In a state that receives 120 days of rainfall every year from both the south west and north east monsoons, umbrellas are a part of daily life in Kerala. They are as essential to the average Malayali household as groceries. On the roads of the state, most umbrellas bear labels saying either Popy or John's. In general stores, rows of Popy and John's umbrellas roost above the doors like bats.

As it turns out, the rival companies both have their headquarters on CCNB Road in Alappuzha, a tourist town just south of Kochi – and they are owned by cousins.

In 1995, Davis Thayyil parted ways with his cousin Joseph over St George, their grandfather’s umbrella manufacturing company, the largest in Kerala at the time. Joseph Thayyil went on to rename his part of the company John’s. Davis Thayyil chose to call his venture Popy, after the way his brother would mispronounce their favourite childhood sweet treat, Poppins.

Since then, the firms have become an essential part of Kerala’s pop culture. They do this by combining infectious music jingles and with a range of gimmicky umbrellas. Their products are particularly popular with the sort of customer who enjoys an umbrella that can also function as a handheld water spray and which includes a compass and mirror as well.

Over the last 19 years, Popy has developed about 150 models that make regular two- and three-fold umbrellas look completely archaic. Davis Thayyil also releases a new jingle every year.

“At a level, the brand belongs to children,” said Davis Thayyil. “That is why we get a new jingle each year. If the children can learn these songs, we get more brand recall.”

His cousin agreed. “The adult segment of the market is the biggest, but children are the best ambassadors and push buying pattern in the whole family,” Joseph Thayyil told Forbes magazine.



While the decor of many stores incorporates iconography related to their products, Popy takes it to another level. Neon-coloured toddler-sized umbrellas with whistles dangling just above customers’ heads. Even inner rooms have umbrella motifs. A series of stained glass paintings in a waiting room depict an ant sheltering under a leaf, a frog under a mushroom and a child under an umbrella. As might be expected, Davis Thayyil’s office also has umbrellas on almost every surface, except his desk.

We asked him about the legendary competition between the two companies.

“I always believe that what I do should be above the shoulders of others,” Thayyil said. “But we always have a tough time because what we do, they do. That’s also why I enjoy it. It is tough, but it is also very creative.”

Each monsoon, the two race with each other to keep umbrellas exciting and occasionally surprising as they attempt to corner each others’ markets.

Despite their booming business, umbrella manufacturers in the rest of the country are on the decline, said Davis Thayyil. “You don’t see any umbrella that has a countrywide reach,” he said. This is because umbrella makers are recognised neither as manufacturers nor as industries by the central government, which means they do not have access to the attendant benefits of such classifications.

Umbrellas, like agriculture, are also seasonal, so if manufacturers miss one year, they have to wait for another 12 months before they can hope for business again. Even so, Thayyil thinks a lot can be done with keeping the brand going through the rest of the year. They recently launched lightweight sun umbrellas to protect people during summers that have increasingly been getting warmer in Kerala.

“We need to remind customers that umbrellas can be fun,” said Thayyil. “We don’t expect to make much profit from our MP3 player umbrellas, but it keeps people talking about us.”

 

Read Mridula Chari's previous monsoon dispatches here.