India, July 4 -- It was Viraj Bahl who put it best: The two big rages in India right now, he told me, are wellness and chilli.

I am sure Viraj is right about wellness, though I don't know much about the subject. But he is certainly bang on when it comes to the chilli craze. And he has put his money where his mouth is. Veeba, the condiment company he founded, has invested heavily in a new range of hot sauces and they are flying off the shelves.

It's a trend that has spread.

Maggi, a well-respected brand with no distinctive record of risky innovation in India, is also launching new products, most of which seem to include the word 'spicy' in the name: Spicy Garlic Noodles and Spicy Pepper Noodles are just two examples.

Viraj, who also ru...