What are your expectations from the festival and wedding season?

By the end of September, things should pick up and I am very bullish on the same. With the onset of the Pooja season in the East and we are hopeful the demand will come in from there and I am sure we will see the benefits of the same.

How will the fashion industry reorient itself to the changed dynamics post Covid and how is Raymond participating in the rejig?

The market is changing and the world is changing and I am sure, water will find its own level. Having said that Raymond has launched an exhaustive range of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) offerings. We are using our garmenting facilities in Bengaluru to manufacture PPE products (including masks and suits) which are currently being supplied to government, hospitals and other institutions. Additionally, our FMCG business was quick to respond and launched a slew of personal hygiene products as well as skin friendly hand sanitizers and cleaners as a part of Raymond Care initiative.

Raymond is advocating Be Indian, Buy India. What does that translate into for consumers?

I believe, Be Indian Buy Indian will help revive local consumption. Governments across the world are coming up with innovative measures to revive consumption, for instance, if you consider in the UK, the government was paying for a percentage of people who went out to restaurants.

It was their way to kick-start their economy. We need to come up with something more suitable for our country that will empower us to give the much needed boost to our economy. For instance, it is imperative for India to continue to host IPL matches on its soil to give fillip to the economy and sentiments of people of India as we are coming out of the impact of the pandemic. India can certainly handle such a high-profile sporting event, if UAE can.