When we think of household brands, some have become synonymous to a generation and then, there are those like the utility calmanac, Kalnirnay that transcend time and sustain relevance. Today the company is succeeded by Jayraj Salgaonkar and his daughter Shakti Salgaonkar-Yezdani who continues to keep it relevant with intent and innovation that is at the crux of this company. Fifty years ago on December 1, 1972,  little did Jayant Salgaonkar and his then 17-year-old son and apprentice, Jayraj realise the mammoth household name their product would become.

Humble beginnings

“What we have built is a secular product; we inform people. This made us an authentic and dependable brand that our consumers value very much,” recalls Jayraj Salgaonkar from his office in Dadar. The calmanac is a common feature in every household with turning over crores of copies in nine different languages. The panchang is an integral part of Hindu culture and Jayant Salgaonkar was seen as a delusional maverick to invest money and time into an idea like this. “His idea was simple. Before Kalnirnay, the panchang calculated the months in ghakta and pale [ancient medium of calculating time in the panchang] which is very different from the Gregorian system of hours, seconds and minutes. It was decided that we would build a calendar which would combine these different calendars and sell them to the public. Until then, only those who could decipher the panchang understood it; in many ways, we democratised this,” Jayraj says.