BOP goes the weasel

I found myself in a village called Daruj the other day, a small dusty place, with a population of around six thousand. It was your typical village, a rather big one, with four five dukaans, people sitting around and generally passing time, the few big men - the influencers, moving around with that special arrogance that comes out of being the big fish in a small pond. Nothing special.

But this is India. Even if you are not looking, you will find something in every inconsequential corner that will blow your mind away. And it is my job to look.

The B-O-P. That oft-used-abused phrase which in recent times has mainly been used to outline the growing needs of the bottom of the famous pyramid (which my company insists will become a diamond soon, yes, now that is practical application of geometry.) The theory that there is a fortune there for companies has been sufficiently debated and discussed. I myself have had conflicting opinions about it at different points in time.

What I saw that day in Daruj was testimony to the fact that companies are paying close attention indeed to CKP.

Now we have all seen those cute little parachute bottles that come for a rupee each. Among others, they are meant for the consumers who live in shanties and cannot risk purchasing a big bottle out of fear that it shall be purloined. We have also seen minuscule Fevicol and Feviquick sticks, add to that small units of milk and surprisingly even Lassi. Yes, Lassi at Rs 1.5 for the adventurous but thrifty consumer. Shampoos sachets are old hat - people have found multiple uses for them even. In UP, they are used to wash cows and give the family goats their daily baths. In many other places, they are used to wash bikes and cars. Then there are mobile top-ups which start at Rs 3. Yes, talk is cheap nowadays.

But nothing beats this - that day, hanging next to a hundred different kinds of sachets of detergents, shampoos, paan masala, tobacco, toothpaste and what have you, I saw perfect miniature versions of international brands of perfume - the likes of Charlie, Lomani and John Musk, for all of Rs 3!

Perfume?! Is that what the rural consumer demands nowadays? I can understand the urban poor, they are hugely aspirational by association. But gaonwale bhi? To maybe wear to the christening of that new pair of bullocks that the Sarpanch recently bought. Or on a 'date' by the local pond, or community electric pump perhaps. Perfume? Really?

Will they 'upgrade' to bigger bottles? Because the company must be losing money on the sachets. Will there be sufficient word-of-mouth publicity? Are these sachets even selling or are they just hanging, literally, some fresh-from-the-oven MBA having won accolades for this brilliant idea? Or have they always been there, only we never noticed? Have they been flying off-the-shelves in cities, and somebody thought what works for a vegetable seller's kith in Mumbai would also work for the vegetable grower's kin in Shegaon?

Questions, questions. But one thing is for sure, this country never ceases to amaze me.