What is the strength of the Indian monument industry?
About 25 years ago India had three or four granite varieties, including black, grey and pink. However, today there are over 100 varieties available across the country, especially in the South. We also import granite blocks from Norway, Finland, the US, China, Brazil and South Africa to do monuments. The quality of craftsmanship has gone up tremendously in the last few years. Today, we deliver monuments customised to each country. We can find at least six different patterns of monuments with different designs, finishes and workmanship in different thickness. For instance, the Japanese monuments are of exclusive designs, and these types are not used in any other country. Even in Europe, there are different monuments for each country. In the last 30 years, we have changed the global trend in monuments, and no other country had the blend of granite varieties and workmanship comparable to India’s. How severe is competition in the monument industry? India used to enjoy a monopoly till a few
