One man’s digestive is another’s indigestion

Caught between a festival fisticuff between the two online giants Flipkart and Amazon is the delectable churan. We won’t use the word ‘humble’ to describe amalaki, haritaki, bibhitaki or any of the other chutpata stuff that tangs in our tongues lest we are accused of bias. Because it seems that the question of churan’s ‘humility’ is the bone of contention.

Flipkart had accused Amazon of showcasing high festival season sales by throwing in cheap items — in Flipkart CEO Binny Bansal’s words: “We did not sell churan, hing, detergent, products of daily-need and virtual memberships.…” Without naming Amazon, what Bansal did was list a few ‘humble’ items that Amazon does sell. Amazon, on its part, hit back, stating that it has the “widest, largest and biggest selection of fashion products”.

Now, if it has become a matter of izzat — ‘we only sell posh stuff ’ — one can get off the fence and say that the traditional e-market’s main drawback has been that it doesn’t always sell everything. Consumers not only want their Gucci but also their Hajmola — especially if shoppers mindful of being seen buying ‘cheap stuff ’ don’t even have to step out of their homes. So let’s just say to both parties, rejoice in selling everything: from a box of sinful churan to a gilded Koran. And everything in between.