Thanjavur: What would be the reaction of your close relatives and friends when they find the monthly calendar adorning the wall in your main hall sporting colourful images of your beloved family members, all in smiles, instead of the customary images of deities or popular cine stars or sportsmen? Your imagination can become a reality!

In a novel attempt to retain customers, M Elangovan (44), a professional videographer in the city, has been following the practice of gifting his customers calendars sporting the colourful images of their loved ones on each page.

“When a videographer gets an order from a customer for video coverage of a wedding or birthday function that takes place in his family, he will usually give the customer a complimentary photo album or a laminated blow-up of a family group photo in order to retain the customer. With times changing, such practices have also changed,” says Elangovan who runs Surya Studio on Court Road.

“When I entered this profession some 16 years ago, there were few studios in Thanjavur. But the situation has changed now; competition has increased. Everyone in their own way attempts to retain old customers as well as woo new customers. There is a saying ‘Necessity is the mother of all invention.’ So we hit upon this novel idea some three years ago,” said Elangovan, a Diploma holder in Electrical and Electronics Engineering.

“The monthly calendar with three sheets originally costs Rs 600. But it is given free to the customer. If the customer wants extra copies, he will be charged. There is an overwhelming response to this from our customers. Some customers buy four or five extra calendars. This also serves as very good publicity for us. After seeing the calendars in our customers’ houses, their close relatives and friends also approach us and become our regular customers,” Elangovan said.