Jaisalmer: If god was a banker

God sells more than sex.

From the hills of McLeod Ganj in Himachal Pradesh to the lush green fields of Hampi in Karnataka to the yellow sands of Jaisalmer in Rajasthan, the eager tourist, perhaps donning a Lord Shiva t-shirt, savours the smell of Lord Krishna brand incense while taking a mouthful of locally made Italian pizza.

The business sense of locals in tourist hotspots is something management gurus must pay attention to.

In small towns where tourist footfall is high, the ease with which locals change their cow-grazed lawn into a coffee and Wi-Fi joint overnight tells a lot about the flexibility of the Indian psyche when it comes to roaring all the way to the bank. A paan shop suddenly turns into a currency exchange counter. A villager who has been making dal-chawal for ages suddenly opens a burger shop.

The ideas keep coming.

Also see, Varanasi: What if god was a banker