Roorkee, a city in Uttarakhand, is dotted with many big and small manufacturers who produce nautical decor products
Roorkee, a gateway to the holy city of Haridwar in the hill-state of Uttarakhand, is also well known for its nautical products market.
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The city that boasts an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), is dotted with many big and small units that produce high-quality engineering equipment tucked away anonymously in its winding lanes. Leaving aside engineering instruments, the manufacturers also produce several products such as compasses, telephones that have an antique look, sand hourglasses and more that serve decorative purposes. DARE met a player in this business, Gaurav Verma, who has been into this for almost 16 years now.
Tracing back the history, Verma says, “In Roorkee these equipment are being manufactured for several decades now. My grandfather started this business way back in 1950. At that time, we used to manufacture drawing and survey equipment. But then with the technology of automation coming up, that business died a slow death. It was then that we decided to venture into the decorative nautical replica market.” Today, his firm, Roorkee Instruments (India), manufactures a variety of products ranging from different types of compasses and telescopes to clocks, telephones and even armor.
The business
In Roorkee, while some players specialize in manufacturing the spare parts for these instruments, there are others who do just the assembling and selling. Verma belongs to the second category. Explaining the nature of his business, he says, “There are a number of units in Roorkee that manufacture parts for these equipment. We buy these parts from those manufacturers in bulk and assemble it in our unit. Our unit has seven workers.”
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| Praveen Verma Roorkee Instruments |
Verma’s products are mostly exported, though not directly but through exporters. “Nearly 99% of our products are exported,” he says. “For export purposes, the products are produced in bulk on the basis of orders. Clients give their specifications or a sample product based on which we complete the order size.” On being asked about the global slowdown, Verma says, “The ongoing recession has taken a heavy toll on my business. As we deal mostly with decorative items and depend heavily on exports, we are facing a severe dip of almost 50% in business. The spending power of people abroad has come down drastically.” Sitting at his temporary stall in Dilli Haat, his brother Praveen, adds, “This is also one of the reasons behind why we have also started looking at the domestic market.” For catering to the domestic market, Verma’s company participates in different exhibitions across the country. According to him, there is considerable demand for his products in the domestic front as well.
The demand
Verma’s products have a good demand abroad, especially due to their antique look. Most of his products are exported to countries with seaports or beaches. His brother shows us two antique-looking copper compasses, one with a Titanic motif and another with Robert Frost’s famous poem Miles to Go Before I Sleep inscribed on it. Comparing domestic and international clients he says, “Though my products are exported mainly due to their decorative value, in India, they sell due to their utility purpose. Here, they do not go for its antique value.” He jokingly says, “Bahar ek garhi ki ittni value nahi hai jittni ek compass ki hai [In the international market a clock may cost much lesser than a compass].” His products have a price tag raging from Rs 100 up to Rs 30,000.
| Sample Product List | |
| Compass | Station clocks |
| Keychains | Telescopes |
| Sand hourglass | Telephone |
| Sundial | Brass sextant |
| Weather vane | |
On being asked about the peak season, he says, “There is no peak season for us as such. There is a slightly higher demand for our products during the Christmas season in the international market. In India, there is no particular season as we have just started.” Besides the compasses, hourglasses and station clocks, his company is witnessing demand for armors. He says an armor may cost anywhere between Rs 25,000 to 30,000. In a year Verma makes a local sale of approximately Rs 10 to 15 lakh, and also manages to pocket nearly US$ 10 to 15,000 per month by displaying his products on e-bay.
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written by Ivygaga, March 15, 2011
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