Kolkata diamond markets shining
Kolkata: Kolkattans
are in love with diamond. The city has emerged to be the biggest
market for diamond by recording a maximum growth rate for
five years in comparison to other markets for the same in
rest of the country. The growth rate of 32 per cent witnessed
in Kolkata's diamond market in comparison to the national
growth rate of 24 per cent speaks volumes of this new reality.
The city has outshined three other metropolitan cities-- Delhi,
Mumbai and Chennai. According to the Business Manager of De
Beers, Premjit Sengupta, "The growth rate of diamond market
in Delhi is 21 per cent, Mumbai 23 per cent and Chennai 19
per cent while Kolkata's rate is 32 per cent. With investments
flooding Bengal and IT companies setting up their shops the
overall purchasing power and attitude of common people of
the city has undergone a sea change. Kolkatans, who have been
viewed as conservative buyers in the past, are now experiencing
a revolution in the retail market with new shopping malls
and brands opening up their outlets. Local Bengalis, who are
known for savings and once a year long travels, are now spending
a lot on their lifestyle. This new purchasing trend among
Bengalis is boosting the trades such as retail garments, jewellery
and many other items related to one's social status. Sengupta
of De beers said: "The main drivers behind this phenomenal
growth are availability, stock and range. Earlier, it was
thought that diamonds are for the rich and famous. Continuous
campaign has break the common myth . Now all established jewellers
in the city devote 40-50 per cent stock space to diamond ornaments
suitable for all pockets." Anarghya Chowdhury, the owner of
Anjali Jewellers, says that the tremendous growth has been
reflected in their all outlets. "Diamond is actually one's
style statement and it talks about power. Earlier, Kolkatans
did not know what to do with their money. But now they have
the places to spend," he added. Customers admit that now small
diamonds are available which enable middle-class buyers to
opt for diamond jewellery. Swasati, a customer, said: "Earlier,
diamond was out of our reach but now it is available in small
budgets. So we can also buy diamond items." The sky-rocketing
price of gold is another reason for diamond to shine. The
Executive Director of Senco Gold, Subhankar Sen, says: "The
most interesting thing is that Kolkata has been recorded 30
per cent growth in diamond market for quite a long time so
it's a consistent growth." At the same time, the concept of
Diamond Mall, like Fortnox, where all diamond brands are available
under one roof, is also another boosting factor.
-Jan 28, 2008
Abu Jani, Sandeep Khosla's journey to success
London: British
Prime Minister Gordon Brown's wife Sarah picked Indian designers
Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla to make ensembles for her while
she was on a visit with Brown to India. However, the road
to international acclaim has certainly not been an easy one
for the renowned designers. Jani grew up in Bombay in the
1960s. His Muslim family ran a hardware business, which they
wanted him to join. "But I knew very early on that I wanted
to do something creative. I was good at drawing and I got
beaten up on many occasions, in school and at home, for sketching
all the time," Timesonline quoted Jani, as telling on an interview.
Khosla's family, on the other hand, were refugees from Pakistan
after Partition in 1947. "They lost everything," he said.
Like Jani, his family were keen for him to join their leather
business. But like his partner, Khosla knew it was not for
him. He worked for the business for only six months before
he decided to go it alone - with fabrics rather than leather.
"I bought fabrics with my stipend and, with a local tailor,
I worked on ten garments made to my designs . . . and that
was just a beginning," he said. Khosla took his ten pieces
of clothing and moved to Delhi to try to use them to set himself
up as a designer. "Eventually they ended up as gifts because
no one bought them," he said. Meanwhile, Jani was distributing
leaflets for anticorrosion paint at a filling station in Bombay.
"At that point in time, a career in fashion was nowhere on
the scene," he said. Jani finally found a job with Xerxes
Bhatena, a designer. Throughout the early 1980s he progressed
through jobs in clothes exporting, embroidery workshops and,
finally, freelance design for the women of Bombay. "That was
a big thing in those days. Housewives made salwar kameez sets
at home and held sales . . . I used to provide them my design
sketches at a rate of 100 rupees (£1.28) each," he said. In
Delhi Khosla was offered a small space in a clothes shop,
where he began to sell his own clothing line. "But that venture
lasted exactly one year before I realised this was not it.
I felt I was meant for bigger things. I've always wanted to
be somebody who makes a mark," he said. He moved to Bombay
and in August 1986 met Jani and, Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla was
born. "When we started Abu and I had just 500,000 rupees in
our pockets. We said, 'It's going to do what it's going to
do'. We were never afraid of taking risks," he said. Besides
Mrs Brown, the pair has a line-up of well-known clientele,
including Dame Judi Dench, Dame Maggie Smith, Darcey Bussell,
the dancer, and Sophie Marceau, the actress. In their homeland,
Jani and Khosla are surrounded by the Indian Bollywood stars.
In a span of nine years, they have established their first
London store, their British profits have doubled, and last
summer they appeared in BusinessWeek's list of the 50 most
powerful Indians.
-Jan 26, 2008
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