Karsanbhai Patel, Nirma

Nirma surged past Hindustan Unilever and, for the better part of the 1980s, stayed ahead, courtesy Patel’s brilliance and business instincts.

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Updated: 25 Mar 2017 11:17 am

Rs 3 per kg: launch price of Nirma detergent

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Like any entrepreneurial genius, what Karsanbhai Patel did was to spot an unmet need—and he came up with a product that changed the way Indians do their laundry. It’s not necessarily a management degree that makes such stories, but insights gleaned from lived experience. As things stood, only a sliver of the Indian middle-class was used to buying detergent powder. Surf was the market leader, but it wasn’t everyone’s idea of how to wash clothes. For the majority, the traditional way was to scrub away with a rugged soda, fragrance-free soap that was harsh on skin.