10 Indian Brands That Are Giving Tough Competition To Foreign Ones

All is well and desi! Turns out we aren’t all that swayed by the winds of globalization. Even today, there are some iconic Indian brands that are keeping phoren brands on the edge.

1. Café Coffee Day

Café Coffee Day is an Indian café chain owned by Amalgamated Bean Coffee Trading Company. Chikmangalur-based Amalgamated Bean coffee trading company is the largest producer of Arabica beans in Asia, growing coffee in its own estates of 12,000 acres and exporting to various countries including USA, Europe and Japan. Today, Café Coffee Day, or CCD, as it is commonly known, has almost 1534 outlets across 28 states of India.  It has also recently expanded outside India with outlets in Karachi, Vienna, Dubai and Prague. Foreign brands like Starbucks, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Costa Coffee and Gloria Jeans Coffees have not been able to stir this brand from its place.

2. Thums Up

It is well known among marketers that Coke actually bought this iconic soda drink in 1993 from the erstwhile owners Chauhan Brothers to kill it, since it was reigning over the market with the largest share (36 per cent). Even after being acquired by the company, it still continued to be the drink favored by the masses, and still has the highest market share that stands at 16 per cent with Pepsi and Sprite at a close second (15 per cent).

3. Old Monk

It is the nation’s favorite drink. Launched in 1954, this dark Indian rum is owned by Mohan Meakin Limited. Old Monk has a distinct vanilla flavor, and comes with an alcohol content of 40 per cent. It is produced in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, and is available in all parts of India.
The uniqueness of this brand is that although it indulges in practically zero advertising, its popularity depends on word-of-mouth and customer loyalty. Until recently, Old Monk was crowned as the largest selling dark rum in the world, a title which it lost to McDowell’s No.1 Celebration Rum only last year. Old Monk has been the biggest Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) brand for many years now.

4. Amul

Formed in 1946, Amul is a brand managed by the Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd. (GCMMF), a cooperation jointly owned by 3 million milk producers in Gujarat. Started by Dr Verghese Kurien, founder-chairman of the GCMMF for more than 30 years (1973–2006), Amul spurred the White Revolution in India. It is one of the largest milk products’ players in the country, and has withstood competition from private players for years.

5. MRF

The MRF story is a truly remarkable one. MRF, or Madras Rubber Factory started out with a funding of Rs.14000 way back in the 40’s, and is today a multi-billion legacy producing quality tyres used all across India and the world, along with a presence in paints, coats, toys, motorsports and cricket training.

6. Royal Enfield

The brand’s iconic motorcycle Bullet enjoys the longest motorcycle production run of all time, making it one of the oldest running bikes of the world. Today the bike is produced at its Chennai facility and is exported to counties in Europe and the US. The craze for this bike is evident from its waiting period. Royal Enfield's current market share in the 250-800cc segment is 97.7 per cent.

7. Lakmé

Lakme is one brand that is giving a stiff neck to neck competition to the billion dollar L’Oreal Group, and how! Owned by Hindustan Unilever and run by CEO Pushkaraj Shenai, Lakmé started out as a 100 per cent subsidiary of Tata Oil Mills, part of the Tata Group. It was named after the French opera Lakmé, the goddess of wealth, also renowned for her beauty. Lakmé began operations in 1952, funnily because the then Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, was concerned that Indian women were spending precious foreign exchange on beauty products, hence personally requesting JRD Tata to manufacture them in India. Lakmé is the current market leader in the Indian cosmetics market with a 17.7 per cent market share.

8.Micromax

Solely owned by Indians Rajesh Agarwal, Sumeet Arora, Rahul Sharma, and Vikas Jain – Micromax started its telecom operations in 2010 – at a time when India was already a hot market captured by international giants Nokia, Samsung, Sony, etc. When Micromax launched their first Android smart phone, no one had much hope from the phone; since Samsung was the only credible brand favored for androids, then. However, as international brands were fighting it out in the crowded urban market space, Micromax launched its phone in the rural market. With cheaper, credible and features-laden phones as their USP, Micromax attracted millions of middle class customers. Micromax today boasts of an impressive 13 per cent market share, giving tough competition to Nokia, which stands second at 20 per cent. Today, the brand has grown strong enough to pull an international celebrity (Hugh Jackman) as its brand ambassador. Go, Micromax!

9. Airtel

Bharti Airtel is an Indian multinational telecommunications services company, operating in 20 countries across South Asia, Africa and the Channel Islands. Airtel, headed by Sunil Bharti Mittal is the world's fourth largest mobile telecommunications company by subscribers, with over 275 million subscribers across 20 countries. It is also the largest cellular service provider in India, with 192.22 million subscribers.

10. Raymond

Raymond Group is one of India's largest branded fabric and fashion retailers. Founded in the year 1925 in Mumbai, Raymond today owns some of the well-known apparel brands like Raymond, Raymond Premium Apparel, Park Avenue, Park Avenue Woman, Manzoni, ColorPlus, zapp, Notting Hill & Parx. The group has over 60 per cent market share in worsted suiting in India. Its products are exported to over 55 countries including the United States, Canada, Europe, Japan and the Middle East.
Photo: © Thinkstock/Gettyimages (Main Image)

5 Canvas Shoe Styles You Should Have

Canvas shoes are pretty much the part of a youngster’s summer uniform. A pair of jeans/shorts, a solid T-shirt and canvas shoes can take you anywhere; be it to the mall, market, or if you are lucky like us, even the office! Take a look at these 5 cool canvas shoe styles that we dig.

1. Vans off The Wall 

© Tumblr
In the early 1970s, almost all Southern Californian skateboarders wore Vans shoes, preferring them for their rugged make and sticky sole. Forbes magazine has recognized Vans as one of "America’s Best Small Companies." The brand also sponsors adventure sports teams in skateboarding, surfing, BMX and Moto X. It is available on Flipkart.

2. Nike 

©  Nike
Inspired by skateboarding icon Eric Koston, the Nike SB Eric Koston iD Men's Shoe epitomizes boardfeel and is also available for design customization.

3. Mast & Harbour

© Mast & Harbour
These casual men’s black-and-white shoes are round toed with a low top and slip-on styling, perfect to wear with a pair of shorts on a breezy Sunday afternoon, sippin’ a nice cocktail too may I add. Available on Myntra.

4. Esbe, India 

© Esbe
Esbe adds vibrancy to breathless things like canvas shoes, bags, badges, clocks and T-shirts by hand painting them and giving them a fresh dose of originality. For this shoe, the artist who is quite a fan of superheroes wanted to permanently etch the mystery associated with Batman and wear his fascination everyday.

5. Chuck Taylor All Star

© Converse
The most legendary and iconic shoe of all time. The Chuck Taylor All Star converse shoe has become indelibly linked with youth culture encompassing fashion, music and art to define a casual style since generations. The shoe was adopted by the Punk movement in the 1960s as a badge of rebellion and later even by the Rock movement, confirming it as a hugely popular rock ‘n’ roll shoe. It was, and still is a pop culture staple and an American icon.
Photo: © Converse (Main Image

Being Single is Fun

While being in a relationship can have its own charms, most people agree that being single is the best romantic situation possible.
So for all you dumped and weeping souls, Mensxp.com brings you a list of reasons why being single is a good thing.

1. Thy Will Be Done!

One look at those poor blokes in a relationship is enough to bring to mind the evils of slavery. A relationship is nothing but bondage, and not even the sexy kind. You constantly need to seek approval from your spouse or girlfriend for everything under the sun, from what tie you should be wearing to what food you should be eating. One can cite examples of some wretched souls who cannot even urinate without seeking permission first. Is that a kind of life you want for yourself? Being single means that you are the master of all you survey, the sole captain of your ship. You can blissfully roll out of bed in the late afternoon, without having to endure a nagging partner belting angry sopranos about your irresponsibility. No one will ever tell you to tuck your shirt in if you don’t want to. Nobody shall wish to correct you if you wish to fling your towel on the bed, and leave it there. You will be the God of your own space. Sweet, isn’t it?

2. No Awkward ‘We-Need-To-Talk’ Moments

While men around the world claim to be fearless in every respect, when it comes to talking about ‘where this relationship is going’ they all end up cowering in desolate corners, praying for their dear lives. What can one say? If this truly was a patriarchal society, then the dear patriarchs would have abolished this evaluation altogether. This situation is awkward in innumerable ways. Women borderline emotional wrecks and a single wrong gesture can have them emptying their tear glands for dear life. Let’s face it, men are averse to emotions. Neither do they indulge in crying nor can they handle criers well. Being single means never having to deal with situations like these. The only time you get to tear up is when you laugh really hard.

3. Gawk at Anyone

Women do not understand the beauty of being endowed with sight. Having sight means having the ability to stare at anything under the sun like the hills, the vales, the rippling rivers, a beautiful day and even the sensuous feminine contours along the back of an attractive lady. Staring isn’t a crime. It is simple, satisfying and far from illegal. It is just one of the few perks that a guy gets to enjoy and thanks to our ‘loving’ partners, even this is rendered undoable. What is left to enjoy if men cannot visually feast on feminine beauty? Being single means having no one to shoot dirty looks at you for letting your eyes roam astray, leaving you to feel as happy as a hungry bunny in a field full of carrots.

4. Rampant Bed Space

Woe to the girlfriend who sleeps on the pretence of kicking her morbidly tired partner all night! Women have the most annoying habit of controlling everything in sight. They will tell you how to stand, how to move and even how to sleep! Some are paranoid enough to demarcate bed space clearly. One can regale the male population with fearful predicaments of the men who dared to bypass the meticulously set borders, but why scare you any further? Being single means that you can occupy all the bed space and sleep in peace, without having to play tug-of-war for the blanket. You can sleep with your legs on the headboard, or even roll off the edges and never have anyone to complain about it.

5. Saving Money

The biggest hassle of being in a relationship is having no control over your cash outflow. God save your soul and pocket if you have a high-maintenance partner! She’ll max out your credit card for insignificant things like her dog’s manicure, eyelash lengthening and buying the entire department store in a single visit. Not to be sexist, but the only task women perform with perfection is spending money! Men in relationships have had their pockets screeching in agony over the amounts of money spent in pampering their girlfriends. What can one do? Women proverbially hold us by the balls, crushing any hopes of freedom whatsoever. Either you lose money when you give in to her desires or you still lose your sanity if you don’t. Being single, on the other hand, reunites you with your full budget, leaving you to sing happy crooning lullabies of togetherness. With no money to lose, you can store it for future emergencies or use it for your own good.

6. Spend Time with Your Friends

To the girlfriend, a ‘boy’s night-out’ is always an out-of-bounds forage into infidelity. While she flutters her eye lashes in utter approval of her friends, no matter how skanky they might be, she’ll always hold her partner’s friends in contempt for reasons that transcend all sense. For every commonplace anomaly she will blame his friends as if they were a gang of criminals roaming around scot-free. From a leaky pipe to split ends, it seems that everything under the sun has his friends to blame. She will throw surreptitious glances when they come home to watch the game or lurk around in shady corners to catch them leading her boyfriend to infidelity. Being single means getting rid of this psychotic woman and spending some quality time with your friends. Now you can do your heart’s desire, without having to worry about a moody girlfriend waiting to pounce on you at home.
Singlehood has perks fantastic enough to make even the most committed of men reconsider their decisions. Here’s hope that the above-mentioned points drive some sense into men and let them make proper choices in life.

How To Take Care Of Your Beard

Some women believe that men are disgusting creatures, and they have their reasons to believe so. Beard uncleanliness is, perhaps, one such reason why men are normally associated with filth. Your facial hair demands a separate grooming routine; and if you’re surprised to hear this, then you probably fall in the aforementioned category. So, let’s take this moment to ensure that your beard is clean. Here’s how to care for it.

Flakes

© Thinkstock
You cannot be caught dead with dead skin pieces in your beard. It’s just plain gross! Yes, beard dandruff is a real thing and can happen to any of you. The problem can be solved with the use of beard oil, but if it persists you must seek a doctor’s help. An over-the-counter product or a prescribed anti-dandruff shampoo should be applied after washing the face with a gentle cleanser. Keep it for 5 minutes and wash it off later. That should help.

Itchiness

© Shutterstock
Of course, beards itch. It’s what they are for, apart from these other cool reasons. And when you scratch, you make it look like you have some serious beard frizz. Use scented beard oil which has calming ingredients like safflower oil or tea tree oil that will hydrate your beard.

Stink

© Shutterstock
We don’t know what you’ve been doing. But, if this is your problem then rinse your beard well as much as you can. Care for your beard how you care for your head hair - keep it clean always. A regular shampoo and conditioner should work just fine. If you’re feeling fancy, however, you can go for a specifically designed beard wash. It will smooth down your beard like never before.

Unruliness

© Shutterstock
This can happen if you leave your beard to grow on its own; which is why you need to understand that giving up on shaving doesn't mean you’re free from the beard grooming routine. So, always clean up the extra, unruly hair and trim your whiskers either at home or at the barber. Also, use beard balm with tea tree oil to get away with the frizz.
Photo: © Twitter (Main Image)
 

 

5 Leadership Lessons From Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo pipped Lionel Messi and Frenchman Franck Ribery to win the Ballon d’Or for the second time. At the star-studded FIFAAwards ceremony held in Switzerland, Ronaldo won the Ballon d’Or after 2008 after scoring 66 goals in 56 games last year. The Ballon d’Or is officially given to the best footballer of the previous year in an annual event. At MensXP, we are always inspired by the best men and present to you the leadership lessons from Ronaldo.

Back your talent

© facebook
Cristiano Ronaldo started training from a very young age and has always been passionate about the game. His talent can be gauged from the fact that he is the highest paid footballer in the world. This is what great leadership is all about. You need to be talented and know how to use that talent in your field. The football field is Ronaldo’s playground, what’s yours?

Don’t let setbacks affect you

© facebook
At the age of 15, he was diagnosed with a racing heart that is fatal for any career involving sports. But being true to his passion, he got operated for it and began training as soon as he was released from hospital. Your leadership is defined by how passionate you are and how far you let setbacks affect you. A fractured heart did not stop Ronaldo. What’s your excuse?

 Stay one step ahead of competitors

© facebook
Over the years, Ronaldo has adopted his game so that he can strike from any number of positions. This has made him and his game deadlier for opponents who are always left to strategise about how to deal with the Ronaldo Hurricane. Put on your thinking hat and figure out how you can stay ahead of the game with respect to the competition.

Respect your mentor

© facebook
The story of Sir Alex Ferguson and Cristiano Ronaldo is well-known. Sir Alex saw the raw talent Ronaldo was made of and made the latter one of the best players of his team Manchester United. Although their relationship reportedly went sour, Ronaldo called Sir Alex his father and most influential person when he quit and went to Real Madrid. Everybody needs a good mentor to rise the leadership ladder, just make sure you respect your mentor when you have found him and reciprocate the love.

Revel in your achievements

© facebook
From winning the World Footballer of the Year to the Ballon d’Or to jet-setting around the world and dating supermodel Irina Shayk, Cristiano Ronaldo definitely knows how to bask in the achievements of his footballing prowess. You need to loosen up and relax your grip once in a while too lest you turn autocratic and dictatorial to your co-workers and colleagues. Take time to enjoy the finer things in life.

Why being Bald is Better

 Summer is upon us and the weather is getting too hot to handle already.
It’s that time of the year when nimbu pani, shorts, AC, chilled water/beer become necessities and not treats. One thing that you can do to make this unbearable heat more tolerable is go bald. Yes, bald. This way your brain won’t get fried and your head will stay cool. Read on to know why you should go bald.

1. No dandruff

Having hair is only natural. And for some people, having dandruff is natural too. We all know how unpleasant dandruff can be. One of the best ways to get rid of dandruff is by getting rid of your hair all together. It does sound a little extreme, but then a change of hairstyle or thereby a lack of it, is good no?

2. Save time

Having a head bath adds approximately 4 minutes to your bath time. If you have no hair, you save on this precious time every morning and can sleep for 4 more minutes. Yay!!

3. Sexy & stylish

Feroz Khan oozed of sex appeal not because of his dapper looks alone, but because of his bald head. You too can turn on your sex appeal by shaving your head off. Women love men with good looks and bald heads. Trust us.

4. Bald Head + Facial hair = badass persona

A bald man looks sexy and stylish. But a bald man with facial hair looks badass sexy (think Bruce Willis). Try this look and you might as well be the next Don to look out for.
Enough reasons to go bald and beautiful, eh?

Batmobile Evolution: The Changing Faces Of Batman’s Iconic Four-Wheeler

When director Zack Snyder unofficially revealed the first look of the new Batmobile and Ben Affleck as the new Batman yesterday, the internet jolted in awe. It didn't take much time for the netizens to pour in their judgments about the new Batmobile, and Snyder's Tweet was Retweeted more than 40,000 times in less than an hour. From 1966 to 2014, Batman's beloved ride has changed its face every time it had to accompany its master to save Gotham City. Here is a look at the evolution of the Batmobile.

Reed Tucker's 1966 Batman TV Series

© 20th Century Fox Television
Officially, the first ever Batmobile that made a jump out from the comic into the motion screen was in Reed Tucker's 1966 "Batman" TV series. For the base, Reed used a Lincoln Futura concept car that Ford sold him for a surprising $1. Initially the car was painted grey but that didn't accentuate its look and was hence painted glossy black with red strips. Sadly though, the buggy was far away from being flashy, let alone adding to Batman's persona. But nonetheless, the series prompted movie directors to rev up their games and come up with cool Batmobiles in their feature films.

Batman 1989

© Burton Films
The Batmobile officially made its debut on the silver screen in Tim Burton's "Batman" in 1989. Burton was headstrong about making the mobile rough and tough enough to match Batman's character. Hence, the design team came up with a car based on salt-flat racers from the 1930s. When finished or better said forcefully finished, the makers realized that they had missed out on the door and the paint also kept coming off. The door problem was solved by attaching a cowl which was created just for riding in the car. No matter how daunting the task of making this mobile was, it turned out to be one of the most recognized and iconic Batmobiles.

Batman Forever 1995

© Warner Bros.
Director Joel Schumacher is known for his Sci-Fi approach to things. Bound by his passion for all things outer space, he commissioned "Alien" designer Late HR Giger to build him the Batmobile. And when HR Giger is at work you can best expect the inspiration to come from deep-sea creatures and everything ugly and weird. The flame throwing engine was lifted off a hot-air balloon while the X shaped body was 80% carbon fiber. The result was not only an utter disaster, but also made Batman look like an idiot riding an almost Martian vehicle in Batman Forever.

Batman & Robin 1997

© Warner Bros.
Well, the Batmobile in Batman & Robin was bigger hit than the movie itself. And guess why! The car was such an expensive piece that only one model was made. All the stunts and screen time was done by similar toy models or CG of the car. The car looked intensely inspired by Tim Burton's Batmobile from Batman 1989. Not only the body, but even the tyres for this car were custom made and Batlogos were cut into each treadless tyre in order for it to leave Battracks.

Batman Begins (2005), Dark Knight (2008) and The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

© Warner Bros.
Taking a cut away from the sci-fi and drag racing cars like Batmobiles, director Chris Nolan wanted a more logical ride. And the result was The Tumbler. The Lamborghini-Humvee blend was outfitted with 44-inch monster truck tires and a Chevy V-8 engine churning out unbelievable horse power. The car was so fast that the shooting vehicle (a Mercedes) had to be super charged to catch up. The mobile continued to make appearances in 2008 Batman movie The Dark Knight (2008) and in The Dark Knight Rises (2012).

Batman Vs Superman (Release Date Awaited)

© Columbia Pictures
Director Zack Snyder yesterday posted the first unofficial look of the new Batmobile with Ben Affleck draped in a new Batsuit. The photos don't suggest much and do not show around plenty of the car. Although the word is that the car is highly inspired by the Batmobiles from the yesteryears.