Midnapore’s Mustafa Brand is an Inspiration for Bengaluru: Prahlad Ghosh
Many agarbatti companies across the country follow the quality and standards of Bengaluru-based agarbatti companies, but several branded companies in Bengaluru take inspiration from the Mustafa brand of Midnapore in West Bengal. This was revealed by Mr. Prahlad Ghosh, head of Mysore Agarbatti Centre, who has been trading and retailing agarbatti products in Siliguri for 53 years, in a special conversation with Sugandh India. Responding to a question, he said that all products of the Mustafa brand are good, but Swami, Kiran Mala, Sanchita, Chandan, and 3 in 1 are the most popular. However, different ranges of the Mustafa brand sell in different parts of North Bengal. A particular range performs better in one area, while another product does better in a different area. He said that the ₹10 MRP pack of Kiran Mala sells everywhere. There is also a dhoop stick under the same name. Kiran Mala has excellent quality and is also low-priced, which is why its sales are very high.
Mr. Prahlad Ghosh of Siliguri has been associated with the agarbatti business since 1973. He started with trading products of Globe Perfumery. At present, he deals in Ashoka Trading, Balaji, Bharat Darshan and Mustafa Midnapore. The firm’s supply network is spread across North Bengal, including Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar, Midnapore, and Islampur. Responding to a question, he said that the demand for agarbatti has increased. When he started this business 50 years ago, he was only the second person in this trade. Earlier, the population was low and there were fewer sellers. There were also limited products, but now the population has increased significantly. The number of manufacturers and sellers has also grown. Earlier, only Daya agarbatti was available here. Then when they started working, gradually Siliguri developed into a complete agarbatti market, and now everyone has more or less business going on. Responding to a question from Sugandh India, Prahlad Ghosh said that Bharat Darshan, Parimal Mandir’s Gurudev, and ITC sell the most here. ITC’s ₹20 pack sells the most. Darshan’s ₹20 packs like Effects and Black Stone also perform well. Zed Black and Bansi also sell well. In response to another question, he said that most of the market here is in the ₹20, ₹30, and ₹50 range. The wet dhoop market has just started here, initiated by Zed Black, and its Manthan is doing well. Then Darshan, ITC’s Mangaldeep, and Cycle’s Bansuri are also selling. Sambrani cups (dhoona) also sell well here. In this segment, Naivedya, Bansuri, and ITC products sell. In cups, all companies have limited sales. He said that there is also a market for camphor here, where Balaji, BIC’s Panchvati, and Mangalam are doing well.
