Hello ,
Greetings from Agra, India. Where I am right now with our India agent Mr Chatterjee.
Last week I was telling you about planting seeds, and all that drama with a gunman in Sheffield happened. You can read it here. Since then I flew to Kuala Lumpur and took an Airasia flight down to Kolkata. After spending two days there we flew to Delhi business done there - and now in Agra.
So all in all been pretty busy.. But still had time to visit the children's home we support with Mr Chatterjee in his home village. I'll tell you about that in another mail.
It's a few years since I have been to Agra, I can say the road from Delhi has improved a lot. Now a clean six lane highway through green rural countryside brings you here painlessly. In Agra there are a few more five star hotels, but beyond the tourist zone (around the Taj Mahal) this city is pretty undeveloped. To say the least!
Get away from the tourist routes, which we needed to do to visit suppliers and even Mr Chatterjee was shocked.
Unpaved roads, collapsing buildings unfinished developments and lots and lots of cows. Cows roaming the streets eating the garbage, blocking the roads. Today I have even seen cows inside a house. Even dead cows rotting in the road. The poverty is depressing, the line between slums and regular housing is slim, and the congestion in some parts is the worst I have seen in India. Fortunately we have a small car and a very good driver, because at times today the car has been crushed in a mass of humanity, with bikes and rickshaws and cows pressing up on all sides. Normally I love a bit of authentic India but the destitution and dirt and neglect has upset me. At one point we stood in a traffic jam in a stinking burst sewer for half an hour, with a cow pressed against the window.
I was here a few years ago and I recall it was bad, but not so bad. I really feel something is wrong here. When you consider the vast amount of wealthy tourists that visit (and some hotels are $1000 a night) where does that money go? One supplier told me he had a big contract to supply a government institution, but the buyer was demanding a personal kickback before he would release payment. "Our enemy is not Pakistan" he said ruefully, "It's our own bureaucrats and politicians".
I'm back at the hotel after a long day checking some hopeless suppliers. I have seen child labour, terrible noisy dusty conditions, downright dangerous machinery. Of four possible suppliers, only one has reasonable standards, one a disaster zone on every front, one switched his phone off on the way there (when we asked to see the factory), and one a borderline case. So feeling a bit defeated right now. I have to remind myself that India is not all bad, some parts and many people are amazing, let's see what tomorrow brings..
Meanwhile in sunny Sheffield, a Salt Lamps container just arrived (from a new supplier) and we are excited. At last some reasons to be cheerful.
Here are 10 reasons Salt Lamps are good for your customers and good for your business.
1. They turn positive ions negative, which ironically is a positive thing :)
2. This helps to you to think more clearly, and cleans the air.
3. The romantic glow not only makes your shop look amazing but turns your customer's home all cozy and comfy.
4. There is something elemental, solid and natural about a million year old glowing rock.. don't you agree?
5. Believed to boost energy and positive thinking - I so need that today :/
6. Environmentally friendly, and creating much needed employment and trade in the remote Himalayan area they come from.
7. People love them! See how fast they sell..
8. They can aid sleep we are told, pair them with our Bali Dream Catchers and Lavender oil for the ultimate nights sleep.
9. Fat free, gluten free, suitable for vegans and vulcans, and contain a surprisingly high profit content.
10. As far as I know salt lamps don't attract smelly cows. So that's a plus :)
More news next week.
Take care
David
