What Do a Pan Masala Brand, a Betting App, and an Entrance Coaching Institution Have in Common?
Wait… Before taking out your swords and guns, first read this and then decide.
At the core, all three — Pan Masala brands, betting apps, and coaching institutions — are businesses. Their foundation rests on a simple equation: profit and loss.
Still not convinced? Let’s talk numbers.
The Pan Masala market in India was valued at approximately ₹46,682 crore (~USD 5.5 billion) in 2024 [¹].
The online betting industry, including betting apps, reached USD 6.9 billion (₹57,600 crore) in 2024 [²].
The coaching/test prep industry was pegged at USD 6.5 billion (₹54,000 crore) in the same year [³].
All three are billion-dollar industries with a shared obsession for visibility. A significant share of their spending goes into marketing and brand promotion.
Pan Masala and betting apps hire celebrities and influencers.
Coaching institutes promote success stories—students who cracked top-tier exams.
But here’s the catch: these success stories are often statistical outliers. They’re not representative of the entire student base. The product being sold is not “education” — it’s aspiration, packaged and branded like toothpaste or cola.
The Walking Ads
Step outside during school or coaching hours, and you’ll notice a branding masterstroke at play: students as moving billboards.
Schools are subtle, adding logos to shirts or chest pockets.
Coaching centers are brazen. Students wear uniforms with giant brand names across the back and front — bright, attention-grabbing colors walking in groups through cities.
And this visibility? It’s not free.
Even when uniforms are marketed as “included” or “free,” the cost is adjusted elsewhere — tucked into admission fees, service charges, or study material packages. Parents pay to make their child a dynamic banner. It’s smart marketing, yes — but deeply exploitative in spirit.
Manufactured Merit
Ever seen the same student being promoted by multiple coaching institutes? It happens. A lot.
Institutes often:
Share credit for a student who attended their test series, crash course, or interview prep.
Retroactively claim toppers through paid associations or photo rights.
It’s not unlike a celebrity promoting multiple brands — only this time, the product is a child.
The Emotional Cost
Unlike Pan Masala or betting apps, coaching institutions have a sheen of legitimacy — they’re “education providers.” But their impact can be equally damaging, just more insidious.
Children as young as 11 or 12 enter coaching pipelines. For the next few years, they live a life that is:
Conditioned, not nurtured.
Focused on performance, not self-discovery.
Tied to a narrow definition of success: crack the exam, or you’ve failed.
The years spent in this system coincide with some of the most formative stages of emotional development. But mental health? Resilience training? Emotional intelligence?
Nowhere in the curriculum.
Once the entrance exam is cleared, the institute’s job is done. No one tracks whether these children:
Thrive emotionally or academically in the long run.
Enter careers they’re passionate about.
Feel a sense of identity beyond a roll number and rank.
The Silence We Don’t Talk About
We’ve all heard of suicide cases in places like Kota. But those are just the ones that make headlines.
What about:
The students who suffer quietly — slipping into anxiety, depression, or emotional shutdown?
The countless stories that go unreported, dismissed as just “stress” or “part of the process”?
And here’s what’s often overlooked:
The stress doesn’t disappear after success — it follows them.
Many students carry that pressure into college, unsure of who they are beyond a rank. After years of chasing a goal, they reach it — and find burnout, imposter syndrome, or a void where purpose should be.
Their stories aren’t individual failures. They are symptoms of a system that confuses performance with potential, and forgets to ask if the child is okay once the rank is achieved.
My Take
Sure, not all coaching institutes are alike. Some are genuinely committed to education and equity. But those are exceptions — not the norm.
When profit becomes the driving force — even in education — then it’s no longer about learning. It’s about selling a narrative.
Pan Masala sells pleasure. Betting apps sell hope. Coaching centres sell success. All three sell dreams — and they all come at a cost.
Final Thought
If you’re uncomfortable reading this — good. Because maybe, just maybe, that discomfort is where real questions begin.
Sources
[1] IMARC Group – India Pan Masala Market Report 2024 https://www.imarcgroup.com/prefeasibility-report-pan-masala-processing-plant
[2] IMARC Group – India Sports Betting Market Report 2024 https://www.imarcgroup.com/india-sports-betting-market
[3] IMARC Group – India Coaching Institutes Market Report 2024 https://www.imarcgroup.com/india-coaching-institutes-market
Originally published on LinkedIn, 31 July 2025.