"Washing powder Nirma, Washing powder Nirma, Doodh si safedi Nirma se aaye, Rangeen Kapda bhi Khil khil Jaaye. Hema, Rekha, Jaya aur Shushma, Sabki Pasand Nirma, Washing powder Nirma," this advertisement jingle is imprinted on the minds of several generations for decades. Have you ever wondered about the man behind the brand? Watch this Business Today Visual Story to know about Nirma founder Karsanbhai Patel, and the heartbreaking story behind the iconic Nirma girl
Born in 1945 to a farmer’s family in Ruppur, Gujarat, Karsanbhai Patel finished his BSc in Chemistry, and worked as a lab technician, first in the New Cotton Mills, Ahmedabad, of the Lalbhai Group and then at the Geology and Mining Department of the state government
In scorching heat on a day in 1969, Karsanbhai Patel was trying to mix Soda Ash and a few other intermediaries, to make a detergent product. He was a qualified Science graduate and was working as a junior chemist in a government laboratory. As a moonlighting activity, he was making detergents in the 100 Sq. Ft. backyard of his home, using bare hands and a bucket. This was an after-office business – a one-man company
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Once the detergent mixture was ready, Karsanbhai Patel would pack them in polythene bags and cycle through the neighbourhoods selling the handmade detergent packets door-to-door on his bicycle. His new yellow detergent powder was priced at Rs 3.50 per kg, at a time when Hindustan Lever's (now HUL) Surf was priced at Rs 13. He was able to sell about 15-20 packets a day on his way to the office, some 15 km away
By 1985, Nirma washing powder had become one of the most popular household detergents in many parts of the country. Gradually, the product became well-accepted in the consumer community. In a short span, Karsanbhai Patel captured the domestic market. He swiftly crafted low-to-medium consumer pockets, a whole new consumer segment in the detergent category
Karsanbhai branded his detergent soap, Nirma, after the name of his daughter Nirupama, who passed away in a car accident. He put her illustration (a girl in the white frock) on the pack and TV commercials just to make sure that everybody remembers her. As Nirma became popular, Karsanbhai Patel felt confident enough to quit his job. He set up shop at a small workshop in an Ahmedabad suburb. The Nirma brand quickly established itself in Gujarat and Maharashtra
With his popular product, Karsanbhai Patel took on mighty multinationals (MNCs). His low-priced Nirma brand sparked a detergent war with bigger rivals such as Unilever and Procter & Gamble. Today, Nirma is one of the largest producers of soda ash in the world by volume, according to Forbes. Within a decade, Nirma was the largest-selling detergent in India. Since production was labour-intensive, Nirma also became a leading employer (employing 14,000 people in 2004)
Made without some phosphates, Nirma was also somewhat more environment-friendly, according to reports. With this brand, Karsanbhai Patel rewrote the marketing rules. After establishing its leadership in economy-priced detergents, Nirma entered the premium segment, launching toilet soaps Nirma bath and Nirma beauty soap, and premium detergent Super Nirma detergent. Apart from India, Nirma also has successful operations in neighbouring countries
Nirma's advertisement is remembered till date. Be it the 'Sabki Pasand Nirma, Washing Powder Nirma' jingle or "Soundarya Sabun Nirma, Soundarya Sabun Nirma," jingle, the brand enjoys a great recall value with Boomers, GenX, Millennials and now even GenZ. According to some reports, as the detergent jingle became popular, customers flocked to local markets to buy the product. However, Patel had withdrawn 90% of the stock, to lather up the demand
It has been reported that for about a month customers kept watching the advertisement, but when they would head out to purchase the washing powder, they would return home empty-handed. The retailers pleaded with Karasanbhai Patel to resume the supply, and after a month, he obliged and flooded the markets with the product. The demand was sky high, so much so that Nirma overtook Surf’s purchases by a large margin and became the most sold detergent that year
In 2019, Karsanbhai was ranked No. 30 by Forbes in its list of India's Richest persons. He has long handed over operations to the next generation and took the company private in 2012. Karsanbhai's two sons, daughter and son-in-law are now at leading positions in the Nirma organisation. Karsanbhai Patel's cement unit Nuvoco Vistas was listed in August 2021