Gandhi Caps

Nick-H · Dec 15th, 2007, 21:58

Well, I'm not sure...

I think it varies from region to region. Here, "standard" politician's garb is the white shirt and vesti. Lalu's kurta is part of his 'country-boy' image trade mark; some who wish to be seen as religiously-affiliated wear saffron, and so on. I guess many of them have individual image components: I'm glad to be able to say that I'm not at all an expert!

I'm not sure that Manmohan Singh has an image: he just works the projector for Sonia!

capt_mahajan · Dec 15th, 2007, 22:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nick-H

What would you pay? Rs20? maybe a bit more?

I wouldnt pay anything at all

But, in a city, upto 40/50 rupees, ok, if it is a government/handloom emporium kind of place.

In a small town, maybe 10/20

Nick-H · Dec 15th, 2007, 22:46

Hmmm, right.

Well, we've got one guy here all ready who might buy one for $50!

All we need is a few more and we're rich! Rich beyond our wildest dreams!!

Oh... ok... my wildest dreams...

capt_mahajan · Dec 15th, 2007, 22:48

If in bulk, it may be cheaper.

Buy one cap, get a congress politician free.

Or should it be the other way around?

Nick-H · Dec 15th, 2007, 23:07

I have a hunch about which one would be easiest to buy...

Selkie · Dec 16th, 2007, 00:23

A nehru cap is the kind of fairly random item that is likely to crop up on Ebay. Worth keeping an eye out on there I should think.

guerik · Jan 2nd, 2008, 02:57

Nahh, the only person likely to buy one already has one on order!

vireya · Jan 2nd, 2008, 04:01

I've got a sewing pattern for the cap. I would have made it for him for $55! Especially if that was US$.

Any more suckers out there?

JBMinAZ · Jan 5th, 2008, 04:11

So...someone new joins the forum and actually posts an answer to the question of where you can buy one of these caps, pointing out that it is "pricey," and the response from the group is "sucker". Nice. Sure does encourage participation. When someone finds one for 20 Rs, please feel free to let everyone else know and you can all wear the caps while discussing libertarianism.

See how easy it is to be sarcastic?

vireya · Jan 5th, 2008, 04:52

Don't blame "the group" for the comment of one person. Sorry if I was offensive. I didn't mean it to be. But $55 is a huge amount of money - I hope you didn't have to pay for postage on top of that.

How was the cap, anyway?

Nick-H · Jan 5th, 2008, 11:55

No offense meant to you, JBMinAZ, sorry if any was taken.

But I loath this 'what the market will stand' pricing, whether it is Microsoft overcharging Europeans for software or some guy in India overcharging Americans for clothes --- and it should be spoken out against.

On another forum recently someone was mentioning a book they had just published. The dollar price was more than double the Rupee price. I posted pointing this out, and hoping that it therefore included post and packing.

And in this instance, the overcharge is not small, but massive.

JBMinAZ · Jan 7th, 2008, 04:54

I appreciate the follow ups. Message boards and the internet generally make it very easy to be hard on each other. I think that's a bad thing. I don't disagree about predatory pricing, but the string shows how hard it is to find this particular product even in India (I never found another one on any other site), so ultimately I had to decide if I wanted it badly enough. When the manufacturer of this cap comes to Arizona, he'll probably get overcharged for a cowboy hat.... The cap is supposed to arrive in the next day or so. If it doesn't, or is terrible, then I'll truly deserve the sucker label.

vireya · Jan 7th, 2008, 06:57

A similar cap is the Himachali cap, which has a different shaped crown, but the construction and amount of fabric used is similar. We purchased one in the Himachal Pradesh State Emporium for 110Rs. According to this article:

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20070606/himplus1.htm

they can be purchased for between 90 to 150 Rs, so I guess we paid a fair price, and I would expect that the Gandhi cap would sell for a similar price in India. But you are right, I didn't see them for sale anywhere - but I also wasn't looking.

As a comparison, on Ebay there is someone selling the same Himachali cap for $17 US plus up to $9 postage depending on where you are. So they are making a huge profit.

All the best with your cap, I will be interested to hear the results. And if you do want to get hold of the pattern so someone can make you one in future, it is Folkwear #135:
http://www.folkwear.com/asian.html

Bombay_Bill · Feb 2nd, 2008, 19:00

The Khadi shop opposite the Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad has them for 70/- each, they had a stack full a couple of weeks ago when I was in there.

JBMinAZ · Feb 3rd, 2008, 03:33

Someone with access ought to buy them at that price and sell them for a great, but not ridiculous, profit. The one I bought from Monarch Garments came promptly, was packed exceedingly well, and was exactly the size I needed, so I was ultimately a satisfied customer. But...if they were cheaper, I would have bought several and would like to have given them as gifts. The fact that we can be having a discussion about this topic at all says something about demand and lack of availability.

Dec 15th, 2007, 21:58	#31
Nick-H Loud-mouthed, Noisy Bird Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 26,842	Well, I'm not sure... I think it varies from region to region. Here, "standard" politician's garb is the white shirt and vesti. Lalu's kurta is part of his 'country-boy' image trade mark; some who wish to be seen as religiously-affiliated wear saffron, and so on. I guess many of them have individual image components: I'm glad to be able to say that I'm not at all an expert! I'm not sure that Manmohan Singh has an image: he just works the projector for Sonia! __________________ . Just one member of the IndiaMike Mod Team

Jan 5th, 2008, 04:11	#39
JBMinAZ Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Phoenix AZ Posts: 5	Gandhi caps So...someone new joins the forum and actually posts an answer to the question of where you can buy one of these caps, pointing out that it is "pricey," and the response from the group is "sucker". Nice. Sure does encourage participation. When someone finds one for 20 Rs, please feel free to let everyone else know and you can all wear the caps while discussing libertarianism. See how easy it is to be sarcastic?

Feb 3rd, 2008, 03:33	#45
JBMinAZ Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Phoenix AZ Posts: 5	Gandhi caps Someone with access ought to buy them at that price and sell them for a great, but not ridiculous, profit. The one I bought from Monarch Garments came promptly, was packed exceedingly well, and was exactly the size I needed, so I was ultimately a satisfied customer. But...if they were cheaper, I would have bought several and would like to have given them as gifts. The fact that we can be having a discussion about this topic at all says something about demand and lack of availability.

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Dec 15th, 2007, 22:46	#33
Nick-H Loud-mouthed, Noisy Bird Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 26,842	Hmmm, right. Well, we've got one guy here all ready who might buy one for $50! All we need is a few more and we're rich! Rich beyond our wildest dreams!! Oh... ok... my wildest dreams...

Dec 15th, 2007, 22:48	#34
capt_mahajan (in charge of navel affairs) Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: India Posts: 10,105	If in bulk, it may be cheaper. Buy one cap, get a congress politician free. Or should it be the other way around?

Dec 15th, 2007, 23:07	#35
Nick-H Loud-mouthed, Noisy Bird Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 26,842	I have a hunch about which one would be easiest to buy...

Dec 16th, 2007, 00:23	#36
Selkie Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Yorkshire Posts: 64	A nehru cap is the kind of fairly random item that is likely to crop up on Ebay. Worth keeping an eye out on there I should think.

Jan 2nd, 2008, 02:57	#37
guerik Maha Guru Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Australia Posts: 1,038	Nahh, the only person likely to buy one already has one on order!

Jan 2nd, 2008, 04:01	#38
vireya Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 275	I've got a sewing pattern for the cap. I would have made it for him for $55! Especially if that was US$. Any more suckers out there?

Jan 5th, 2008, 04:52	#40
vireya Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 275	Don't blame "the group" for the comment of one person. Sorry if I was offensive. I didn't mean it to be. But $55 is a huge amount of money - I hope you didn't have to pay for postage on top of that. How was the cap, anyway?

Jan 5th, 2008, 11:55	#41
Nick-H Loud-mouthed, Noisy Bird Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 26,842	No offense meant to you, JBMinAZ, sorry if any was taken. But I loath this 'what the market will stand' pricing, whether it is Microsoft overcharging Europeans for software or some guy in India overcharging Americans for clothes --- and it should be spoken out against. On another forum recently someone was mentioning a book they had just published. The dollar price was more than double the Rupee price. I posted pointing this out, and hoping that it therefore included post and packing. And in this instance, the overcharge is not small, but massive.

Jan 7th, 2008, 04:54	#42
JBMinAZ Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Phoenix AZ Posts: 5	I appreciate the follow ups. Message boards and the internet generally make it very easy to be hard on each other. I think that's a bad thing. I don't disagree about predatory pricing, but the string shows how hard it is to find this particular product even in India (I never found another one on any other site), so ultimately I had to decide if I wanted it badly enough. When the manufacturer of this cap comes to Arizona, he'll probably get overcharged for a cowboy hat.... The cap is supposed to arrive in the next day or so. If it doesn't, or is terrible, then I'll truly deserve the sucker label.

Jan 7th, 2008, 06:57	#43
vireya Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 275	A similar cap is the Himachali cap, which has a different shaped crown, but the construction and amount of fabric used is similar. We purchased one in the Himachal Pradesh State Emporium for 110Rs. According to this article: http://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20070606/himplus1.htm they can be purchased for between 90 to 150 Rs, so I guess we paid a fair price, and I would expect that the Gandhi cap would sell for a similar price in India. But you are right, I didn't see them for sale anywhere - but I also wasn't looking. As a comparison, on Ebay there is someone selling the same Himachali cap for $17 US plus up to $9 postage depending on where you are. So they are making a huge profit. All the best with your cap, I will be interested to hear the results. And if you do want to get hold of the pattern so someone can make you one in future, it is Folkwear #135: http://www.folkwear.com/asian.html

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Feb 2nd, 2008, 19:00	#44
Bombay_Bill In UK Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Scarborough and Bombay Posts: 46	The Khadi shop opposite the Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad has them for 70/- each, they had a stack full a couple of weeks ago when I was in there.