,
8 tweets,
2 min read
Read on Twitter
Saravana Bhavan Rajagopal Annachi was rightly sentenced to life term for 'ordering' the murder of Prince Santhakumar. His personal kinks undid all the remarkable achievements he pulled off as an entrepreneur and in setting the standards of excellence in his business. 1
He was always quick to spot a trend, and betted big on the rising influence of middle class in the 80s. Even though the fare in his restuarants were 'costly' to the middle class market, he developed his business on their patronage because he delivered hygiene & quality. 2
Long before when home food delivery was not even thought of, he had conceived the idea and executed it with aplomb . When branding through standardisation of taste and quality was not even heard of here, he had accomplished it. 3
Most importantly, his arrival ushered in a major and important sociological churn. One, he proved a major point in entering, and succeeding, in a vegetarian restaurant business that was till then mostly dominated in these parts by Brahmins and Udupi folks. 4
Two, his spectacular rise and the general business model that he kind of established also inspired the Nadar folks, who were always industrious and hard working, to think big and give up their provincial approach. 5
In a sense, it can be argued that the success of Saravana Bhavan really set the stage for the shopping brands that dominate the TN business landscape now (Saravana Stores, Pothy's, Jeyachandran et al.) He was a major agent of change, as it were. 6
He stuck to the wisdom of growing one's business through the profits generated through one's business. But he was not reluctant to change or embracing newer management dictums. He brought to his business an earthy wisdom but the operations were run with a modern flair. 7
Annachi could have been a business icon, and his achievements celebrated and studied in business schools. Alas, his life ended as a well-quoted case in legal schools. A travesty really!
