It is not easy to pin down S Mahadev for a conversation. He is constantly on the phone and is low on patience. His answers are to the point and interspersed with words in colloquial Hindi, jargon from the construction business. Based in Gulbarga, Karnataka, Mahadev has been an UltraTech Cement distributor for over a decade now. Gulbarga district isn’t just a cement manufacturing hub with seven large plants spread over 16,000 sq km, but is also a big consumer. Of the 50,000 tonne that exchanges hands here every month, UltraTech accounts for the largest share at over 14,000 tonne. Vasavadatta Cement sells about 9,000 tonne, while ACC clocks 7,000 tonne. “UltraTech is very big here and everyone knows the brand,” says Mahadev.