Another Sunday and yet another story. But, first a few important things.

Have you heard of Design Thinking and is it possible to use it in brand building?

Well, it is a human-centered approach to come up with solutions, products, or services that are desirable for the user, economically viable from a business perspective, and technologically feasible. It generally involves 5 steps, viz.

• Empathize: Understand your users’ needs.
• Define: Identify the needs and problems.
• Ideate: Develop potential solutions.
• Prototype: Transform your idea into a tangible solution.
• Test: Test your solution.

This story is about creating a brand through Design Thinking. This story is also about how a small-time thief who unknowingly follows the tenets of design thinking in branding and accidentally creates his brand of ice cream. Here’s the story.

Chapter 1: The Background

Suburban Mumbai 40 years back. It was Bombay back then. It was a city of plenty, money, jobs, glamor, food varieties, etc. Even back then, it used to be known as the city of dreams. There weren’t too many high rises or malls. People from similar backgrounds and professions stayed close by and created colonies and societies all across the city.

Let me take you to such a society, the Gokul Society in Kandivali, a suburb in north Bombay.

The residents of this society were all from the western Indian state of Gujarat who had migrated long back to Bombay lured by the Bombay Stock Exchange and Zaveri Bazar. Almost all of them started very small, toiled endlessly, and slowly but surely made enough money to afford a place to stay in the megacity. However, since most were used to frugal living since the beginning, they chose to remain in the relatively inexpensive and sparsely populated suburb called Kandivali. There they created the Gokul Society.

The society was created in a manner that everything like shops, schools, and hospitals was close by. Since most residents were followers of God Krishna, they had a Krishna Temple in the vicinity as well.

The male members of Gokul Society were more or less of the same age, give or take, 5 -6 years. Most began their struggles together in Bombay, there was a bonhomie and bonding amongst them. Each closely knew the other and the entire society was like a large overgrown family.

But this story is not about Gokul Society or its residents. It’s about a petty thief called Sarvesh.

Sarvesh was another migrant to this city. He hailed from the deep interiors of Uttar Pradesh.

Like his 5 friends, he was least interested in the farming business of his ancestors. His days would be spent just lazing around with his friends and sampling varieties of local booze that were readily available. Another staple source of enjoyment was a sweetmeat called Munakka, a preparation with a generous dose of cannabis. Those uninitiated on this wonderful food item would swim into a different orbit upon its consumption and for the regulars, it provided a wonderful sleep in the night. Munakka was readily available in the village. Sarvesh always carried a ready supply of Munakka

It was a scuffle where Sarvesh and his friends beat up the boys of the neighboring village black and blue. One of those boys lay lifeless and Sarvesh and his friends presumed that they had committed a murder.

Overnight they escaped from the village, boarded a train to Bombay, and landed in the mega city.

The boys scoured the VT Station area for inexpensive food and there they met Mesram Mishra, a small restaurant owner who gave Sarvesh and his friends food to eat and a foothold in Bombay. Mesram had a milk business in Kandivali, a northern suburb of Bombay, the same place where Gokul Society was located. He wanted a few young boys to deliver milk to residents of different societies of Kandivali.

Sarvesh and his friends readily took up the job imagining it to be a simple chore. It was anything but.

The grind began for Sarvesh and his friends.

The pay was not good at all, and the work was bone-breaking. The day started at around 3 am. The stables had to be cleaned of the buffalo urine and excreta. Then the buffaloes had to be milked and the milk stored in large aluminum. At sharp 5 am, rain or storm, they had to reach the gates of Gokul Society so that all milkmen could be checked together at the gate and let inside the society. They were not allowed to use the escalator and they had to carry the heavy milk cans up the 9 levels in each building.

Some residents wanted milk in the evening and Sarvesh had to repeat the morning process at 10 pm as well.

The residents of the society, most of whom were aging couples treated them mostly with disdain for waking them so early in the morning though it was not Sarvesh and his friends’ fault that they came in so early.

Sarvesh was in the dream city of Bombay, but he had not even traveled 2 km out of his stable. In just a few months Sarvesh understood that he was better off in his village. But the only thing that kept him and his friends in Bombay was the fear of getting caught for murder if he at all stepped into his village. His mind began to wander.

Chapter 2: The Beginning of Design Thinking – Empathize, Understanding the users’ needs.

It was a chance conversation with an old resident in Gokul Society that changed his life.

Sarvesh asked a resident who was particular about getting milk in the evening, about what was so special about drinking milk in the evening. The resident, a lonely soul, found an eager listener in Sarvesh and told him that he was an insomniac and that a glass of fresh warm milk easily put him to sleep.

‘Oh, is it?’, ‘Shall I introduce them to the magic of munakka?’ Sarvesh thought. Instead, he offered a remedy of oil massage before going to sleep. The old man wondered who could give him the massage.

In villages of North India, the art of massage is not restricted to any group of professionals. Instead, the men in the family command it every evening from the children in the house and sometimes even the women join in. Almost equivalent quantities of mustard oil which is a staple for cooking are used for massage. But the most important thing is that almost all men in the village become amateur masseurs by the time they grow up.

Sarvesh was also an amateur masseur. He let it known to the old gentleman.

The next evening the old gentleman was waiting for Sarvesh.

So was Sarvesh. He wanted an opportunity to get inside the flats of the residents. He could easily make out that, however frugally the residents lived, each resident had loads of money. He wanted a part of it and for that, he needed a legitimate way to get inside the flat. He also wanted free access to the Gokul society without the restrictions of time to enter and exit.

The first massage was a super success. The old gentleman fell asleep without even drinking milk, with his aged wife staring at her sleeping husband, in disbelief. She opened a small cupboard, took out a Rs. 100 note and gave it to Sarvesh.

‘Ok, so that is where they keep the cash’. Sarvesh was quick to note that.

Sarvesh knew that the guards outside would ask about his delay and got the lady to inform the guard over the intercom in advance. Sarvesh was late to exit by a full 30 minutes that evening. But the guards did not stop him to ask anything.

The lazy soul in Sarvesh who was used to easy money was aroused. ‘What if I win the old couple’s trust and put them to sleep and walk out with the money?’ A brainwave was building up. He was sick of his life tending to the buffaloes.

On the way back, Sarvesh blew up his Rs. 100 notes on kulfi the country version of ice cream on a bamboo stick, from a roadside vendor. The vendor, Ajit was also from near his hometown, and they casually chatted about life and times.

The next day, he eagerly asked the old man how he felt after the massage. The old man replied that he did not feel anything as he had drifted off into sleep and that he would give anything to get a massage every night. He only suggested that he use good-quality oil from their kitchen.

Chapter 3: Design Thinking Stage 2: Define – Identify the needs and problems.

That night, Sarvesh went over the happenings in the Gokul Society.

So, getting a good night’s sleep was something the old man needed desperately. That was easy to get done with his massage. But what about his wife? The old lady was still very much awake. He dared not suggest massage to the old lady. He had to find out whether the old lady also had difficulty sleeping and if so, how to put her to sleep.

It had already become quite late. Sleep was still miles away for Sarvesh. He reached out and put his hands inside the munakka packet. He almost sprang up.

Munakka! Yes, he could use it to put the old lady to sleep. But how? He could not offer munakka just like that and be branded as a dope supplier, that too, to old people. He had to think of a way.

Tomorrow, he thought and drifted off to sleep.

Evening after the evening the routine continued, he massaged and put the old man to sleep, the lady opened the cupboard, got out a Rs. 100 note, and handed it over to Sarvesh. Almost every evening, he had a Kulfi on his way back. By now he had developed a bond with Ajit. Somedays Ajit did not even charge for the kulfi. In return, Sarvesh gave him a munakka or two which was accepted delightfully.

Also, by now, courtesy of Mesram Mishra, he had found another regular supplier of Munakka in Bombay.

That evening on the way back, he stopped at Ajit’s kulfi stall. Ajit handed over a kulfi stick to Sarvesh and watched him keenly while Sarvesh licked it till the bamboo stick. Ajit said nothing. Sarvesh suddenly felt very tired and sleepy, he left early.

He got up the next morning only when one of his friends poured water on his head. He got up feeling dizzy but very refreshed. 

The day passed by uneventfully. He was in the Gokul Society for an extra hour today. The old man had spoken about Sarvesh and his massage to his next-door neighbor who was almost of his age, and Sarvesh was readily employed by him for his massage and for his brother. The same sequence followed here as well, after the massage, both the men fell asleep in their respective beds and the lady of the house opened an aluminum box stuffed with currency notes and brought out two Rs. 100 notes. Sarvesh made mental notes of everything.

On the way back, he stopped again at Ajit’s place. Ajit was almost waiting for him. Even before Sarvesh could say anything, Ajit asked whether he slept well the previous night.

Chapter 4: Design Thinking Stage 3: Ideate-Develop potential solutions.

Sarvesh was happy and furious together. Furious because Ajit had dared to mix munakka in his kulfi and was happy because he finally found a way to put the old lady in the house in Gokul Society to fall asleep. As a penalty, he told Ajit that he had to deliver 2 munakka-laced kulfi to him at the gate of Gokul Society exactly at 10:30 in the evening. Ajit did not understand the plan, but he played along.

“This kulfi is made from the freshest milk that we get from our stable and it has no chemicals at all!” “And Baa (Gujarati language for mother), this kulfi is just for you.” The lady was overjoyed. She casually asked what brand of kulfi it was. Sarvesh suddenly remembered the Lord Krishna temple in the society near the gate every time he entered or exited.

“Kanha Kulfi! he blurted out. Kanha is another name for Lord Krishna.

He never imagined what he did. The old lady, herself a devotee of Lord Krishna, loved the name, and a brand of kulfi was created that evening. Sarvesh requested the lady to keep the spare kufi in the fridge till he was done with massaging the old man. By that time, the lady had begun savoring the kulfi.

She was snoring by the time Sarvesh finished massaging the old man who too was fast asleep by the time he ended. Sarvesh tiptoed to the cupboard and gingerly opened it. No response from the couple. They kept sleeping. He located the wad of currency notes and was tempted to decamp with it. But he stopped himself. He would be easily found if he did. He shut the cupboard and tiptoed out. On his way out, he took the other kulfi from the fridge.

It was the same sequence in the neighbor’s house as well.

Sarvesh repeated the same steps but again did not take any money though he opened the aluminum box and saw thousands of currency notes of various denominations.

He had bigger plans.

The next day, people in both flats were embarrassed and overwhelmed by the fact that they fell asleep just like that, and Sarvesh respectfully did not wake them up and disturb their sleep. They were so pleased that they gave Rs. 50 extra over and above his regular Rs. 100.

He returned every evening to the same routine. Only, now he arrived early as he had six houses to visit and offer his massage services. The news of his massage services began to spread steadily and so did the news about his Kanha Kulfi.

In the meantime, Ajit improved the quality of the kulfi quite a lot. It was a much better kulfi that Sarvesh had first tasted while he was returning to his stable.

Chapter 5: Design Thinking Stage 4: Prototype – Transform your idea into a tangible solution.

He made it a point to stay in each flat long enough to gather as much info about the inside of the flat as possible. In each flat he chatted up with the residents and queried them about his Kanha Kulfi, what they liked about it, and where they felt he could improve. Each resident, a Gujarati, was a born entrepreneur. They got excited when they saw a young boy trying to set up his business. Everyone offered bits of advice.

He asked his clients if they ever held any group meetings in the Gokul Society.

Yes, they said that every Sunday evening all the residents gathered on the lawn inside the Gokul Society just behind the building immediately after dinner. It is just a social gathering where residents meet and greet.

Sarvesh got a brainwave. He wanted the details of each of the residents, their addresses etc., and this could give him that wonderful opportunity

“What if I serve Kanha Kulfi to all in the meeting and collect everyone’s opinion and also their flat details?’ The client he was speaking to thought about it and promised to get back to him with permission.

Sarvesh was not thinking small at all. He was planning the largest heist from the Gokul Society. For that, he needed to get more of his friends into society so that the heist worked without a flaw. And for that, he needed to become close to many more residents in the society.

It was Sunday evening. It seemed that the residents were more interested in getting the Kanha Kulfi than the meet-and-greet event. There were more people that evening compared to any other Sunday evening. Sarvesh was already there with one of his friends. He made a quick headcount and sent his friend to Ajit to get the Kulfis.

Ajit sent the Kanha Kulfis in a Mini Truck. On each side of the truck was a flex banner with a picture of a Gujarati couple holding a cone of Kanha Kulfi. The members were delighted to see the picture.

The Kanha Kulfi was a hit. However, the kulfis did not have munakka in it.

Sarvesh patiently listened to every member and noted the opinions that they offered against each member’s name. He also carefully took note of the address, number of people in the household, and the time they wanted to have Kanha Kulfi. He made a special note of how much they were willing to pay for his Kanha Kulfi. That surely gave him an idea of their wealth status.

There were other regular things that the members mentioned like taste, flavors, presentation, etc. none of which interested Sarvesh. He was focused. He wanted to pull off a large and daring heist and escape back to his village. But before that, he had to win the complete trust of the society members.

That evening he sat boozing with his friends and Ajit. Ajit, by now was an integral part of the entire scheme. Sarvesh expressed his wish to do something so that he could win the complete trust of the residents of the Gokul Society.

His friends fell silent. Ajit was the one to speak up. He said that since the residents gave several ideas and opinions about Kanha Kulfi, they could be worked upon. If they could make customized kulfis and present them to the residents, they could create a very positive perception. It would mean that they were really serious about selling Kanha Kulfi.

Whether it was the cheap booze or the idea, everyone kind of agreed to it. Everybody felt that it was the best way to gain acceptance amongst the residents not only for Sarvesh and Kanha Kulfi, but for all of them.

Sarvesh was however getting impatient. So far, he had been only putting money in Kanha Kulfi but the big money that he was eyeing forever was still far away. He had no option but to go along with everyone.

In a week, his friends and Ajit put together all the ideas they had gathered. Since there were around 50-60 members, it was easy for them to customize the kulfis as per each member’s opinions. Sarvesh informed the residents that they were ready with the new improved Kanha Kulfi and they in turn allowed Sarvesh to serve it to the residents on the forthcoming Sunday.

Chapter 6: Design Thinking Stage 5 – Test your solution.

The residents were impressed with the youngsters’ zeal when they saw that each of their opinions had been carefully factored in and presented in customized form for them. In just one evening Sarvesh and his friends gained the trust of all the residents to the extent that many of the residents readily gave them orders for a daily home delivery of Kanha Kulfi.

Sarvesh did not lose the chance, he quickly introduced each of his friends and informed the residents about their massage skills. That did the trick. Each of his friends also got a ready entry into the residents’ flats.

Sarvesh was feeling pleased, for his plan was progressing well.

On their return, they gathered at Ajit’s place. Now they had full access to around 30 households through Kanha Kulfi and massage services. They fixed a day in January when they would move in for the big kill. It would be a winter evening.

Winter, as a season is invalid in Bombay. Nevertheless, citizens in Bombay love to imagine that it is winter around January and February and treat themselves in that manner. They would bring out warm clothes, keep the doors and windows shut, eat winter foods, go to sleep early, etc. Now with Sarvesh’s massage service, they included that as a mandatory inclusion before going to bed.

Good for Sarvesh and his friends.

The massage and the Kanha Kulfi service continued unhindered. Now Sarvesh was not alone, he had six other friends doing the same routine in as many as 30 flats in Gokul Society. Each had by now got a fair idea of where the cash and jewelry were kept in each household. As per their rough estimate, there would be enough money to lead a comfortable life away from the stench of dung and buffaloes and the back-breaking routine.

The day was approaching. The plan was getting crystallized bit by bit. All six of them would put the residents in the 30 flats to sleep, courtesy of the massage and Kanha Kulfi, then decamp with the cash and valuables that could be put in their backpacks, leave the Gokul Society separately.

They would then meet at Borivali Railway Station. A train at midnight that connected Bombay to Uttar Pradesh, that halted at this station, would take them away from Bombay forever.

Sarvesh booked tickets for all of them.

By now Sarvesh and his friends were getting a regular supply of money from the door–to–door supply of Kanha Kulfi and their massage services but a large part of it was spent on making Kanha Kulfi. Whatever they managed to save from their daily earnings was saved carefully.

As per the plan, they had reduced the amount of Munakka in the Kulfis, it was now just enough to make the residents have a good night’s sleep. The plan was to put a large dose of it on the night when they would make the big steal.

Chapter 7: Design Thinking Outcome: Establishing the Brand

The day finally arrived. It was a Sunday

When Sarvesh entered the society in the morning to deliver milk, he casually passed by a new shop that had been created just inside the main gate. He had been watching that shop getting ready for the last few weeks. He asked the watchman about it, but the watchman was not forthcoming. He just gave a smile. He put it off his mind. He was way too preoccupied with what and how he would pull off the evening.

That afternoon was spent by the lads packing their stuff for the evening. They said their goodbyes to Mesram Mishra and carried their luggage to Ajit’s place. Ajit’s luggage was already packed.

That evening, none of the boys carried milk for delivery. Instead, each had a backpack large enough to carry their regular supply of Kanha Kulfi and another bag to collect whatever they could steal. Knowing that the residents would retire early, they arrived shortly after 8 pm.

Today the Gokul Society had a strange festive look near the gate. As Sarvesh and his friends entered, there was a loud cheer, and they were surrounded by the residents. The couple who had first tasted Kanha Kulfi from Sarvesh walked up to him. They held his hands and led him to the sparklingly new shop. Right outside, there was a signage, ‘Kanha Kulfi, Gokul Society Branch’. Sarvesh could not believe his eyes.

The old gentleman explained.

Since everyone in the society loved Kanha Kulfi but Sarvesh was unable to provide it to everyone, every day, they decided to open a shop for Sarvesh from where he could sell Kanha Kulfi. Not only that, he also informed that the 3 other neighboring societies had also created similar Kanha Kulfi shops on their respective premises.

The old Gujarati couple held Sarvesh’s hand and gently asked, ‘Would you be able to supply enough Kanha Kulfi for all of us? We would pay you, of course.’

The train left Borivali Railway Station that night. Without Sarvesh and his friends.