Click to play videoThe history of south India can be traced back to over 2,000 years. However, it was only 50 years ago when the four southern states were created along linguistic lines.
CNN-IBN unveils the changing face of south India and celebrates the Dravidian spirit in a special series The Golden South.
Chennai: The rustle of beautiful silk sarees, the jingle of intricate gold jewellery and the glittering billboards that dot the city’s landscape inviting customers - Chennai's powerful brands are just getting bigger and better.
The city’s businessmen are out to prove that they are equal to the challenge from the big global and national brands and the most aware among them seem to be the city's saree dealers.
The nine-yard garment has traditionally been Chennai’s most famous and expensive export.
Be it the detailed silk ones depicting the various dance forms like Bharatanatiyam or a the delicate gold-embroidered ones based on a Tamil poet’s imaginative poetry or one that has a Raja Ravi Varma painting embroidered on it, the nine-yard range is mind-boggling.
Expensive they all are, but they are also an indication of the revolution that the traditional silk saree has experienced over the past decades.
The connoisseurs say the change has come about because of severe competition amongst the giants of the silk saree business.
"The customers are getting younger. The biggest question is how to differentiate from your competitor. There's a need to enter new markets and establish a unique image and so innovation and marketing is a must,” says S Shivakumar of RmKV Silks, a saree store.
Estimates show that Chennai's 20 to 25 per cent big retail brands spent over Rs 300 crore on advertisements last year.
Most of them are family-run retail businesses – including popular brands like Nalli Silks and Kumaran Silks – acutely conscious about building their brand image.
Some like Naidu Hall - a general retail shop - now has a sophisticated back-office, an indication of the increasing awareness about the need to go corporate.
“Today if we take any other store, once side is totally modernised while the other is completely neglected. So I want to modernise our backend, keeping in mind our culture and tradition and attachment to customers in the font end,” says Arvind of Naidu Hall.
Looks like going the whole nine yards to corporatisation is a buzz that's here to stay!
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