An ad featuring a basic 'charpoy' with jute ropes and wooden frame is going viral. The advertisement from Australia has left Indian Twitterati amazed — not because the desi bed is in demand — but for its unbelievable price.
Sydney resident Daniel Bloore, who is the manufacturer of the beds, first noticed a charpoy during a visit to India in 2010, according to SBS Punjabi. He used one for himself and after making one for a friend, decided to sell them.
Bloore says he dropped a flyer at an Indian grocery shop about six months ago and has been getting an overwhelming response ever since. “The timber and the rope cost almost half of the price and then it takes many hours to make the frame,” he told SBS Punjabi. It takes Bloore a week to make one bed.
In India, where the charpoy is available for a fraction of the price quoted, the advertisement raised quite a few laughs. On Twitter, people found the exorbitant price hilarious. Sample some reactions:
While Indians are made to feel ashamed of rural lifestyle, many others have started to appreciate & use "Datun", "Dona" & now "Charpoy". pic.twitter.com/w2k4Wk8nCe
— Ashima Singh 🇮🇳 (@AshiQuotes) October 5, 2017
Bloody hell! pic.twitter.com/nBiC3yfn6J
— omar r quraishi (@omar_quraishi) October 5, 2017
Who would have thought that we would need a copyright on khatiya/charpoy.. we better file IP claims for Indian 'lota' asap. #charpoy pic.twitter.com/79tql92i1T
— Kanchan Ray (@kanchanray) October 6, 2017
Wow! how they sell it in Australia! 990 Australian dollars is ₹50,500/-
— समीर: देसाई (@gavyasudha) October 5, 2017
& here we forgot it for modernity's sake#Charpoy #Horasu #Baazala pic.twitter.com/hNfFvhlOfl
Wow...It seems India is finally getting its due. A $10 charpai selling for $990. #MakeInIndia is working ;) #IndiaRising #CharpaiRising pic.twitter.com/MTpWJr2J40
— Vineet Chugh (@vineet_chugh) October 6, 2017