The story of "Frooti".

Meet the woman who took "Frooti" from a Rs.300 cr brand to an 8,000 cr brand.

Nada Chauhan joined her father's group "Pure Agro" in 2003 when she was just 17 years old.

She reduced the company's dependency on Frooti which contributed 95% of revenue. As a result, she launched the iconic packaged water brand "Baileys", a 1,000 cr+ business now. The business had everything right about it - distribution and key tie-ups with Dhabas and long-distance bus operators. As a result, the Parle Agro Group doubled its turnover to 5,000 cr. 

However, the killer move came in 2005when Nadia launched her brainchild "Appy Fizz", one of the firsts in the apple juice category when India was unfamiliar with Apple juice. The idea became a runaway hit contributing a CAGR of 36% and taking a staggering 99% market share. Its innovation in style and taste spurred many imitations across two decades.

But, the thing to learn is she did not forget her champion product "Frooti". Coming back again, she launched Frooti in different flavours under the brand "Nutrizz" and redid the packaging into PET bottles which defines the iconic Frooti of today.

To further promote the brand, she hired the right actors at the peak of their careers to promote the brand. Ali Bhat and Ram Charan started promoting the new flavours in advertisements with funky clothes and the quirky Frooti bottles called "Frooti Fizz". That, too, became a masterstroke with an ad spend of Rs.300 cr, a revenue of 2,000 cr+ generated.

Frooti contributes a meagre 48% of revenue contribution today. But the way Nadia scaled the business across multiple categories is commendable.

Amazing achievement by Ms Nadia and her team! May this story inspire many more women.

Tailpiece.

To the airport after 12. Waited outside till Maman had called when we drove in and picked him up from the arrival lounge of the international airport. Let Chambu drive up and down. Returned and recited my prayers and then turned in to bed.

Got up at 7, the chores and was ready by 9. At the Foundation, watching things happen for which Maman and team had done sound groundwork towards the runup.

Lunch at the PWD Rest House canteen.

At Muthachchan's feet by 5; today's lecture was by Prof Babu Zacharia, an English Professor, ex-Principal, St Mar Thoma College, Thiruvalla and a sports commentator on AIR and television.

  

A few nice sayings.

Just when the caterpillar thought her life was over, she began to fly.

     *      *      *

Heart is a good fertilizer; anything we plant love, hate, fear, hope, revenge, jealousy.....surely grows and bears fruit. We have to decide what to harvest.....

      *       *       *

Wisdom ceases to be wisdom when it becomes too proud to weep, too grave to laugh and too selfish to seek other than itself.

       *       *       *

In life, you will realize there is a role for everyone you meet. Some will test you, some will use you, some will love you and some will teach you. But the ones who are truly important are the ones who bring out the best in you.

Tailpiece.

Got up at a half past 3, washed up and recited my prayers. Turned off to sleep to get up before 6, the chores and was ready by a quarter to 9.

A quiet day at the Foundation with things happening as planned before.

'Kaviyarangu' at the 'Sarga Saayaahnam' at Muthachchan's feet at Poojappura. A nice evening!

Nothing lasts forever!

Whatsapp killed BBM (BlackBerry)

Youtube killed DVD

Bluetooth killed Infrared

Xender killed Bluetooth

Zapya killed Xender

CDs killed Cassettes

Android killed Window phones

Uber killed Yellow Cab

Phone killed Post Office

SMS killed Letter Writing

Email killed Fax

Civilisation killed Culture

Computer killed Typewriter

E-card killed Hallmark Card

Maggi killed Dawa Dawa (seasonings)

Money killed True Love

Who else killed what?

Internet killed Library

Google killed Dictionary

Wikipedia killed Encyclopedia

No condition is permanent in this world. Be humble.

And finally MoMo ie."MobileMoney) is killing ATM Machine and Bank Queues in the bank.

So, whatever position you are in today, use it positively. Tomorrow may not be yours but someone

else's.

Solar Power will soon kill Generator

At the end, Death will kill Life

Be careful. This world is not for one person. We are not for one person. We are just passing through it.

 

Tailpiece.

Got up at 4, thanks to Lekha's cellphone, the chores and was ready by a quarter past 5. Sukesh comes by on time and dropped me at the station. Jaishree gives me my ticket with a smile. The Punalur passenger leaves the station by a 10' to 6.

Spent an hour at the reservation lounge. The Rishikesh-Kochuveli was bang on time. A quiet and uneventful journey. Reached Kochuveli well before time. Chambu and Abu had come picked me up.

Had Lekha's lunch at the Foundation.

The Sarga Sayaahnam had Venpakal Ganeshan speaking on the 'Evolution of Kerala's drama'. It was nice.

 

News from France.

Riots continue for the fourth night.

* Historic buildings in France that survived bombardment in World War II, could not survive the 'cultural enrichment' of open borders.

* French police were fired on with American rifles, which may have come from Ukraine. Two modified large-caliber rifles by Accuracy International were seized from the rioters. The same rifles were supplied to Ukraine last summer.

A drive through a street in France. This is their condition.

* French nationalists are out with baseball bats to confront the Islamist mob, who possesses AK-47 and bombs and have taken positions on rooftops with rifles looted from police forces.

* A zoo has been forced open by the rioters.....even lions have been let out on the streets.

All these are by the asylum seekers from Africa and Asia whom the French welcomed happily and provided with all facilities and livelihood like many other European countries.

Europe, have you yet realised what you let in?

Now, coming to the Indian context....

5 crore illegal Bangladeshis and Rohingyas have been allowed to cross over surreptitiously and given refugee status by the previous governments to boost vote bank.

These rogues are now the Congress-backed rioters to pull down any regime other than the Congress. Their hand was seen in the anti-CAA riots and the ongoing Manipur clashes.

Hope the NIA is ruthless with them; never mind the fake cry of the Human Rightists!

Courtesy. What'sApp

My take

The dimension of the fifth columnists of our country is now becoming crystal clear!

Tailpiece.

Got up a trifle before 6, the chores and was ready by 10.

Off to Jishnu to give directions regarding a few payments to be made during the first fortnight of the month. Bought sundries from the National Supermarket.

A quiet evening amid the usual chores. 

India's digital transformation.

  1. In 1991, India faced a Balance of Payments Crisis. In 2021, we have a healthy surplus.

  2. In 2008, we were the world's most unbanked.

  3. The price of data fell exponentially and the use of smartphones grew proportionately.

  4. In 2018, India used mostly cash.

  5. India delivered 2.15 billion vaccine doses in just 2 years.

  6. India is making irreversible, non-linear changes.

    * Each change acts as input to the next

    * Leading to combinatorial innovation

  7. Each change is enabled by a new approach to solving societal problems using Digital Public Infrastructure.

  8. A digital nation needs digital infrastructure.

  9. We built up Digital Public Infrastructure layer by layer to make the India Stock.

     * Starting with a Digital Identity

     * Then spread the ability to digitally transact

     * Digital Payments are everywhere

10. FasTag + GST +eWaybill cut waiting times at borders from days to minutes.

     * These little gains can add up to a lot

     * Digilocker makes transactions paperless

11. India's DPI for financial data sharing, Account Aggregator empowers users with their own data.

12. DPIs combine the best of Public and Private provision.

      * Privacy as a default, not an add-on

      * DPIs make the government efficient

13. Domestic Investors and their autopay SIPs have kept markets afloat.

14. Only country in the world

       * Building population scale APIs and open networks to digitally transform society

       * India's IT Services laid the foundation

       * India's Startup ecosystem built on top

       * We are now a young, connected country that consumes content digitally

       * You can see the difference already

15. Startups have captured the imagination of bright minds.

       * Startup Alumni are the leading source of Startup founders

       * Causing even incumbents to rethink strategy and approach to technology

16. India is upgrading

       * From an offline, cash, informal, low productivity economy

       * To an online, cashless, formal, high productivity economy

17. The next three areas where DPGs will disrupt

       * Credit

       * Commerce

       * Logistics

18. DPGs + Startups are solving three key challenges in lending, leading to an explosion in small ticket loans.

19. DPGs (GST + eWayBill + FasTag) are creating a Single Physical Market.

20. Open Networks for Digital Commerce (ONDC) will bring millions of small retailers to the era of eCommerce.

21. Cheaper Credit, Wider Discovery and Better Logistics will commoditise the supply chain

22. AI initiatives like Bhashini will help overcome the final mile challenges.

23. India is innovating a different model for growth.

My take

Whoopee! What a run, India! Thanks PM Narendra Modi for making this possible!!

Tailpiece.

Got up a trifle before 6, the chores and was ready by a quarter to 10. The maid had come for work.

Pravin comes to fix my broadband on the landline.

A rainy day. The usual evening chores. 

A fine lesson.

This story may inspire you to practise something tough during your day to day life.

There is this teacher who took a fish out of its bowl and left a classroom of children as it flipped around. They had been told that if anyone left their seat, they would be expelled.

All the children sat and watched as the fish flopped, gasping for air! Getting up meant getting themselves into trouble!

Finally, a girl sprang up from her seat and ran to the fish placing it back in the bowl! Ultimately she was the only one who refused to watch the fish die.

When the teacher returned, he told the class that this was a lesson. That the fear of getting in trouble should never stop you from doing what's right. That sometimes you may have to oppose authority and group think, simply because it's the right thing to do.

Tailpiece.

Got up at a half past 2, washed up and recited my prayers. Turned off to sleep soon after. Got up at 5 and hurried through my chores and we, finally, cast off from home at 0700 hrs. Picked up the sculptor, Sidhan his understudy, Lalu from the Foundation.

Reached Puthuvayil House by a quarter past 11. After the initial pow wows, where I'd reminded Kunjomana chechi of her curse and what her son had done in the darkness of the night, when he pulled out the markers, she came around to our way of thinking. We've got everyone with us, no pathway between Puthuvayil House and Unni's house.

Aniyan and me returned from Changanasserry in an rtc bus to Kottayam, where he fetched me a cup of tea as I took off on a 'Swift' bus. Reached The Quarterdeck by 2100 hrs. And to a quiet evening!   

A couple of interesting information.

The 4th Biggest Bank

HDFC will be the 4th biggest bank in the world.

* JP Morgan Chase                             $416.58

* ICBC                                                $228.38

* Bank of America                              $227.78

* HDFC Combined                             $171.88

* Agri Bank of China                          $168.98

* China Construction Bank                 $162.88

* HSBC                                                $156.68

* Wells Fargo                                       $156.28

* Bank of China                                   $147.38

* Morgan Stanley                                 $144.28

Source. Bloomberg

*     *     *

Back in 1940s, the philosopher Karl Popper came up with something called "The Paradox of tolerance". It goes like this:

If everyone is tolerant of every idea, then intolerant ideas will emerge. Tolerant people will tolerate this intolerance and the intolerant people will not tolerate the tolerant people. Eventually, the intolerant people will take over and create a society of intolerance.

Therefore, Popper said, to maintain a society of tolerance, the tolerant must be intolerant of intolerance......hence the paradox.

Tailpiece.

Got up at a half past 2,  washed up and recited my prayers. Turned off to sleep again.

Got up at a trifle before 6, the chores and was ready by a quarter past 9. Off to the Foundation and did my personal work. Had lunch with Chambu at the Rest House canteen.

The evening's program at Muthachchan's feet was the reading of Chitra Mohan's 'Ormakal' and it was read out by Usha Rani teacher. Dr MG Shashi Bhushan - son of Muthachchan'sfriend, Prof S Guptan Nair - moderated the program.

When my turn came to speak, I gave a smart naval salute, saying that it was the only thing I'd to offer  her. For a while, the spotlight was on me, consequently.