs 150 - 180, and it will go up to  Rs 200 with mineral water and tax.

No surprise that most eaters throng roadside shacks and not the restaurants. To learn how business is run, one needs to go to the KPHB shops near the KPHB metro station in Hyderabad. This area is a popular hangout for students, employees, and has heavy footfall.

Here, the prices are jaw-dropping. A single plate of Manchuria is sold at  Rs 30 and a double at  Rs 40. Manchuria with rumali roti is sold at  Rs 50. Chicken Manchuria with rumali roti is  priced Rs 80 and at the same place another stall sells it at  Rs 74! Chicken Manchuria is either  Rs 60 or  Rs 55. Chicken Pakodi is Rs 45 only.

This is penetration pricing at its best, high volumes, low margins, but they earn decent income per day. And all the joints are side by side, yet they remain amicable. I don’t find anyone fighting with anyone else. They all seem to have loyal customers who come for the taste not necessarily for the slightly lower cost that the next shack is offering. 

Keywords: Chinese food Hyderabad, street food pricing strategy, penetration pricing example, Hyderabad food business, roadside food stalls Hyderabad, real business lessons, pricing psychology Indian market, Manchuria price Hyderabad, KPHB food street, entrepreneurship lessons India, marketing strategy real life examples, consumer behaviour food industry, high volume low margin model, street MBA, learning business from street vendors, small business success strategies India, competitive pricing case study

From MRP to reality: How a Firecracker package could have sparked a lesson in Observation centric learning.

In the modern world, we are quick to “Google it” or, more recently, “Ask ChatGPT.” But real learning doesn’t always happen on screens. It happens when we observe, question, and experience the world around us.

I was reminded of this while conducting a session on Pricing. We were discussing how the Maximum Retail Price (MRP) system in India has, frankly, become a bit of a joke. Anything and everything is negotiable. The MRP, instead of standing for “Maximum Retail Price,” often feels like “Maximum Recorded Price”—something printed just for formality.

I gave my students an example that always puzzled me: firecrackers. Every Diwali, I noticed that the prices printed on cracker packets are outrageously high—no one actually pays those rates. I remarked in class how MRP laws are blatantly flouted and suggested that if anyone could bring a cracker package to the next session, we could have a live discussion.

As expected, most ignored the suggestion (after all, Diwali was over). But knowing Indians, I joked that some would have saved a few crackers—for post-Diwali celebrations or maybe for India’s next cricket victory!

One girl tried but couldn’t get the details. Still, I appreciated her effort at least she tried. Then, fate intervened. Yesterday, during Kartik Pournami, I heard loud cracker sounds near my home. Curious, I went downstairs and found kids from the next house bursting crackers. To their surprise, I asked if I could have the empty packages.

And there it was—proof of what I’d been saying. The total printed MRPs on just three of the firecrackers were as high as ₹3,400! Of course, no one actually pays that much. But that’s not the point.

The point is this: I confirmed something that AI couldn’t. When I asked ChatGPT earlier for pictures of firecracker packets showing MRP, it couldn’t provide even one real image. But walking down just a few steps from my house did the trick.

That’s the real lesson. In a world obsessed with virtual shortcuts and AI tools, don’t forget that real learning still happens in the real world. Step out, observe, question, and experience.

Students, remember this: If you walk that extra kilometre, you don’t just find answers—you earn insights, credibility, and stories worth telling. 

Key words: Observation, Learning, Management Education,  Experiential Learning Pricing, MRP, Indian Markets, Consumer Behaviour, Marketing, Business Insights, Firecrackers, India, ChatGPT, Artificial Intelligence,  AI and Education, Real World Learning, Life Lessons, Teaching Reflections, Critical Thinking,  Curiosity

Amul’s Sweet Marketing Play – Lessons Beyond the Obvious

Marketing always excited me because it is the only subject in management that is live, dynamic, and happening right in front of you. It’s always “in your face”. Brands are constantly talking to us, and it’s up to us to decode what they are really saying. 

Every day, we are dished out hundreds of live case studies. We have the lens to see them. Yesterday, when I picked up the Times of India, this full-page Amul Mithai advertisement instantly struck me. I decided to use it in my classroom session the same day. 

The question I posed to my students was simple yet powerful: “How much do you think this advertisement would have cost across all editions of TOI in India?”

The students’ jaws dropped when I revealed the figure – upwards of ₹3 crores! That’s when I told them why brands like a local Karachi Bakery would never think of advertising at this scale. Naturally, the next discussion was “Why such a big advertisement?”

Students came up with some good responses:

• It’s seasonal.
• Amul wants to highlight its presence in the sweets business.
• The brand wants to showcase its portfolio.
• Perhaps they are pushing online ordering.
• Or maybe they wanted to launch new SKUs.

All valid, but in my view, these answers were “seeing the trees but missing the forest.” The critical thinking was still surface level. Here’s how I see it:

 The Bigger Marketing Picture

1. A tectonic shift in sweet consumption: Amul is signalling the change in consumer behavior. For a country that once prided itself on having sweets for every occasion, consumption habits are evolving rapidly.

2. The ‘F-word’ of nutrition Sugar: Sweets are suddenly seen as the villain. With India on its way to becoming the diabetes capital of the world, consumers are cutting down or switching away.

3. From bulk to bite-sized: Ten years ago, a festival meant at least 5–8 kgs of sweets at home. Today, very few make sweets at home, and even when gifted, they’re either re-gifted (the infamous Soan Papdi loop!) or handed over to house help.

4. Quality over quantity: Indians are gravitating towards premium sweets. They don’t want 2 kgs of generic laddoo; they want a few pieces of Kaju Katli.

5. Smart price psychology: One student, Lahari, made a sharp observation: the ad makes Kaju Katli look affordable at Rs 230 for 200 grams. But when you scale it up , it’s  Rs 1150 per kg! Smart price framing. Why haven’t local mithai shops done this? Because they stick to the traditional “Rs/kg” display which feels unaffordable and pushes customers away.

6. Transparency vs. bundling: Local shops often sell ₹400–500/kg packs but fill them with cheap options like boondi laddoo, jalebi, or Rava sweets. Milk and khoa based sweets are minimized. With Amul, you know exactly what you’re buying a curated, premium range.

7. Convenience + Gifting appeal: The pack sizes are attractive, hygienic, and perfect for gifting. Small, manageable packs ensure there’s no guilt or wastage. Consumers perceive these as indulgent yet responsible purchases.

Why this ad works This is not just an ad – it’s a strategic brand play. Amul is:

• Repositioning mithai as modern, hygienic, and aspirational.
• Using price packaging strategy to make indulgence look affordable.
• Leveraging consumer psychology by shifting the focus from per kg to per 200 grams.
• Tapping into gifting economics where presentation matters as much as product.

In essence, Amul is telling us: “Mithai is not dead; it just needs to be reimagined.” As a marketing teacher, I see this campaign as a masterclass in consumer insight mining, price framing, and product portfolio communication. All in all – a brilliant move by AMUL. 

Keywords: 

Amul Mithai, Amul advertising, Amul sweets, marketing strategy, consumer insights, Indian sweets market, festive marketing, brand positioning, advertising cost India, Times of India ad, packaging strategy, pricing psychology, gifting trends, mithai consumption shift, premium sweets, quality vs quantity, sugar-free sweets, Indian consumer behavior, brand communication, FMCG marketing.

We Just Crossed the 11,00,000 Readers Mark!

 Our blog has just crossed the 11,00,000 readers milestone! 🎉

What makes this moment special is the speed of the last leg. The journey from 10,00,000 to 11,00,000 readers took only 81 days, which means we are now averaging 1,282 readers per day.

To put things in perspective:

The journey from 0 to 10,00,000 readers took 15 years at an average of just 183 readers per day.

Clearly, perseverance pays off. If you stay consistent and keep at it, results eventually follow. There is, however, a bittersweet side to this milestone. In the past 120 days alone, we’ve had 1,20,000 readers, and interestingly, 70% of them came from the USA, Brazil, Hong Kong, Vietnam, and Singapore.

Only 2% of our readers are from India — a little disappointing, but I guess that’s the way the cookie crumbles. Still, every reader counts, and this milestone is a reminder that persistence, patience, and passion always bring rewards. 

Keywords: Blog growth journey, 1.1 million readers milestone, Blogging perseverance, Global blog audience, Blog success story, Readers from USA Brazil Hong Kong Vietnam Singapore, Indian blog readership, Consistency in blogging

Brilliant innovation - Eyebrow pencil

 

The simplest of the problems can lead to the  greatest of the innovations.  As children we used pencils a lot. The only problem or problems was the sharpening the pencil and the protecting the nip part from breaking. of course we had a chakmar (Sharpener for the uninitiated) but it was borrowed and was never returned.  We struggled our entire childhood without a solution. 

But a solution was invented and what a brilliant solution it was!!. 

The eyebrow pencil makers came out with a solution. They designed the cap of the pencil to be a sharpener. What a breath taking solution to a complex problem. Three issues were tackled at a time. The pencil could be sharpener, the nip would not get cut or broken and third the eye brow pencil as it was sheathed would not smudge and spoil the ladies handbag. 10 out of 10. 

Opportunities are just waiting behind the curtain called the problem. Open the curtain and Voila there could be a opportunity of a life time.

From Rs 5000 to Rs 50: The Wild Spectrum of Impulse Buying

How Impulsive is Impulse?

Ever wondered why you’ll happily blow up  Rs 5000 on a movie night but still grumble about paying Rs 50 extra on BookMyShow? That’s impulse. It’s weird, it’s emotional, and it makes no sense until you realize it’s less about your bank balance and more about your brain’s wiring.

Marketing folks always talk about impulse purchases. But what is impulse buying really? Buying without thinking? Buying without guilt? Most people link impulse buying to purchasing power with the presence or absence of cash. In simple words, the level of poverty.

But honestly, I feel there’s a level of emotional impulsiveness that is more personality-driven. Take watching movies as an example.

 

• For Gen Z, going to a multiplex with a friend and spending ₹5000/- can be impulsive.
• Even booking tickets on BookMyShow and paying that “extra” ₹50/- convenience fee is impulsive!
• Someone else might cap it at ₹2500/- in a smaller multiplex.
• A cautious family could happily finish it off at Rs 500/- in a single-screen theatre.
• The true family man might say “Wait! My whole family will watch it for Rs 149/- when it streams on Amazon.”
• And the super-disciplined type? They’ll impulsively jump when it’s available for just ₹50/- during an Independence Day deal.

So impulsiveness can swing all the way from  Rs 5000/- to Rs 50/-. And trust me, this has nothing to do with salary or purchasing power. It’s about perceived value, urgency, FOMO, curiosity, and that emotional itch to experience it right now. Impulse is less about your wallet and more about your wiring!

 

Keywords: impulse buying psychology, emotional impulsiveness in consumers, FOMO and consumer decisions, Gen Z spending habits India, multiplex vs single screen movie experience, BookMyShow ticket booking behavior,  Amazon Prime movie rental deals, perceived value in consumer behavior, cash vs emotional spending power,  psychology of spending without thinking, why people make impulsive purchases,  impulse buying examples in India, entertainment spending patterns Gen Z, difference between need and impulse buying,  consumer psychology behind small extra charges,  Rs 50 vs  Rs 5000 impulse decisions explained!!

Flipping the Script: The Inspiring Long Tail Lesson from Aamir Khan

All management professionals talk about the famous 80:20 principle or the Pareto Law, where the focus is on serving the 20% of customers who give 80% of the business. The usual assumption? Leave the remaining 80% of the customers alone or serve them at a minimal level.

But what if the story could be flipped? What if we could fit square pegs into round holes by thinking differently? Years ago, Dr. Kota my ex-colleague, dear friend, my research scholar, and now B-School professor gifted me a brilliant book – The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More written  Chris Anderson.

Dr. Kota, like me, loves to read, and this book was a true eye-opener. It challenges our default way of thinking. Chris persuasively argues that even though the market is cluttered with 80% customers the market size is still 20%. And the beauty is that not many competitors in that market and there is less focus too. companies can operate in stealth or under the radar mode. Amazon and Netflix are perfect examples, they thrive by serving niche markets with vast selections, catering to diverse tastes that the mainstream ignores.

The Indian Cinema Parallel: Take Indian cinema. Almost 99% of movies won’t cross ₹10 crores in theatrical business. Yet, 1,500 to 2,000 films are made every year. Can the script be flipped? Aamir Khan seems to think so. His film Sitaare Zameen Par reportedly did a solid ₹293 crores at the box office. But here’s the twist – Aamir refused to sell the OTT rights to the big streaming platforms.

Why? Because while Indian cinema is widely watched, only 2–3% of India’s 1.4 billion people go to theatres. In comparison, a staggering 491 million people in India are actively engaging with YouTube content. That means theatrical releases are the long tail of the real market!

Beating the OTT Game: OTT platforms usually operate in two ways – they either buy the film outright or stream it on a pay-per-view basis. But the real viewership numbers are murky. They only publicize their “top 10” lists, and their algorithms are laughable.

Netflix, for instance, counts a two-minute watch as having “watched” a movie. By that logic, I “watched” at least 730 movies last year (two movies per day)! And if a film underperforms, the data vanishes into a digital Fort Knox. Aamir Khan was done with these games. He announced he wouldn’t stream his movie on any OTT platform. Instead, he went direct-to-audience: pay-per-view on YouTube at ₹100 for multiple views within 48 hours.

Let us do some back of the envelope calculations. Even if five people watched together, that’s just ₹20 a head cheaper than a half-litre water bottle in a multiplex.

The Math That Changes Everything

Let’s assume only 1% of the 491 million Indian YouTube audience watched the film, 49.1 lakh views ×  Rs 100 =  Rs 49 crores.

If 5% watched that would be Rs 245 crores , almost the same as the theatrical gross, but with far higher margins.

Aamir pushed the envelope further, from 15th to 17th August, he is offering the film at  Rs 50. If 10% of that YouTube audience watches at this price (4.91 crores people), that’s another Rs 245 crores. Add the two figures and you’re looking at ₹500 crores, double the theatrical revenue  and likely with almost 100% margins.

The Takeaway:  Don’t just be a follower. Be an innovator. Be a disruptor. Chart your own path and become the role model others follow. Aamir Khan’s move is not just about selling a movie differently – it’s a masterclass in turning the long tail into the main act.

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Key words: Aamir Khan, Long Tail theory, Chris Anderson, The Long Tail book, Sitaare Zameen Par movie, Indian cinema business model, OTT vs YouTube, digital movie distribution, direct-to-consumer film release, pay per view movie model, Indian film marketing strategy, innovative film release ideas, cinema revenue optimization, Bollywood box office trends, alternative movie distribution channels, YouTube film release strategy, film monetization on YouTube, bypassing OTT platforms, niche market exploitation in cinema, case study on Aamir Khan marketing, Indian entertainment industry innovation, Bollywood business disruption, film revenue maximization, independent film release strategies, long tail in entertainment, data-driven film marketing, online movie monetization models, lessons from Bollywood marketing, Aamir Khan business decisions, Bollywood digital disruption.

What a thermometer kink and bubbles in an oil bottle can teach us About product improvements and Innovation!!!

Often, the simplest inventions come from keen observation and plain common sense. Have you ever wondered why there’s a tiny kink in the old-fashioned analogue thermometers doctors used in the past?

Mercury expands with heat, making it ideal for measuring temperature. In regular thermometers used for weather, mercury rising and falling with daily temperature changes isn’t a problem. But when measuring human temperature, doctors faced a challenge. 

As soon as the patient removed the thermometer from their mouth, the mercury would start dropping to room temperature, which is almost always lower than body temperature. That’s where the small kink (constriction) at the base near the mercury bulb came in. It acted like a stopper, holding the mercury at the highest point reached so the doctor could note the correct temperature before shaking it back down.

The same principle, solving a problem through simple observation, applies to many other products. Take the example of oil cans and bottles from earlier times. Opening them often caused oil to splash onto the container, spill on the kitchen counter, splatter on the person, and worst of all when hot oil was being topped up, it could lead to painful burns.

A smart product development manager came up with a simple fix: leave a little extra space inside the container. This allowed air bubbles to form and oil to pour out smoothly, avoiding splashes altogether.

Management and especially marketing is all about spotting these small but powerful opportunities, often by borrowing ideas from other fields. At the end of the day, what matters is what works especially when it improves customer safety, convenience, and comfort. So, what small tweak will you spot today?

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Keywords: Product innovation, small design changes, everyday inventions, observation in product design, thermometer kink, oil bottle bubble design, simple product improvements, customer convenience ideas, product safety tips, marketing through observation, problem solving in design, everyday product hacks

Hashtags: #ProductInnovation #DesignThinking #EverydayInventions #ObservationMatters #MarketingInsights #SimpleSolutions #CustomerConvenience #ProductDesign #InnovationInAction #SmallTweaksBigImpact

Letting Go of Legends: When Emotions Clash with Business Sense - Bajaj "Scooter", HUL "Pureit" and "Pawan Kalyan Hari Hara Veera Mallu"

In 2005, I witnessed a press conference that still lingers in my memory. A composed Rajiv Bajaj stood before the press and announced the discontinuation of one of India’s most iconic products, the Bajaj Chetak petrol scooter. Next to him sat Rahul Bajaj, crestfallen and close to tears. It was a moment that marked the end of an era.

Hamara Bajaj was not just a brand campaign. It symbolized middle-class India’s aspirations. In the 1980s, owning a Bajaj scooter was a dream so strong that families waited for years to get one. Sometimes, the only way to get a Bajaj allotment was through a foreign relative wiring USD 500 back to India. 

Along with an HMT Kanchan gold-plated automatic watch, the Bajaj scooter was the ultimate wedding gift and status symbol. However, with the arrival of cheaper and more fuel-efficient four-stroke motorcycles, the decline began. Despite its legacy, Bajaj couldn’t keep up with the changing market dynamics. As Ravi Bajaj himself later admitted, letting go of such a legendary product was like losing a family member. That’s the emotional price of being in business. Marrying memories to markets doesn’t always make sense.

A similar example comes from Hindustan Unilever (HUL). The company had a vast portfolio of FMCG products in India. However, Pureit, their water purifier brand, was an exception to the rule. It wasn’t sold through regular kirana stores or supermarkets. Instead, Pureit followed a medical distribution model, marketed directly to hospitals and doctors, with its own separate sales force and supply chain.

In 2024, HUL decided to offload Pureit to A.O. Smith, signalling a smart move to refocus on their core categories. Again, a difficult but strategic decision. Proof that sometimes, cutting emotional ties is essential for future growth.

Even the entertainment industry isn’t immune. The recent film Hari Hara Veera Mallu, with a reported budget of ₹300 crore and over five years in the making, faced a major setback. Starring Pawan Kalyan, the movie received heavy backlash after its regular release, particularly for poor visual effects. As a reaction, nearly 22 minutes were cut from the film post-release. But the damage was done.

The question arises. Why weren’t rational decisions made earlier? Why not test the film with a sample audience beforehand? Why wait for public backlash before making drastic edits? It’s a classic case of creators becoming too emotionally attached to their vision, blinding them to objective feedback.

As the saying goes, common sense is not so common, especially when emotions, legacy, and ambition take over reason.

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Keywords: Bajaj Chetak history, Hamara Bajaj, Rahul Bajaj emotional moment while discontinuing Bajaj Scooter, Discontinued Indian products. Hindustan Unilever Pureit sale, Emotional marketing decisions, Hari Hara Veera Mallu movie failure, Rationality in product decisions, Letting go of legacy brands, Indian business nostalgia

#HamaraBajaj #BrandLegacy #IndianIcons #BusinessDecisions #HUL #Pureit #MovieFlops #NostalgiaMarketing #LettingGo #RationalVsEmotional

Can Symbols Protect a company? Reflections on Karachi Bakery and the Indian Flag

My post on Karachi Bakery elicited an enthusiastic response, and I am grateful for the same. Karachi Bakery remains the cynosure of the public for many reasons, such as its impeccable quality and the controversy linked to its name, Karachi.

As many have pointed out, Karachi Bakery is the brainchild of an Indian who migrated from Pakistan and set up an eatery in Hyderabad. Similarly, a bakery exists in Pakistan called Bombay Bakery. So far, no riots or attempts to vandalize Bombay Bakery have been reported in the press.

Yes, you are all right. As you have pointed out, the idea is to show that Karachi Bakery is Indian, and it is a clever attempt to distance itself from the “Pakistani connection.”

But as some of you might know, until 2004, the usage of the Indian flag was restricted only to Republic Day and Independence Day. There was a strict protocol about its usage, and only official government institutions had the right to fly our national flag.

However, in 2004, in a landmark judgment following an appeal by Naveen Jindal, a businessman, the Supreme Court ruled that all Indians had the freedom to fly the national flag without restriction.

Here is my contention. Yes, Karachi Bakery has been a target, and it has been vandalized. But can the Indian flag be used for commercial purposes—and that too as a shield against vandalism and stone-throwing? Can the proud national symbol of India become just another token of symbolism? Especially when the Indian government frowns upon the use of the word India for commercial purposes. Naming institutes as “Indian Institutes” is restricted only to IIMs and IITs.

The Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950 prohibits the use of certain names and terms—including those that suggest government or national patronage—without explicit permission from the Central Government.

But where there is a will, there is a way. Arindam Chaudhuri flouted the rule by naming his institute IIPM (Indian Institute of Planning and Management). How did he get away with it? He never went in for accreditation with AICTE. He made merry as long as the going was good but had to shut shop when his bluff was called. 

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Key words: Karachi Bakery name controversy and public perception in India, Use of national symbols like the Indian flag in commercial branding,  Legal restrictions on Indian flag usage for businesses, Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act 1950 explained, Supreme Court ruling on flying the Indian flag – Naveen Jindal case, Difference between patriotic expression and commercial exploitation,  Bombay Bakery in Pakistan vs Karachi Bakery in India public response, Political symbolism in branding and its social consequences, Restrictions on using "Indian" in business names in India, Arindam Chaudhuri and the IIPM branding loophole, History of national flag usage laws in India pre and post-2004,  Use of Indian national identity in private business defense, Cultural sensitivity in naming businesses in India and Pakistan, Impact of Indo-Pak history on brand perception and public sentiment, Role of the judiciary in defining patriotic expression in commerce, Intersection of nationalism, law, and marketing in India, How brands use national symbols to avoid controversy,  Ethical dilemmas of using the Indian flag in private enterprises, National identity and business branding in post-partition South Asia, Can patriotism be a marketing tool or is it exploitation?