Swadeshi Mandi || Being Vocal for Local Dhanda

Do you remember those Sunday mornings as a child, when you used to echo the high pitched tune that the vegetable vendors would leave behind, outside your windows, on the lane?
"Sabji le lo! Sabji!"

It didn't matter which part of this beautiful country you belonged to or grew up in; all the variations of those tunes had something strikingly common - they'd always catch your ears.

As we grew up, we often substituted this idea of sellers in our heads with big businesses and even bigger names.
If we were to look closely, the essence of 'Dhanda' - a term that completely envelops the crux of business, still lies with those vendors on the lanes, sellers on the trains, and the busy crowd at our nearest Mandi.




It was in one of the very first classes of Business Communication, that our ever-inspiring professor T. Prasad, popular throughout the beautiful NITIE campus as Mandi Sir, introduced us to the idea of a Swadeshi Mandi.
A place where you can shout out and promote your local delights, be it the neighbourhood street food, the carefully crafted decoratives from our hometowns or the delicious sweets from our villages.

We, of course, were faced with the challenge of giving the Swadeshi Mandi life, especially on the auspicious occasion of our 74th Independence Day, through our computer screens.
Here too, Sir showed us the perfect solution - Vocal For Local through posters and promotions.

Our Poster For Dhokra Handicrafts


Hailing from Kolkata, West Bengal, I didn't have to look far for this local treasure called Dhokra!
I have grown up seeing these fine handicrafts being sold in all kinds of market - from local fairs to urban gift shops.

The name ‘Dhokra’ comes from the Dhokra Damar tribes, who are the traditional metal-smiths of  West Bengal. Their technique of lost wax casting is named after their tribe, hence Dhokra metal casting.

Dhokra Art is used to craft artefacts, accessories, utensils and jewellery. It is differentiated by its rustic simplicity, enchanting folk motifs and clean, distinctive, lines. 

These fascinating works of tribal art not only tell stories from times far far ago, but also recites the tale of generations of craftsmen leaving their legacy behind in metal artifacts that now decorate our houses.




It is time we look at these locally made fancies and be vocal and promote them to our friends, neighbours and the world. 

Swadeshi Mandi encouraged me to learn more about these local dhandas. It has also prompted entrepreneurs, businesspersons, and leaders in our country.
Cropwheel, Matic Network, Cashify, these are some of the frontrunners in today's startup environment; inspired by these entrepreneurial learnings of Maha Mandi and NITIE.


To know more about Swadeshi Mandi, follow Marketing Interest Group, NITIE, at:

3. T.Prasad Sir's Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/nitieprasad1

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Performance Branding Going Digital

Image
  Traditional brand marketing isn’t what it used to be. TV audiences have declined, diminishing the impact of TV advertising, while data-driven digital marketing has become more important than ever, ushering in a new era of efficient, measurable, audience-first campaigns. And now, the COVID-19 pandemic has only accelerated these trends. It’s time for marketers to pivot to a new approach to brand building that takes advantage of the innovations of digital performance marketing. Your brand marketing can be a powerful tool for your brand now and in the future with the right strategy. That’s why we’ve developed a framework that will help you revitalize and reimagine brand marketing as an integral part of your larger cohesive marketing strategy, with measurable business impact: performance branding. What is performance branding? Performance branding uses the clear, objective KPIs of performance marketing to make brand marketing spend more accountable and efficient. In the past, “brand m...
Read more

Deep Insights From - Mr. Nikhil Kulkarni

Image
18th August 2020: We were honoured by the presence of an alumnus, the Founder of TechDarwin, Mr. Nikhil Kulkarni. Having an industry stalwart be our guest lecturer is always exciting and insightful. Mr. Nikhil Kulkarni About Mr. Nikhil Kulkarni :  He is the co-founder of Darwin Tech ( www.techdarwin.com ); a travel technology B2B startup. He has done  B. Tech in Electronics & MBA from NITIE, A techie at heart – having pursued the whole gamut from IT Strategy to Project management, architecture, and emerging technology consulting in his 11 years in KPMG.  Nikhil quit KPMG as an Associate Director to co-found Darwin with Aditya Darooka and leads the technology end of things and is out there to pursue his ambition to create a global technology-driven business out of India. In his personal life, Nikhil is an avid blogger and crypto-currency, cleantech, and Spacetech enthusiast. During the session, we had the opportunity to learn about -  How business communication wo...
Read more

Looking Into The Ways to Boost Your Interpersonal Communication Skills

Image
Without communication, nothing can get done. Communication is how we express our thoughts and feelings, personally and professionally. There are many different types of interpersonal communication and being able to master interpersonal communication is a skill that will benefit you all around. This is especially true when it comes to work because you have to know how to communicate with various personalities and people to advance.   Here’s a look at what interpersonal communication means, the different kinds of communication in general, and why they all matter. Q. What is Interpersonal Communication? Put most simply, interpersonal communication is face-to-face communication. It is the process by which humans exchange feelings, thoughts, and information. Interpersonal communication takes two or more interdependent people to happen. This means that the action of one person affects others.   Aspects of Interpersonal Communication When you break down interpersonal communication, i...
Read more