V for VILLAGE

CITY SLICKER NESTLÉ IS AGGRESSIVELY FANNING ACROSS RURAL INDIA IN SEARCH OF ITS NEXT LEG OF GROWTH. NIRVANA FOR THE MAGGI MAKER, FOR SURE, WON’T BE A TWO-MINUTE GIG

- RAJIV SINGH

Chittawala Khaddar village, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh

Papi Mandal doesn’t know how to pronounce diaper. The 36-year-old can’t get the spelling right, and in all probability, doesn’t even know the names of the top diaper brands. But what the gritty homemaker, who looks after a teeny-weeny store whenever her husband is out in the fields, knows for certain is one singular reality. In her sleepy village, tucked some 163 km away from the national capital and 445 km from the state capital of Uttar Pradesh, the demand for bachcho ki chaddi (kids’ underpants) is quite high.

“Mami and Hoogi ka dus rupaya waala packet ka demand hai (There is demand for ₹10 packs of Mami and Hoogi),” says Mandal, alluding to MamyPoko pants and Huggies. “There are other brands too that fly off the shelves,” claims the class V dropout, pointing towards a clutch of low-unit packs hanging from a slender rope at the storefront: Tata Tea, Colgate, Sunsilk, Boroplus, Glow & Lovely, and Patanjali. A bunch of bright yellow packs of Maggi in a small basket breaks the dull monotony of the store. A string of ₹2 pouches of Nescafe too adds some colour. The facade of the shop is covered with an iron grill to keep the products safe from the monkey menace. As Forbes India’s photographer clicks with his Nikon camera, a few kids who had assembled at the store out of curiosity break into a giggle. “Camera dekh (look at the camera),” says a 12-year-old. “DSLR hai, aur remote flash trigger hai (it’s a DSLR with a remote flash trigger),” replies his friend, who checks the name of the model on his smartphone.