Real Lassi of Ahmedabad!

Farki

If you want to have the real test of Lassi, then Farki is the best place in the city. It is more than 50 years old and has never stopped growing.

Poster showing journey of last 50 years

It has a big Ice Cream Parlor in Sahibaug and serves various kinds of ice-cream, milk-shakes, kulfi and Lassi. The Lassi of Farki has been the same in last 5 decades. They have added new flavors, but the originality is still intact. People who have grown in Ahmedabad are now in 50s become nostalgic while talking about Farki. It was not only an Ice-cream Center, but also a popular meeting point.

People throng this place eve in winter. During Summer time, the buzz around this place is most loud and you can always find this as a crowded one. Their food is not only tasty and mouth-watering, they prepare it under hygienic environment. They don't compromise on quality and this has always been the reason for their success.

Lassi

If you love Lassi, this is the perfect place for you in Ahmedabad.

Pamphlet World

Pamphlets being inserted at Panjrapole

When we open newspaper in the morning, some pamphlets or flyers just slip out of pages. Some people just ignore, few pick up and scan them and some may contact the advertiser to enquire. Each one of us react in various ways, depending upon our mood swing, interest and time factor. Some are wise enough to keep some useful looking pamphlets properly for later use. We hardly realize that how much money has been spent on printing and distribution of that pamphlet.

There are some issues which one must be aware with while advertising through pamphlets. Charge for distribution of 1000 pamphlets vary from Rs 80 to 150. How much one is going to pay depends upon his bargaining power. The newspaper hawker will give you a well-made out excuse that if you want good service (proper distribution) of pamphlets, then you need to pay well.

The distribution channel starts from the place where pamphlets are printed. That printer will guide you about the agent. The agent will get the distribution done through newspaper vendors and hawkers by paying them commission.

You will be amazed with the speed with which pamphlets are inserted into the newspaper. Today, when i reached the spot in Panjrapole at 3.30am, i saw in about 1 hour, 2500 pamphlets were inserted in newspapers by one hawker. Though i had specified that i want all my pamphlets to go with only The Times of India, i was said that it was very difficult and time taking task. I had to compromise.

It is important that you stand with your distribution agent while insertion, so that they don't do any mischief. Vendors and hawkers themselves claim that there are some among them, who don't insert the complete bunch of pamphlets in order to save time. Some are reliable, but not everyone.

Ahmedabad has a big community of businessman. So, number of pamphlets distributed daily are huge. On Sunday the number is quite high as readers are more likely to check pamphlets in relaxed mood with plenty of spare time Most businessman prefer Gujarati newspapers as they have higher circulation and demand.

There are printers in Ahmedabad who print 10,000 Black & White pamphlets in just Rs 1200. The quality of paper is very cheap. At the same time, glossy paper colour printing will increase the price many fold. The selection usually depends upon the type of target market and the product/service.

How effective are pamphlets in modern day is debatable with so many other medium for communication.
But, it's popularity does not seem to have diminished. Every businessman loves to try them.

I hope, if you are going to start some business or already into, then this article may be of some interest.
Thanks for reading!

Have you saved life?

If yes, then you must have felt immense happiness that comes with saving life of another human being and here is one more chance for you.

If not, then here is a chance to donate your blood and save life of a stranger. Anytime 4 Anybody is organizing a blood donation camp at Commerce 6 Road on 2nd December between 9am to 3pm.

We have already covered about this group which is doing a great social job in Ahmedabad.

Blood Donation is very safe and healthy practice. Donating blood involves a preliminary check-up, screening for infection markers and blood group and knowledge about the health history of an individual.

Interestingly, blood donation reduces the chance of a heart attack because it thins out the blood. Actually, 70-80ml of Red Blood Cells get destroyed on their own every 120 days, and the bone marrow manufactures new ones. So, donating blood in no way interferes with your blood system.

The shortage of safe blood particularly impact children suffering from Thalassemia, road traffic accidents and trauma victims, women with complicated pregnancy, cancer patients and those undergoing major surgeries. So, we all must donate blood and be proud of saving some one's precious life.

Contact- 9909377555,8690918295

Badalti Jindagi, Ahmedabad ki!

Ahmedabad is changing every moment! It is not like Mumbai, but it's surely catching up.

A View of Ahmedabad, Sabarmati River

It's a big city! Becoming Bigger!

Faster! Things are moving quickly.

Infrastructure of high quality, better healthcare facilities, political stability, budding entrepreneurs, good quality educational structures and growing businesses are changing lives every day.

Look around and you will find that this is a city where you can see wealth everywhere. Money is being made like anything. People have become more and more ambitious. As soon as people marry, couples want to have their own home and own car. Child can wait, but car is must. The thought process has taken a complete turn around. Who is going to wait for retirement to buy home? Most people are ready to pay home loan installment and live life working to get free. We have become slave of our wishes.

With the population graph crossing 60 lakh mark, city is spreading in all direction. Towers are coming up everywhere to accommodate the burgeoning crowd. Though 2 bedroom new house in Satellite area may cost more than 1 crore, there are buyers. Rent of shops and homes are just going upside, but who cares. Just watch the road for 5 minutes during any busy hour and this city will start telling about itself. You will see Audis & Mercedes zooming around. School going students riding bikes. Everyone will be seen in a hurry. Roads are overflowing with vehicles, struggling to contain ever-growing traffic.

No one has time - that's what we all say. You will find people who hardly know their neighbors. Restaurants are full of customers on weekends. Malls are becoming place to pass time. Some have closed down as their were more window shoppers than actual shoppers visiting that place. Yes! Multiplexes are doing good business, in spite of hardly 10 hit movies in a year. The reason being that there are few alternatives for entertainment. Sports for children are luxury. Where can you find fields or playgrounds? Builders are minting money and leaving no place empty. Computer games have become the left-over option.

Lifestyle has changed, living standard has improved, but relationships have taken the beating. Now, there is less trust, more jealousy, less interaction and more gossip. With the single child policy being voluntarily followed, there is death of brotherhood and sisterhood. One silver lining on this ominous cloudy sky is that there are more females joining job now. So, gender bias is loosing it's strong grip.

As it is always said, everywhere in the world, you can talk to a person and identify their place of upbringing. So, future of next generation will be an alter ego of this city. The way we will treat this city will impact our children.

Lets respect this city and we will do a very good job for our kids.

Thanks for reading!

Serve Well or Perish Badly

We all are living in a world of ferocious competition. No business can afford to survive with lack-luster service.

PINTOO, Shivranjani Cross-road

Recently i have seen some examples which i am sharing with you which shows how simple things in business can harm or even kill the business.

First one, I went to ZOOMIN at Crossword at SG highway. The person at the counter was busy on phone, i waited for 5-7 minutes. When i enquired that person, if there is someone to attend me, he replied that there is con-call going on, so i may have to wait for half hour. The reply was terse and there was no politeness. He was not even concerned about the reason why i was at his counter. I went there again, same day in the afternoon, another person attended me, and i was just handed a brochure when i enquired about the T-shirt printing pricing and varieties. That could have happened at the first visit. Why the hell, i was given such service. I went there to know deeply about T-Shirt printing. Some information are available on their site. But, information given by the person who attended me on my 2nd visit was quite different.

Second one, my wife and her sister went to PINTOO to buy some dresses for my son. There clothes were not only very costly, even employees behavior was cheap. Specially, one employee behavior was so disgusting that they left the shop without buying anything. In the same building there is another shop named SHREE PRABHUKRUPA FASHION which sells children clothes of various varieties at reasonable price. They are into this business from last 50 years and are specialised in Ziayana & Childrens Wear. This is really an eye opener experience. A big shop with huge infrastructure failed where a small shop delivered proper service. Response and price were two factors which proved the make or break factor. 

Third, about 5 weeks back, when i went to Srinath Jee, me and my wife went to Sankalp Restaurant for dinner. We were surprised to see that only few customers were there as the past experience suggests that one will have to wait. Finally, when the food came, it was stale and we were deeply disappointed. Staff numbers also seemed to be lower than on previous occasions. Sankalp has also closed down their restaurant which was in Wide Angle. I have been to this particular restaurant more than hundred times. But, it seems there is something wrong with the Sankalp Group. They are loosing their focus. I know they are now entering into real estate too. It will be sad if Sankalp looses their charm. I will miss their tasty  Masala Dhosa. I have no information about their performance at many other branches. So, i am not in situation to give any strong statement. But, indications are ominous, if they don't regain their culinary touch.

These examples show that small negligence can turn the table for any business.

We all would be happy, if these things change at these mentioned places. 

Once & Forever - Foodies

It's different! Not just in one way, but in many ways!

A unique concept of selling food - Owner Nilay Vyas has named it "Foodies - Eat at Home".

Just as the name sounds, it will make you a foodie, once and forever.

Foodies, Mansi Circle, Vastrapur

This place serves food only for take away. Nilay believes that instead of waiting for an hour in front of any restaurant, just eat the food at home, without cooking at home. He delivers the food at home.

The food is so mouth-watering that it will make you go for more. It was less oily and spiced perfectly. I have already eaten on 4-5 occasions. They serve Punjabi & Chinese food. Only Vegetarian. Their price is very competitive. I liked everything about Foodies.

Just now i had the chance to interact with Nilay while i was at his counter to place my order. He is actually a Table Tennis coach, having experience of coaching at the state level.  His profile is quite interesting and i will cover him in my next post. He is friendly and quite gentle. I was pleased to meet him. It will be interesting to know more about him. 

Oh, the food from Foodies has arrived, i am going to enjoy. 

If you are feeling hungry, just call 079-30619400!

Advani Rath Yatra - Pyrotechnic

There was beautiful show of pyrotechnic to celebrate the crossing of Rathyatra through Vastrapur.

Diwali Night at Ahmedabad

Himalaya Mall

Gurudwara, SG highway

Patang Restaurant

Town Hall

First time in Ahmedabad - Make Your Life Dust-Free

Something new is here! First time in Ahmedabad a new service has been started by Magic Duster which promises to make our home dust-free

Cleaning is done by professional cleaners with the help of Vacuum Cleaners.

There are many places in the house which are usually not cleaned in regular cleaning. They clean those place along with regular cleaning by vacuum cleaners. They make our home and office dust-free. They save our precious time and energy, so that we can use that time for any productive work or spend quality time with our family and friends.

More information is available on the website http://www.magicduster.org/. Please visit the website and also book Magic Duster to get your home cleaned by professional cleaners.

Service will start from 30th Oct, 2011. But, booking has already started. Go for it, now!

GolGappa, PaaniPuri, Puchkas or GupChuph

As the heading suggests, these all are just different names of the most delicious snack that is sold all over India. In Ahmedabad , each nook and corner has someone selling Paanipuri (the name used here).

MahaLaxmi PaniPuri

It was just a co-incidence that i found the eatery named "MahaLaxmi PaniPuri". I was just standing on the opposite side of the road when i found many persons gathered in almost round circle eating PaniPuri. At that time, i decided to visit that place one day.

Today, almost after 2months when i finally went to that place, i saw the same scene. People were waiting for their chance. I had to wait for few minutes. I found out that MahaLaxmi PaniPuri is 40 years old and owned by Chacha and Bhatija. They have a unique way to serve their delicacies. They don't serve on plate, but hand over directly into your hand. This surprised me.

They must be selling more than 2000-3000 PaniPuris/day. The timing is from 3-6pm only. But, i am sure, by the closing time, they must be through with their tasty stuffs. The salted, minted, spicy and flavored water was so tasty that i have already started missing it. I am surely going to be these as soon as i get another chance.

Their business model seemed so simple. Just make the best product and no promotion is required. Word of mouth advertisement is enough for MahaLaxmi PaniPuri. Their taste is their brand. Just try!