Wholesale David's AW News: To Many Culture Shocks - Ancient Wisdom

Greetings from Northern India

Hope you guys are well and business is good. I'm travelling with Toni on our Epic Asian Adventure seeking out new exciting products to boost your business. I'd say "elevate to the next level," but that would mark me out as a lazy AI user. Is it just me or is all the world descending into an AI generated (empathy free) sameness. The same vocabulary and turn of phrases everywhere. I was a big fan of AI a year ago but now I'm not so sure. It has it's uses but not every flipping time. Use your brain please.

Sorry about the rant, even here in India I can see adverts composed by it and I'm thinking the whole world is losing creativity. And India is a country famous for it's creativity. Last week I was telling you about our visit to the major giftware trade show in Delhi. So much concentrated creativity and beautiful things in one spot it was overwhelming. If you missed it you can catch up here.

Wow this week has been mad. After the trade show we spent some time in central Delhi - the old parts where artisans trade..

I'm seeing India fresh through the eyes of Toni on his first trip, for me it's familiar territory (and I can see things are slowly improving) for Toni there is that culture shock thing going on. Between visits to old suppliers in those ancient areas we squeezed in visits to the epic India Gate, and the ancient and hectic Jama Masjid mosque. Where we were lucky to be given a personalised tour by one of our suppliers local to the area. Total culture shock.

After that we planned to travel north to Panipat, the fabric recycling capital of India famous for Rag Rugs. But there was a problem. You may have read in the news about thousands of revolting farmers angry at price guarantee reforms descending on Delhi to protest. That was all happening between us and Panipat, our car driver cancelled on us. But Mr Chatterjee had a solution and acting quickly managed to secure three tickets on the express train out of New Delhi train station direct to Panipat. Another level of culture shock, the hectic station, the mad rush and scrum to get aboard . But then the next level culture shock.. You see these days since the G20 meeting last year Delhi has been made relatively pretty, it's been cleaned up, painted nicely, lots of murial type art and by simple blocking of anything ugly with huge walls of blue and green corrugated metal fences. But off the main roads or behind those fences the slums of Delhi still exist. As our "express" train trundled out of Delhi at a snail's pace, we saw the other side of Delhi. Another culture shock even for me.

Our very green train and the sad views.

Our guy in Panipat, Raj met us at the station in his nice brand new hybrid car, and drove us through the ramshackle city of Panipat to our hotel. The best he could find us in town, over a rather scruffy shopping centre a sprawling hotel and leisure centre has been built (or still being built it seemed). A monument to bad taste, but at least happy cheerful staff, clean large rooms and good food. There was a large roof terrace restaurant with a big screen playing old Bolliwood music videos, where on Valentine's evening they decorated with pink banners and hearts and a family saxophone band played. The towns relatively well off came with their whole families to enjoy, small well dressed kids running around. Parents and grandparents on big tables. Not many romantic couples, which was a relief for me Chatterjee and Toni.

This part of India has low alcohol taxes and Panipat people like to drink, so it was a jolly affair. Raj explained to us there was a local (dangerous) moonshine culture that the government solved by making good quality drinks cheaper and available through smart clean shops.. all called "English Wine and Beer Shops" of which in this town there are a lot. Why "English" I asked? Because I'm sure you don't actually have English wine in there. It's because the word "English" denotes quality. Good to know

English wine in India!

Panipat products.

After Panipat we took a car with a driver further north to the wood craft city of Saharanpur..

Last time I was here was 2016, and it has improved somewhat... but you know still that culture shock.

More news about that next week.

Meanwhile...

Back in the UK.

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Wishing you an amazing weekend (we will be working as usual).

Take care and Namaste.

David