Kerala goes crazy to flaunt 916 tag
Chennai, Aug. 17: South and sentiments go hand in hand and if it is about gold, they get even more interesting. Owing to the sentiments around the number ‘916’, a few gold jewellers in Kerala seem have decided to tag it on to their mobile numbers and car registraton numbers.
The number 916 refers to the 91.6 per cent purity of 22-carat gold, used to make ornaments.
“916 is a number associated with the industry and there is a general fascination around it,” Mr P.P. Jose, general manager (India operations), of Joy Alukkas, whose firm uses a few numbers ending with 916, told this correspondent.
However, Malabar Gold seems to have taken the 916-craze to greater heights.
About 90 per cent of its staff have mobile numbers ending with 916, following a special arrangement with state-run telecom company BSNL and Idea. All the company’s cars are fitted with number plates ending with 916.
“We wanted convey the quality of our brand to customers and we found such concepts quite innovative and subtle,” says Mr M.P. Ahammed, chairman, Malabar Group of Companies. And, of course, this is the most cost-effective one, he adds with a chuckle.
With Malabar Gold blocking most of mobile phone numbers ending with the number 916, others are reported to have taken to securing 916 as a sequence somewhere in their mobile numbers.
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