Ganesha On The Dashboard

Diwali is on Monday 24th October, and tomorrow is Dhanteras. Dhanteras is the most auspicious day in India, and maximum number of cars are retailed on this day every year . I am anxiously waiting for the retail figures of cars delivered across India on Dhanteras 2022. I hope and pray that my worries will be out of place. Before the pandemic dealerships across India delivered more than 15,000 cars on Dhanteras. Dhanteras is a very auspicious day for the purchase of gold, car, etc., and it is believed to bring prosperity to the buyer.

India is a land of festivals and festivals bring joy to people irrespective of cast and creed or the rich and the poor . For marketers it is an opportunity to promote their products. For Kerala the best season for marketers is Onam and the for the rest of India there are?several festivals like Ganesh Festival, Dussehra and Diwali. There are also festivals common for many states, but known by different names; Vishu in Kerala, Bohag Bihu in Assam, Baisakhi in Punjab, Puthandu (Tamil New Year) in Tamil Nadu, and Pohela Boishakh, Bengali New Year.

Another very auspicious day for buying cars, gold and other luxury items is the Akshaya Tritiya. Initially, Akshaya Tritiya was meant for the purchase of only gold and in some southern states. Later, marketers saw an opportunity and now Akshaya Tritiya is a national event when you will find people queuing up in front of jewelleries to purchase at least one gram of gold. I still remember the business done in one day by a jewellery in Hubli when I helped them with a creative explaining the legend of Akshaya Tritiya.

For most of the families their car is like a family member and it is taken care of with passion and respect. According to Hindu Mythology, almost all the Gods have special vehicles or ‘Vahanas’ viz. the Garuda of Lord Vishnu, the Nandi of Lord Shiva (There is a car dealership named after Nandi), the Mooshika (Mouse) of Lord Ganesha, the Peacock of Lord Subramanian...It is also believed that the gods will be pleased only if you keep their Vahanas happy.?

I learnt a lot about these traditions from my mother and later working in North Karnataka, a very traditional market, where auspicious and inauspicious periods govern the car retails. These beliefs are more in practice in joint-families where the elders take the decisions in consultation with astrologers or some pundits.?

My first stint in North Karnataka was in Hubli in 2001. The dealership was averaging less than twenty cars month on month. Building a strong team, we were able to cross 50 retails within three months. Encouraged by the incremental numbers, we set a target of 100 cars for March 2002. March is probably the best month for retails across India leaving festive seasons. I got a shock when we closed the month with only 45 retails which was way below the numbers we were averaging by then. I was trying to figure out what really happened in March. Early, the following month a friend introduced me to a professor who had retired from the Karnataka University, Dharwad. Noticing that I was preoccupied, the professor asked me the reason. I explained the reason for my preoccupation. The professor smiled and said, “Don’t you know that during the month of Holi which usually falls in the month of March the people in North Karnataka do not even buy even inner wear, let alone cars.” That was a shocking news to me. “Why?” I asked. While Holi is celebrated across the country, the people of North Karnataka moan the entire month for a different reason.?

I took this insight seriously and started consulting the professor once a quarter to understand the auspicious and inauspicious periods. Knowing in advance, what to expect helped us overcome the issues and take corrective steps and plan appropriate strategies and advertisements.?

Man has landed on the moon. During a month we see full moon, from no-moon to different crescents to the full moon. No-moon is called ‘Amavasya’. On Amavasya, the people of North Karnataka wash their vehicles, apply sandal paste on the vehicles,?garland the vehicles and do ‘Pooja’ (a ritual) of the vehicles. On the day of Amavasya, the day before and after Amavasya our service loads are high and we started planning to meet the load.?

Once, I saw a very successful dentist roaming in our service floor. Usually he is very busy in his clinic till midnight because of the number of appointments. I went to the floor to greet the Doctor. Without any question from my side the doctor offered his explanation, “Amavasya, no patients, so I decided to spend some time in your service with my car”. During my early days in Hubli, I would come to know that the day is Amavasya on the way to my office, when I saw the vehicles coming form the opposite side with garlands and sandal paste on the body and the windshield of the vehicles.?

Strangely, Amavasya is a very auspicious period in the neighbouring state of Tamilnadu. They prefer to take delivery of the vehicles on Amavasya. Aadi in Tamil Nadu and Aashad in Karnataka which fall sometime in the month of July are considered very inauspicious when people in these places did not do any shopping in olden days. You will start appreciating marketers when you see the crowd in the streets of Chennai, even during the deadly pandemic, for the ‘Aadi Sale’. (I fondly remember the book, ‘All Marketers are Liars’ by Seth Godin).

Different rituals are followed by different communities. Rituals have become part of the delivery process. Many dealerships provide the materials required for the ritual. The rituals are followed by the handing over of the vehicle key. In some rituals, the vehicle is parked facing the East and four lemons are kept under each wheel. When the customer starts the car and the wheels start rolling, the lemons are crushed under the wheels. This ritual is believed to drive away all the evil spirits.?

In Karnataka and many other states the cars are delivered with a small Ganesha Idol on the dashboard. They believe that even if they don't follow the traffic or motor vehicle rules, lord Ganesha will protect them from all the adversities. I used to stock a good number of Ganesha Idols in the showroom along with other merchandise. Once an idol supplier came to my office and spread his collection on my desk. I was surprised to see some of the idols had Chinese face. I looked at the vendor quizzingly. “From China, Sir”, he explained. The Japanese visitors from the OEM were also thrilled when I offered them these idols as gifts to carry home after I explained to them the significance of lord Ganesha on the dashboard, in removing all obstacles.?

Some of the customers bring their pujari or priest to do the ritual at the showrooms. Some take the cars to the temple or the church to do the ritual(known in India as Vahana Pooja). Many temples have the rates displayed on a board just like a menu card for these rituals. The rates vary from two wheelers, three wheelers, cars and LCVs.?

In my experience the most impressive of all the delivery processes was ‘Waku- doki Waku-doki’ of Toyota. This came into existence sometime in 2012, introduced by the then MD of Toyota Kirloskar Motors (TKM). I requested the MD to explain the Japanese term, Waku-doki Waku-doki. MD San, as we fondly address him explained: “The car is the second most expensive and personal item after the house acquired by an individual, and has an emotional connect”. He continued, keeping his hand on the heart, “Waku-doki Waku-doki is the feeling, how your heart reacts when you meet the person with whom you want to spend the rest of your life”. At that point I asked him, “What happened to that girl you met which prompted you to launch the Waku-doki Waku-doki?” MD san just smiled and left. A week later our receptionist called me on the intercom. “Sir, MD San is at the reception”. I ran down to meet him. Without much ado, he pointed to a Japanese lady standing and peering inside one of the cars in the display and said with a smile, “Ganesh San, you asked about the girl. That is the girl, I married her”. The lady also smiled at me. Nobody could have explained the concept of Waku-doki Waku-doki better. He had taken the trouble of dropping into our showroom on the way to the airport to answer my question.?

We continued our Waku-doki Waku-doki journey in the best way possible. With permission from the prospects, we used to capture their?moments with Toyota cars and their experience in the facility. We also used to share these photographs with the prospects. And finally, when they come to take delivery of the car they will find the photographs festooned in the delivery area, beside the car. Needless to say that they were delighted to see their journey, (buyer’s journey)especially the family. After the delivery of the car, the photographs were put in a special envelope and gifted to the customer. This process gave us the highest rating in the delivery process.?

When I read about the deliveries on Dhanteras, good old memories come up as several waves. The purpose of the rituals is to delight the customers and one delighted customer gives us several customers and the chain goes on. And now, I pray on the eve of Diwali,that with this Dhanteras 2022, the industry will revive and we will have a Dhanteras every month, without the fear or anxiety of the pandemic.?

Happy Diwali.......