Memoirs.....Musings of a sales guy at heart.....

Episode 14....

Bombay-the city of dreams....

Second time, outside the comfort zone....the first being Hyderabad and now the biggest of all...Bombay-people come here with huge dreams and many realise theirs too....

When I left Chennai, there were few things I was happy about. Obviously Rithvic was born during this stint and professionally few of my guys got promoted....KGR got promoted in 90 and moved to Vijaywada, KSR got promoted as ASM and Dwarak got promoted as ASE, and Narasimhan....for a manager, what gives immense happiness is his people's contribution getting recognised...Also BP Gold was a hit and started picking up....And Tomy was quite happy on my elevation....what else one could ask for?

We reach Mumbai city, a completely alien place (I visited Mumbai earlier too but as a tourist), with 2 YO Rithvic. After marriage, Chennai to Hyd to Chennai and to Bombay.....all in just 4 years of time. 

HL's union leader owned 2BHK, on the first floor of an independent house (Simplex coop housing society) on the 11th Road of JVPD Scheme-one of the posh areas in Bombay. On the top floor the simplex owner was the resident-an old man. The one opposite to our portion on the first floor was always locked...we were told that UL would visit once a while but never ever met him in our two years stint in that place. We moved in the month of April 91...It was a simple two bedroom, hall, kitchen place with a nice balcony-facing our neighbor's bungalow-hold your breath-the neighbour was Amrish Puri!!!). We were probably the first occupant of the house and hence a lot of cleaning had to be done. The location was one of the best in suburban Bombay-Juhu scheme as known. 10th Road was Amitabh's residence, 11th road slightly ahead was Danny Denzongpa, Manoj Kumar was two roads ahead, ISKON temple just 10 minutes walk and the Juhu club was also close by. But the drive to my office, which was in Parel was around an hour and sometimes more also...HL had their HO at Ewart House, Flora Fountain, and my office, the regional one, was in Parel. My predecessor, PK Chatterji was moved back to HO. Parel office was big as it also had the bonded warehouse. EC Bala, Sebastian, Ramu and Chandu to manage the office. Nagappa, ZM for Maharashtra based at Pune. Deepak Katty-ASM at Bhopal with Rajinder Kalra as the ASE for MP. Two TSEs at Gujarat to manage our Finit business and some liquor stores. Goa was directly under me as Ravi Nambiar who was managing Goa earlier as ASE got transferred to Bombay. It was Ravi and Chavan as ASEs for Greater Bombay. Around 6 TSEs to manage the Bombay local market with 2 ASEs, 10 TSEs with 2 RSEs in Pune and just one TSE at Goa. A big team. Naaz was heading the Liquor division 2 and Deepak Roy was the CEO of HL.  Deepak Desai, finance head, Rodney in accounts Cyrus Madan and Mohan Madera in supply chain/logistics, Sanjit Padhi-Marketing Manager,  Sandhya Nikam, Shekar Mulatti, Anil Sawant, Amar Sinha, Pradeep Gidwani all under Sanjit in marketing, Gerry D'souza head of HR and later Indru Balchandani, Mrs. George-secretary to DR (she was the secretary to SSG too), and the beautiful Vidya Nadkarni at the reception desk and with an admin department ably assisted by Amita Arora. That was HO.

But HL was a very small player in Bombay and in Maharashtra Nagpur was the only region where HL had a good market share and rest were pressure selling. MP was decent and Goa was small but Honey Bee was a big brand there....

I take charge without any proper brief as always...Deepak had portrayed me in the HO and to his circle as a super hero who would make West to deliver big numbers....did it happen? 

We had two distributors in Bombay in H Parson, and Candy wines...HP was, run by Nitin Pitale as their CEO (remember Nitin? He was my predecessor in Hyd!). We were also told VJM had a stake in HP. Deepak Avathramani with his brothers Kishore and Suraj was running Candy Wines, our second distributor based at Mahim. 

HP was like a government run organisation..but Candy was totally professional and very well run. They also had their own wine shops and the three brothers were wonderful to deal with. Deepak used to commute by train to his office and very focussed. They were also the distributors for Officers choice those days it was No1 seller in Bombay. HL was nothing great. Very small player in Bombay with around 3 to 4k cases of average sale of all our brands p.m. 

I was told BP was doing well in Bombay and when they changed the source from Udaipur to another unit, consumers rejected it citing change in taste/quality. Whatever HL did to reverse the trend and consumers perception, didnt work out...the sale went southwards....The lead sellers like DSP, OC and Aristocrat were all from Aurangabad and god knows how and why, Aurangabad had a great name with consumers....Those who haven't visited Aurangabad, its just an industrial hub and a very dry place. SW had an unit there and also some other companies. SW supplied RCW from their Aurangabad unit and thus Aurangabad became prominent..consumers started perceiving Aurangabad as the Scotland of India...all perceptions only... So anything from Aurangabad, the consumers thought would be good...you got it? So DSP, OC everything from Aurangabad....But Aurangabad do not have any semblance to Scotland either in terms of weather, land, river, water resources et al....In Maharashtra Konkan, Nasik, Kholapur, Lonavla, Mahabaleshwar areas are great water resources....but hardly any distilleries there. Seagrams and McD has units in Nasik and McD has one more in Baramati....Yes, Baramati is another fertile area...

So a struggling west for HL with very low volumes in Bombay, Maharashtra barring Thane and Vidarbha was also struggling. As mentioned Goa was for HBB and RTWhite rum and MP was delivering decent volumes with BP but MP receivables were always a nightmare..with the WS dictating terms...

HL tied up for bottling with a unit in Aurangabad...this made life easier for us as we could turn around permits faster. 

Bombay region...I was used to the HL TN way of working. The HL culture in TN-never used to look at the clock or calendar and it was always work n work n work for most of us....guys were business hungry...When I went to Bombay I was in that mode but the reality there struck me hard....people in Bombay undergo lots of struggle in their life. Everything is machine like precision for them. If some one is coming from Goregaon to Parel office-an example-they have to first travel to the local railway station-if they are close by, they walk up or take a bus or go by their two wheeler, park it at the station and catch the local train...and their local trains are fixed...if it is a 8.23 it is a 8.23 local....so they have to reach the platform by 8.20. There are fasts and normal trains. And if someone has to come from Goregaon to Parel, they have to get down at Dadar and change, as Goregaon is on WR and Parel is on CR...there is also a harbour line which connects CST and New Bombay....head is spinning, right? So when they reach the office they are irritated and tired. They need some time to refresh, unwind and probably have their BF and start the work....initially I used to get maha angry but when I understood their plight, started empathising with them. The TSE's are different. They dont have to come to the office everyday and hit the trade straight. Most of them commute by bus and train only except a few who had two wheelers. And Saturday was an off day for the FF, office and HO. This also irritated me so much as the market was open on Saturdays and also my distributors. I once told my TSEs that they should work on Saturdays and JV Gandhi a very senior TSE (around 58 YO-a bachelor) advised me not to push this. When I told him what his colleagues do outside Bombay, he told me Bombay is different....as they get only Saturday to attend to their personal work including banking and et al and Sunday is the only day with family. Most cases its double income group....So I have to let go....but I used to work on Saturdays visiting my distributors as the traffic on Saturdays used to be lighter especially in South Bombay. The moment you cross Thane, its different. Most of the distributors for Thane and Kalyan had their offices in Ulhasnagar....almost the entire trade was in the hands of Sindhi community that includes retail. And these guys were hungry for business. I had a great guy in Ghanshyam Bhatia who was new to the trade and was fresh....First time I drove down to U Nagar but it took more than two hours...I changed to local train to visit these markets. Reach U Nagar by train and market visits with the distributors in his vehicle....the market visits were always wonderful as the dealers were very nice and hospitable. I remember even today, one of the biggies in U Nagar, Pradeep Kalani-distributor for SW and as he had retail also we used to visit him regularly. Most of the guys related to each other as they are from the same community. And when you go to their office, there is always some dry fruits and nuts for you to munch on..Pradeep started cracking the shell of pistachios and I thought it was for him...but to my surprise after he cracked a handful, he offered the entire thing to me....what a hospitality...this is continued even today. Lunch/dinner is always with either the distributor or customer....

Pune was also H Parson but we were too small.  Kholapur was decent. Aurangabad we had Deepu (he lost his life in the plane crash) but again small business..strangely Aurangabad was controlled by on trade than off. Ahmed Nagar was also small for us. Sholapur-Uday Bakshi was our distributor...wonderful person but small business for HL. Vidarbha we had Sonu Traders-run by Poornayya-was the ZM of HL AP under SSG but was axed by SSG for some improvised receivables management , but the trade was owned by Harminder Singh-a WS and distillery owner from Hyd. Wondered what made HL to give the agency to an outsider instead of giving it to a local...This market BP was a decent seller competing with Diplomat (only market in Maharashtra where this brand had some consumer demand) and OC....Vidarbha a big area geographically consisting of around 4 districts with one of them 'dry'.

As mentioned, Nagappa was the ZM and he did a decent job in Maharashtra considering our products local standing. We had some stalwarts in KB Thole, Patil, CR Shetty and Dhiria.  The problem used to be managing the credit...also the local tactical AMPs. Lucky draws were quite popular and hence 3 to 4 times in a year, we need to work out some exciting lucky draws for our brands....and the lucky draw events have to be also big...In U Nagar the event cant start before 1030 and by the time it gets over, it would be early hours....The events were more of a dealers get-together and absolutely no untoward were ever happened....but the cost of running it was always on companies head...

Once there was some heated exchanges between me and Nagappa on some issues and as usual I let the steam and forgot about it. Didnt know Nagappa was harbouring it...one day I was in my Parel office and Nagappa walks in quietly....he says hallo with a sheepish smile and when I showed my surprise on his un announced visit, he reveals  he came to meet Deepak Roy to complain about me....Whats the complaint, my friend...you took my trip on that day and I didnt like it so went to complain...so what did he say? He asked me to sort it out with you....hahaha....that was Deepak Roy for you....he had so much of confidence in my abilities and my style of functioning and he never bothered to broker any truce or call me and ask....we buried the baggages and Nagappa and self are still good friends. Those who have worked with me knows my style. It sometime can be tough but I never took it to personal level....

My visits to MP used to be once in two months....another tough market due to its complexities...The trade was on auction every year....there was always anxious moments in the months of February and March every year...so the targets of 12 months have to be achieved in 10 months flat and the credit has to be controlled from December itself....Indore was the biggest followed by Raipur, Bhopal and Jabalpur. Mahesh Mehta was our distributor for Indore region and our best.  Raipur distributor was a great guy but tough to get the money from him. Deepak joined us after his PG in marketing and was very structured in his approach..very soft spoken and was just married. Rajender was our ASE based at Indore. There was only one hopping flight from Bombay to Indore-Bhopal-Gwarlior-Delhi...Return direction also the same route. The morning flight used to leave at around 550 and one has to be at the check in counter and 450 and to catch this flight I have to raise very early hours...it was tough initially but as there was no alternatives, I have to, once in two months, undergo this ordeal. The return flight from Indore was around 830 in the night reaching Bombay at around 1000pm. Once on my return boarded the Indore Bombay flight and just before take off, we were told that some rat was spotted in the cockpit and the captain has to check whether all the wires are intact and the flight would only take off after a thorough inspection....2 hours of wait inside the aircraft...finally the captured the rat alive and no damages and flight took off....there are plenty of such stories for the regular traveller.....

Goa....We had a company conference in Goa just before I got transferred where I met Ravi Nambiar. That time I didnt know about my elevation...within a couple of months I get elevated and shifted to Bombay. My first visit to Goa after taking over. Rainy day and at the airport my distributor Agencia Commercials owner Kerker fondly called Baauji, was there to welcome me along with Ravi....Such a simple soul and soft spoken. His children, Praveen, Vivek and Pradeep are the most respected distributors of IMFL even today....they have followed the tradition left behind by his father. That first visit of mine was still enshrined. In 91 there was only one flight from Bombay to Goa...an IA Airbus 300, always full....from airport we have to go to Mapusa....to Panjim and from there by a ferry as the bridge on river Mandvi collapsed...to his office at Mapusa for a brief on our business and then to his lovely home for dinner...The problem with Goa, even today, is the credit control..the money is safe but the customers, barring a few, would take their own sweet time to pay back...but would never hesitate to order quantities. Also any product launched would do very well first 3 months and would stop after that as the consumers in Goa always try new brands-especially the floating population-and either go back to their own brands or try the next one when it is launched.  Also the universe is huge with a portion of residences serving as bar in remote areas. Distributors do not service these small vendors due to accessibility and very low volumes and hence in every town there is one big retailer who specialises in servicing these outlets...and they play a huge role in terms of RTM as they are the ones who has the pulse of these vendors and also extend credit to them...for example in Margao Vaz Enterprises, Panjim-Bosotto brothers et al. The problem is managing the credit...Goa was one state where you would huge bill boards advertising alcohol brands...lively market to work...friendly trade and distributors and beautiful hotels to stay too. I used to stay only at Hotel Mandovi as the rooms were quite spacious and with in budget...and Prabhu, the GM a great guy....we also had couple of dealers meet there...Goanchin-very good chinese joint in Panjim...now Goa is infested with many more restaurants....but in 91st Goa used to be quiet and very few restaurants only. Kamat was the only veg rest to the best of my knowledge.   

Next day morning we start our market visit and in the very first outlet Bosotto Brothers, he asked me for a nice scheme on RT white rum (this was just launched). We worked out an on the spot lucky draw scheme, taking some inputs from Maharashtra, and it was an instant hit....Even today, I love working the retail trade in Goa....Many outlets are small in nature but very friendly and ready to help but collections, a big ?....barring a few...

My distributors were complaining about the low margins of theirs and that was their only complaint....I took some tough call against my boss's displeasure and increased their margins....Honey bee was a major seller and not BP....little bit of other brands....I believe HBB currently sells over 50k per month in Goa!!!! The seeds were sown in 91....

So first few months, understanding of the market, restructuring the team, building confidence with the distributors n trade and also making the team to be passionate about our brands and company....I think I did a fair job on that. Business was tough and we could not crack Bombay still but managed some extra business with other portfolio brands. Maharashtra we did well and so as MP. Goa we delivered the numbers but less profitable.

Few things...when I took charge, out of the 3 very important and powerful retailers in city, 2 turned a blind eye to our brands....PK wines, Shah & Co, India International-all in Crawford market, the trading hub of Mumbai city-PK was okay and as in my earlier post, Shah & Co barrier was broken. India International, Hoshi was a tough nut....he had a big attitude and was very difficult to handle...but I managed him really well. I took him once with me to Goa as HL's guest for two days. After this he became a great supporter. His family also became close to us. He had a very beautiful daughter Piroja just a couple of years elder to my son....wonderful hosts....

Zorast of PK, another Parsi dealer, was tough too but much easier to handle. These three were cutting each other in terms of RSPs and the consumers were really enjoying the benefits but the retailers in the vicinity always complained as they could not compete with these big 3...In the suburbs also there were biggies - Bhatia at Kurla, Deepak at Ghatkopar, Raj at Sion Koliwada, Bebu and Sunil at Bandra and others....That was the time the retail association of Bombay was getting stronger but only in Suburbs...the city guys never wanted to be part as they were not willing to give in on their cutting edge on retail prices but enjoyed all the benefits the association brought. The retailers association introduced the new rule of 4 bottles free for every single case as a mandatory launch offer... Thats quite a lot but they stuck to their grounds...and we had to give in...So launching a product became quite easy due to this but without any guarantee of success and also quite expensive. During the launching phase, one has to also provide shelf space which came in with a cost...

Royal Challenge was the best seller in premium segment. McD's vintage n Mcd premium were nowhere in the horizon...none of the on trade could run their business without RC. It was 91 and there was no Seagram or IDV...keep this in mind. The problem with HL was no clear strategy in terms of either portfolio or brands. HL, in their illustrious history, kept launching brands after brands. RT rum, HS Gin, Romanov Vodka, entire Herberts series of brands and many more...except BP nothing actually worked well for HL... We launched Dynasty followed by BP Gold but both bombed big time barring TN....So the HO came out with another brand in Royal Velvet-head on with Royal Challenge...whats the strategy? Nothing..we dont have a filler in this space....we were told its a better blend and better presentation. Yes the presentation was good but content? Who has to decide on the content...finally the consumer...whats the compelling story for them to shift? Another whiskey in the same price bracket and will the consumers grab it because it looks good? Thats what the company thought....as SW was not in to push games and their trade schemes were never high and since RC was numero uno they were very tight fisted on spends....so the strategy for Royal Velvet was to spend more and get the trade on our side...yes, the trade with the launch offer and our personal rapport supported us...Hoshy of India International bought in one go, 101 cases....everyone was shocked as he would never invest in a new brand so much...its because of the personal relationship....but sadly, there was no clear strategy from HL to 'pull' the consumers from their favourite RC... all we did was bar promotions with 2+1 or some gifts with every peg...the standard stuff....consumers didnt find the content great....so added pressure on the sales team....when you keep launching in different markets the volume in the first year would certainly happen but the repeats were elusive....Goa did well first three months as usual and later it dissipated....there is a huge learning here.....

Another joke was Regal Crest....SW's Haywards was a huge brand in Maharashtra....and HL wanted to tap this segment...lesser margins and HL felt we should pitch in that space and get some volumes....no market/blend/consumer research was done. One afternoon Pradeep Gidwani undertook a market visit with me, met some 3 to 4 vendors in Juhu and four bungalows and came out with a strategy...Pradeep is a well known name in the beer industry now...but his stint in HL and the hurried launch of Regal Crest, something he would be really regretting even today....

So two flops in my tenure....fortunately it was not sales doing....both these brands bombed across the country....it was a black mark on HL....even today, USL has not figured out this segment...Signature initially did well but nowhere closer to the brand leader....and we all know what happened to RC after it went to USL...today RC, in most markets, on par with Royal Stag....this is what USL has done to a premium brand....

Guys, one has to have a very clear strategy especially when you enter the space of premium as to take on an established brand, you need to construct a very compelling story....we will discuss this later with live examples...half baked, launch for the sake of launching, not much of differentiation and without a clear investment plan, brands would certainly go down in the drain as fast as it appeared.....

It was just BP which kept the cash box ticking but with lots of pressure. We have to change the distributors in some markets which included HP in Bombay and Pune....it was a very tough call but had to be done to get some distribution traction. I appointed Prakash of Pancharatna as a 3rd distributor and he did a decent job too. 

HL, in the booze industry, started the concept of hosting overseas conferences and it used to be the entire sales n marketing plus department heads from HO. The conferences were something we used to look forward to as it gave us an opportunity to be together, shop and have a great time despite the one or two days pressure on presentations....but we mastered the art of presentations....will give you more meat on this later. In 92 the conference was in Manila and we were told VJM would attend the event. As HL was struggling in Bombay and Maharashtra with very few markets contributing for BP, I thought that we should suggest launch of a new brand with very attractive name encashing on the UB umbrella....and in the same price bracket of DSP and OC...Brain stormed with my team ie Deepak Katty, my Bombay ASM (sorry name forgotten...a Sardar) and Nagappa. The team liked the idea. We got cracking and got a local agencies help to design the pack....name....hold your breath....UB Special Rare premium whiskey with the UB insignia, Pegasus, promptly displayed on the label. The pack came out very well and the pricing too. We prepared the cost card, marketing plan and also a 3 year projection market wise with net contribution and a comparative analysis with BP. (the MBAs do a great job on this). We also wanted to completely dramatise the presentation...my Bombay ASM was made to anchor. The presentation was very hard hitting with the market realities and the difficulties in establishing BP and also the failed attempts with other brands and the reasons. After dwelling in with the market dynamics and issues faced, the proposal would be unleashed. So what we did was, created a big wooden box with a machine fitted inside (fantastic job by Kiran Talcherkar) and at the press of the button the lever inside would start pushing up, the box opens on top and the pack of UB Special would come fully placed on the pedestal inside...as it pops up, some light and sound effect too...we also dressed our Gujarat TSE mimicking Zorro...his job is to come when the slide on our proposal starts, stand in front of the box and do a mime act....the attire was exactly like Zorro with hoods and eye shades...we trained very hard in Bombay and when DR asked me about what we would be presenting on, I told him that its a secret and cant be shared. He told me 'dont you do anything which would cost my job' with a hearty laugh....All set and we reached Manila, and the previous night of the conference, we started rehearsing and as luck would have it, the mechanisation inside the box, crumbled....We were devastated for a while...phoned Kiran but he could do nothing. The hotel guys also tried their best but could not crack...for an hour or so and after breaking our head and a few drinks down, we realised nothing could be done with the machine and hence did some improvisation with the available materials. We increased the height of the pedestal by a couple of feet and kept the 'pack' plastered on the pedestal, covered the entire box with a beautiful black satin cloth (courtesy hotel). The Zorro character has to act like a magician with a wand on hand, and when the BGM touches the crescendo, he would give a look at VJM, nod his head and with a big laughter and in a flash remove the black satin, take the pack, walk up to VJM, hand it over and knight the 'new baby' with his knife....wah.....rehearsed and rehearsed and rehearsed...all my commands were in English only and some one has to translate the same to our TSE....the team wanted to get it absolutely right....there were curious on lookers trying to get hold of what we were upto and we sealed the entrance with two of our ASEs guarding ii😇...we came back to the room at 6, showered, assembled at the BF table around 8 and at the conference hall at 9. I requested our presentation to be the last as we wanted full attention from VJM n the leadership team and also we wanted time to keep mentally rehearsing our stuff and take a note of what the other regions were doing...We even skipped our lunch and just got some snacks to the conference room...mind it guys, in 91 the technology was limited...it was all PP with slides...South did a good job and it was just before ours. When ours came up, we were all completely drained but we did some pranayama, got the energy and unleashed😅.... I did the intro and Sardar took over. He did a great job and when Zorro appeared, everyones mouth opened up in complete awe....they just could not believe what they were seeing. VJM's eyes lit up....I saw him leaning over to Naaz and asking about the team...our Zorro did a fantastic job and the BGM was just awesome with stereo blast...we switched off the lights completely and when the satin got removed, the 'pack-the baby' was taken on hand by Zorro and with the special effects of lights and sound, he majestically walked up to VJM, presented the bottle and knighted it...perfect as rehearsed....everyone in the hall spontaneously stood up and started applauding👏....standing ovation....we all had goose bumps and tears started rolling out....we had really put in lots of efforts. After a while for things to settle down, VJM called me, put his hands around me and told the entire gathering that he had never ever seen a presentation like this in his career and with so much of passion and content....what else you could ask for? He also said he likes the idea but UB Special was a question mark as it requires lots of discussions at the corporate level. For those of you who do not know the history- it was 92 and under the UB Group umbrella, there was beer division, Liquor division 1 and 2, Mangalore Chemicals, UB air et al.....DR and Naaz were so happy with our presentation and they personally congratulated every member of my team and we were on cloud 9...drank to glory that night...anyway to cut the long story short, the UB special didnt materialise as VJM was not comfortable lending the name for a regular segment whiskey (there was a UB Export lager Beer though, quite popular then in KTK and TN). I also got transferred after the conference....and the efforts of the team went down in the drain....probably the HO thought it was not worth putting in money on another brand at that time....BP continued to struggle in West but it got a shot in the arm around 2000...that story at a later date...thats a crazy story though... 

I had mentioned that we were staying on 11th Road of JVPD. Our son was put in to a play school just across our home. Thats where we met one of my best friends till date, Sujata and Deepak with their lovely kids Akshay and Shweta. They were and are still on the 8th road...next year we went for an admission interview in Jamnabhai and met Sujata and Deepak there too...they were there for Shweta's admission. Shweta and Babloo got admission in Jamnabhai. 

When I came to Bombay and before settling down in our JVPD home, I stayed for a few days with my dear friend MSA Kumar in his Worli apartment. It was on top of Bombay Brasserie, one of the very popular restaurants in Bombay. He used to laugh at my broken Hindi and on Sundays I used to manage some cooking too...his wife Mini Chechi was in Calicut that time...I had mentioned about Kumar in my earlier post...my Madurai days....We had a new year party at our home in Juhu, with Kumar and Mini Chechi and also invited Sabarish who used to work in HL but as Trade Marketing in HO...after a few drinks there was big argument on MBAs and Non MBAs and that led to myself and Kumar cutting off from each other for almost an year...but Jeyanthi and Mini Chechi kept in touch and thanks to them we buried our baggages and still maintaining our friendship. Kumar is IIM A and now settled well in Kochi and does coaching for family run business...and quite successful too. 

Deepak Desai family, Amar and family, Sanjit and Mitha we all bonded very well. 

The Babri masjid demolition impact was huge in Bombay. Everyone knows what happened there and so not getting in to the nuances. But this story is different. Deepak Desai called for a get together at his place in Bombay central. It was around 9th or 10th of December. We debated a lot whether to go ahead with the party or cancel it. Deepak Desai called us individually and told us that things are okay in Bombay central and city but we all need to leave together and come in a convoy...and hence decided to go ahead. From Juhu we all left in a convoy. Sanjit, self and Pradeep in two cars with the respective spouses and children. Till Bandra everything was normal but the moment we entered Mahim it was chaos....I still remember. We stopped at the Mahim Naveena Church and asked a patrolling policeman whether to go ahead was safe....he told us to be careful but gave us the green signal. There was absolutely no traffic and we reached central in no time. Those who know the route from Mahim to Central...you drive straight from Naveena church and go via Shivaji park and straight to Prabhadevi, Worli and take a left at Tardeo. Everyone was there...DR, Naaz, Jerry, Jasmine et al....We all enjoyed discussing the impact of and the fall out of the demolition...there was some fear too as what we heard from people around was quite horrific. Despite pressure from the Desais to stay back, we decided to leave around midnight. It was horrific on the road. While coming back we had to take the other road and not the same Shivaji park road....There was eerie silence and both sides of the road were burning and we could see smoke and fire... we told the women n children in the car to keep their eyes shut and drove madly. The moment we entered Bandra it was different....life was normal and in Juhu absolutely business as usual....in hindsight, we were stupid enough to take that trip...anything could have happened but god saved us that night....

A couple of malaria attacks during the second year in Bombay. I took Babloo and Jeyanthi to Goa with me once and the moment we checked in I fell sick and it was malaria...Babloo also got it....so trip went for a toss. On return to Bombay another attack....but one great Dr treated me well and got out of this issue.

Also the first experience of Bombay monsoon. Our Juhu simplex building water logged till the first level of stair case....fortunately while entering our road I realised it and parked the car on the road and my car got saved. We had to go with out power for a day....

Bombay teaches you a lot....there is no rich or poor...everyone has to go thru the same ordeal  and they are treated the same way...you can be very poor and still survive....the poor dont envy the rich and thats the reason Bombay always move forward. People just live on Vada Pav but you would not find anyone complaining even during very heavy downpour....or trains stopping midway...pot holes and water logging...its tough life but people take it with just a pinch of salt....and live their life well...

My HO visits used to be always exciting either in terms of getting rogered by DR or going out for a meal with the HO team....Fountain cafe was walking distance from Ewart house and most of the times, we visit this place for lunch. Mostly it would be on DR or we would dutch it. But that place was affordable. 

Amar Sinha used to live on SV road, Bandra. One night I get a call from him around 11 telling me he is driving down to our house with his daughter Nikhita who was around 5 yo. She was running high temperature and was crying non stop and wanted to see Rajah uncle.....I didnt know this and was very tensed on what happened to Nikhita, so went down and waited at the gate for Amar to come...the moment she saw me she jumped in to my hands from Amar and with a big smile on her face....fever disappeared...I could feel God that night in her....such lovely memories of Bombay.

Throwing parties are quite common and once we invited our HO team including Naaz and DR to our home but we were never used to such parties and really struggled. We had no assistance from anyone and I tried my hands on cooking taking instructions from Mini Chechi and made fried rice. Finally we got some food from a close by restaurant and managed it...there was no Swiggy or Zomatto those days..

Diwali is big time in Bombay. I learnt Banko, a cards game, which can make you a pauper in no time. It used to be card sessions during Diwali and from around 10 in the night to early hours....with drinks and dinner....exciting times.

I recruited an ASM to manage Bombay with an agency background...that didnt work out...he was good but somehow didnt understand the industry....

We got a GM sales....Bharath Malhotra joined us from ABD, makers of OC...with lots of expectations..he even gave a commitment that he would make Ulhas Nagar to deliver 10000 cases per month....but all air bubbles.....he didnt last long....Vijay Arora who was the RM North got promoted as GM sales....his trade mark statement used to be 'BP is the clear leader in Punjab but how come it is not selling in West?' But nice guy.

Around March 93 VKA came home and told me whether I would be okay to move to Chennai as Regional Manager South but only to look after TN and Kerala...They wanted to split South in to two due to its huge volumes...but I flatly refused....Somehow DR also got convinced with my logic, and he vetoed that move and made me RM-South....2 years was short but I created some very good positive vibes in the market and the trade started supporting us...what I did was to instil confidence in the team by working with them regularly and addressing their issues with solutions....made them to honor their commitments to the trade with in the time frame. We also identified key outlets who are friendly and trustworthy and developed a volume plan for them. This helped and after a long time the sales team of Bombay started putting in hard work and even started visiting bars late hours...Babloo was just settling down in Bombay and we had to shift again....but the beauty was that the family always moved with me....

So bye bye Bombay.....and hallo Chennai....