The influence of Aditya Birla Group in my life has been enormous even though I was unaware of it for a long part of my life. My father has always been a loyal customer of Peter England shirts and t-shirts for a long time. The quality and the class of the brand always drags him back to the outlet whenever he needs a new shirt for the office. Therefore, it wasn’t surprising when he took me to the Peter England store to purchase all my formal shirts before I joined college. Every time I wear a Peter England shirt, I feel more confident as I remember my dad. It brings in a sense of urgency within me to uphold all his values and work ethic. But the story I want to share revolves around another brand under the Birla umbrella.
I got my first mobile phone after I completed my 12th standard. There was only one company that came to my mind when my parents told me to go get a SIM card. I was a huge fan of the ‘What an Idea Sirji’ advertisement campaign by Idea featuring Abhishek Bachchan and for no other reason went on to get their connection. Within a few months, I left my hometown Kochi for Mumbai to pursue my undergrad. Incidentally, one of the Idea advertisements was shot in St.Xavier’s College, my new home in Mumbai. The very first day at Mumbai I faced the biggest challenge I would face for the next three years, the language barrier. Living for almost 18 years with Malayalam as a mother tongue and studying in an English medium school, I always took my third language (Hindi) for granted. Every time I struggled giving directions to the kaali peeli (local cab) drivers I regretted learning all my Hindi lessons by heart without actually trying to understand it. The language barrier made it even tougher for me to form bonds with my classmates as I would often be lost in group conversations. I used to call my parents every evening and talk about my problems. At a time when I feel left out, those evening phone calls with my parents certainly did help. But I wasn’t ready to give up that easily. I started learning the language again with ten times the interest and rigour with which I studied Hindi in school. I started learning the most important phrases first to help myself while I was using the local trains, buses or cabs, visiting Kirana stores, restaurants, etc. I was fortunate enough to find a few friends who were willing enough to help me through this hurdle. Whenever I encountered a new word or a phrase I would call up my friends or send them a message asking for the word meanings. Within a few weeks, I started getting better and was quite able to manage short conversations with people. I would share my experiences and progress in Hindi with my parents daily. Slowly, I started watching Hindi movies with English subtitles to get an even better grip on the language. After watching a movie I’d call up my friends and discuss the movie and just like always ask for word meanings. Within 6-8 months my language improved so much even my friends were proud of me. The same year I even ended up teaching English in a night school which had underprivileged students who spoke only Hindi and Marathi. I may not have received an award or certificate for crossing this hurdle but for someone who ordered Kela coffee in a restaurant (thinking kela was Hindi for black instead of kaala) teaching in a night school the same year was something that made myself and the people around me proud. The phone conversations I had with my parents kept me sane throughout the ordeal while the phone conversations and text messages with my friends helped me overcome one of my biggest hurdles in a new phase of my life. It reminds of one of the many ‘What an Idea Sirji’ ads where children from remote areas were taught over the phone as they couldn’t go to schools in the cities. In a way, you could say an Idea did change my life!!