Music Mart- Music: Food for the Soul

-By Nitin Manchanda.

Bob Marley once said, “One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain”. As I am an avid music lover, I’ve always been fascinated by sounds, be it the vivid clatter of insects in the darkness of night, the assuring chirping of birds at dawn, the crunching sound of creatures lurking waiting for its prey in the dense forest. For a layman all these would just be noises, but for me they are a variety of instruments playing in a bittersweet symphony and God being the choir master..

So this exuberance for music took me to the ‘Google-God’ and I got to know about the oldest music shop in Pune, Music Mart. Excited, I picked up the receiver and called. A pleasant voice greeted me and I took the initiative of telling him that I wanted to meet and get to know about them, which fetched me an instant positive response. So next morning, I got on the bus filled with anticipation and high hopes of finding something that would entice my music urge. With Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to heaven” playing in my headphones, I hoped to find my elixir, my heaven. As I got down from the bus at M.G Road I was not at all disappointed. In front of me, I saw varied instruments and delighted, I entered the shop.

This was not like any generic music shop but as if Andy Warhol’s vivid paintings had come alive. As hundreds of musical instruments surrounded me, it felt like a concert of safari duo calling “ all the people in the world “ to come and witness this magnum opus There were guitars ranging from acoustics to electric, keyboards to  brass pipes - it was like being in a surreal dream with Jimi Hendrix to Jimmy Page playing especially for me.

My personal favorite was the army band instruments section which brought back fond memories of me at school, playing the trumpet, the accompanying drums and the students marching along to the beats. As I was lost in my Neverland, I was suddenly greeted by a young turbaned boy asking me “how can I help you?” Just at the spur of the moment, I said, “can we be partners in crime?” (starting a rock band). After a brief moment of silence, we both laughed heartily and our tete-e-tete started.

He was the owner’s son and me aspiring for a corporate life. I told him about my keen interest in music and my curiosity regarding the management of a music shop. As we sat down for a cup of tea, amidst the aroma of the homemade brew and gentle soothing music sounding in the background, I inquired about the origins of Music Mart. Gurpreet in his husky but tender voice said, “it was established in Pakistan before partition, handled by Mr. Balwant Singh and mainly dealt with supplies to the British army “. He continued by saying that after partition the business shifted to Pune and is currently handed by his family’s third generation. I asked about the people working there. He, with his active, cagey, calculating eyes answered that the head of the Music Mart is his father Mr. Raminder Singh while his brother Ravneet handled the walk-in customers. He himself handled the government supplies and bulk order.

As we started to talk about management, I asked him about imports and where the instruments were repaired. He was little startled and taken aback at first, but after seeing the name tag of Sadhana College around my neck, he knew what I was talking about. Imports from China, U.S.A. and some European countries were done. The workshop and repair department was situated in Kondwa. Components were imported and assembled at the workshop itself.

While sipping on our tea, I took the discussion towards what kind of customers they cater to? He told that diversification was the name of the game, since  so many different people came in-kids, college goers, teenagers,  I.T. Industry crowd etc. He also added (humbly, not being pompous) that their known customers would be Coco (from the band,Agnee), Savio (lead guitarist of Silver Band, winner of All-India Band Competition) and many more.

As our tea was nearly finished, he ordered a refill. I nonchalantly asked, “What is the most prized possession you have?” With a twinkle in his eye, (he smiled as if I was wearing a joker’s hat), “BAZOOM … 15 LAKHS“. As I sat there awestruck, our tea arrived. 

As vapors spirals rose from our tea, I asked him, “What was their music store’s USP?” He calmly took a sip, then like a virtuoso, said “Customer satisfaction, loyalty of customers (over 40 years old customer relations) and on the technical front, full range of Brass instruments, which are not commonly available at other music stores”. 

We further discussed about the music industry, its future prospects, how piracy was eating into the entertainment industry, (why Eminem does not come to perform in India, pun intended!!) Post which I took his leave, joking that soon I would return with the 15 lakhs and buy the BAZOOM. 

Elated I left the place.  Sitting in the bus on my way back, I relived the whole day. The thought that stayed with me the most was that the customer is the king. As long as an organization’s practices and processes are tuned towards the same, it will be a success. Customer satisfaction will result in customer loyalty and enable brands to survive decades and decades’ altogether. Just as photocopying became synonymous with Xerox, fast food with McDonald’s, and so on; Music Mart has managed to create a niche for itself for ‘Music-food for the soul’ and not just any other shop that sells music instruments.

As it is said, the journey is more important than the destination. So today, I didn’t care about my destination because I had experienced my stairway to heaven ….. 

Building Relations

-By Monisha Jain.


Some of the biggest challenges in relationships come from the fact that most people enter a relationship in order to get something. They are trying to find someone who is going to make them feel good. In reality, the only way a relationship will last long is, if you see ‘your relationship as a place that you go to give, and not a place that you go to take.’ This can be said from the story of a man who started off as a clerk and today has attained a level of personal success where all his needs are taken care of and still there is more to achieve.

At sixty, Mr. Maniklal Shah, friendly of face and given to forming an instant rapport with everyone he meets; has no professional degree. He sells books and magazines from his spot on a pavement as he has been  doing his whole life. Due to financial problems he left his studies in the tenth grade and started working as a clerk in the office of the Maharashtra Herald at the age of thirteen. He worked there for six years before losing the job whereupon he took it upon himself to start an ice-cream parlor near the entrance of the     coffee house where a paan shop stands today.

Shortly after, spotting a dramatic increase in the readers of newspapers and book, he decided to strike out on his own in the industry. With only a staircase to sit on, a little capital in hand and nothing to lose, he started his newspaper agency called “Shri paper agency”. Two years in the trade taught him some hard lessons. He realized that he would not be able to make his ends meet just by selling newspapers. Having entered the market, he thought of selling books as well.Getting into it was a gradual process. It was an uphill task; the language barrier posed a problem. “I could not make out which book was in demand or which book the customer was asking for”, he remembers. 

One runs through the mental list of management concepts one hears of so often even in regular periodicals. Mr. Shah did not know of any fancy management principles that could help him overcome the odds.  He was, however, always open to learning. Heeding the advice of his friends and customers, he followed the concept of self-service in his book stall. With that, he also started learning English on his own. Today, he is able to converse in English with his customers and offers knowledgeable banter on all books- old and new.

“My customers always give me tips and it was they who suggested starting a library”. Mr. Shah started his library with 25 members in 1984 with a more-than-reasonable deposit of Rs. 30. Till 2009, he maintained the library with 200 members. Today he earns a sizeable income and is satisfied with it. The satisfaction is sweetened by the goodwill which he has earned in Pune city. Still, and even more pleasantly, Mr. Manikalal Shah remains humble.

Many people walk past his shop every day. A few become his customers and a few stop only to exchange smiles with him. He has such a way with people that even those who have visited his shop but once end up becoming regulars.

In an age when most people can’t see past their own goals, careers and achievements, Mr. Shah is one of those who think of societal welfare. “I am happy in this business. I look after my family. And now I just want to contribute to society”, says Mr. Shah. Among his friends, Dr. Nazim Sheikh, who is a regular customer of his library, thought of starting a hospital. Mr. Shah provided the real estate for the hospital. “I want to provide a wide range of facilities to the poor and middle class people who cannot afford it”, says Mr. Shah.

Mr. Shah has been a favorite with the youngsters. The warmth that makes it impossible not to smile is palpable when you visit the enterprise. A number of   satisfied customers return for another visit, smiling. He has customers who are students, doctors and engineers all over the world like America, UK, Singapore, Dubai and Muscat. Whenever they come back home, they come and see him.

There are many booksellers in Pune but Mr. Maniklal Shah, a real people person, builds a relationship with his customers. He solved all his problems of business through his interpersonal skills. 

He has also formed a mutual understanding with his competitors, whom he does not see as rivals but rather considers them his fellow booksellers. “I have reached a level where I am able to satisfy all my family’s needs and wants. Now I just want to sit here and be with my books and customers”, he says. He connects with people in a way that it seems that they’ve made a strong acquaintance. 

INDIAN EXCELLENCE- An initiative by Sadhana Centre for Management and Leadership Development, Pune

- By Vidhu Goyal

From being as well endowed to be called ‘The Golden Sparrow’, to enduring slavery for hundreds of years, and then again emerging as the most promising nation of the world, India has actually has come around a full circle. This is indeed the time for India Shining, the time when all the people across the globe must stand still and appreciate the power bestowed in this wealthy nation. Ironically, what is much more required is for the brothers and sisters of our own nation to realize the strengths and opportunities that they are blessed with. 

Indians have been showcasing their talent and achievements in each genre of life, time and again. From arithmetic to medical science, to ancient trading techniques, Indians have excelled in each field they’ve touched. And I hold very little doubt in saying that there’s nothing that we have not tried our hands at.

Known for its diversity, India has a vast expanse of things that can be talked about, in order to show the poorest and the richest of the country living together in considerable harmony. In fact, we cannot do justice in exploring any one of the two, without considering the other.

Indian Excellence is an initiative taken by Sadhana Centre of Management and Leadership Development, to portray this rich diversity in one of the most eminent aspects of our country, the business sector.

‘Indian Excellence’ is being launched as an attempt to cover each aspect of the business scenario within the country.  We wish to bring to light, how Indians are making their presence felt across the world, and at the same time how people starting from dust reach dawn all due to their own passion and will.

In our very first edition, we cover phenomenal examples of a great entrepreneurs and tales of real life heroes who’ve sweated enough to make their lives worth remembering. Through this initiative, we wish to highlight the underlying potential that has been tapped by only a few, but is still left hidden inside the rest.

Indian Excellence is all about India; stories, instances or developments that may or may not be directly making any significant difference in our lives, but somehow, they do depict what all of us are made of. Join us in exploring the fascinating stories of this mighty nation, and share our pride for what lies within this country and what makes it emerge from the gravest of the problems, like a phoenix.