Known as Pooje in Karnataka or Pūjai in Tamil Nadu, the style is highly structured. Elephants are adorned in temples; the air fills with the sound of Nadaswaram (pipe instrument) and Mridangam (drum). The Archana (reciting 108 names of the God) is central.
The most significant shift in the last decade has been the move toward Vertical Integration. Gone are the days when a farmer would buy chicks from one vendor, feed from another, and sell to a third.
Today, giants like Venky’s (VH Group), Suguna Foods, Godrej Agrovet, and CP Group control the entire chain. They own the grandparent stock, hatch the chicks, manufacture the feed, raise the birds through contract farming, and sell the processed meat under brand names in retail stores.
This model has insulated the industry from volatility. By controlling the genetics (with high-yield strains like Cobb 700 or Ross), these integrators have achieved the impossible: producing 2.2 kilograms of meat in just 35 days with a feed conversion ratio (FCR) that rivals global standards.
In Hindi and several North Indian dialects, the word "Pua" (पुआ) refers to a specific type of traditional sweet bread or fritter.