Ambi Parameswaran has developed a fascination for how Indians are getting more religious but also more consumption driven. Combining his thirty-year experience as an adman with a life-long passion for religious studies, Ambi seeks to answer questions like: Why has the bindi disappeared from advertisements? How did Akshaya Trithaya become such a big deal? What makes Lord Shiva so cool? How did a Chennai-based department store start the New Year Sale phenomenon? Are Muslims more open-minded shoppers? Why do people who have no interest in using an MBA degree still get an MBA degree? How did the Manusmriti do a disservice to Hindu women? What can Harvard Business School learn from the Kumbh Mela?
Ambi has filled this book with personal stories, anecdotes, lessons and excerpts from research and other books. This book is a treat for anyone interested in how religion has evolved and how clever marketers have ridden the wave by tailoring their products and services.
1. Introduction
2. The Mystery of the Missing Bindi
3. The Great Year for Weddings
4. From "Off Season" to "On season"
5. An Old Festival Gets a New Look
6. Inaugurate with a Puja-Enjoy Perpetual Prosperity
7. Planning a Home Gets the Divine Touch
8. Will Travel for God
9. Why do Women Pray More?
10. So Long and Thanks for all the Fish
11. TeleRama to TeleDrama
12. Riding the Puja Boom
13. God Okay, Gandhi Not Okay
14. Every Faith Indian will be Muslim
15. Thank God He created ‘Nothing’
16. Burqa Ke Peechhe Kya Hai?
17. Pray for better health
18. Religious Music can Rescue Ads
19. Parsi-owned car sells in a jiffy
20. Timeless Religious Art
21. Religion goes Hi-Tech
22. Honesty, Charity, Religiosity
23. Can Spirituality lift Business Education?
24. The Last Word
“For God’s Sake deftly weaves religiosity into Indian cultural nuances, exposing the whys of beliefs and customs, and their impact on lifestyle and brand choices ”.
-Charulata Ravikumar, The Financial Express
“Ambi Parameswaran's book 'For God's Sake' explores intersection between religion and worlds of commerce and marketing”
-Ravi Balakrishnan, ET Bureau
“This book provides a trivia-heavy look at the pervasiveness of religion in India, from the point of view of the fast-moving urban Indian.”
-ANAND DESAI, Money Life