A single Indian company based in the southern city of Mysore makes the indelible ink daubed on to voter fingers. The ink, drawn with a brush or stick on the nail and cuticle of the forefinger of the left hand, is designed to last for weeks, until a new nail grows.
More than 2.6m plastic vials of 10ml each are being prepared. The vials used to be made of glass but breakage was an issue. What hasn’t changed, however, is the secret formula.
According to Mysore Paints & Varnish’s managing director Dr Chandrashekhar Doddamani only two chemists know the secret formula, and they pass it on when they retire.
The company also exports its ink to 30 countries ranging from Thailand and Malaysia to Afghanistan and Nigeria.