No matter how much you acquaint yourself with something, the connection can never even come close to attaining the status of something that has been a part of your life since before you learnt to read a book, speak in complete sentences, or form your own thoughts. The very name “Birla” is something that belongs to such a category of special, unforgettable relationships. My earliest memory of the name, brings with it, all things beautiful, pristine and nostalgic – the gentle dance of my mother’s pallu on a pleasant winter evening, the smell of home cooked food maturing its way to completion, a soothing, 90’s melody being hummed somewhere down the street by a rickshaw driver – his voice intercepted by the gleeful peals of laughter of the children playing down the road of our colony – the memories conjured up are endless, and the love for the brand that was a part of it all – even more deep. My mother would often speak of the Birlas with great awe – anything at all that seemed like a big feat for me to achieve, my mother would say “You need to be the Birlas to achieve that!” Hence, it came to be that not only have I used ABG’s products, but they have also been an integral part of my life, growing up. I, therefore, decided to outline in this article, the impact that a seemingly mundane product has had on my life – Freshwrapp. Yes, you read that right! Although I have used many other products by ABG – from twirling around in pretty skirts from Pantaloons to charging ahead towards my dream job in a chic Van Heusen blazer – I feel nothing sums up the value that the brand has for me, like Freshwrapp does. Every day, as I got ready for school without a care in the world, my mother would be working tirelessly in the kitchen, cooking my lunch. I didn’t understand then, but every time my mother used to wrap my food in that shiny aluminium foil, it wasn’t a mechanical ritual, it was a sign of her love and care. Now, years later, living away from home and fending for myself rather awkwardly, I realize the value and deep meaning of this simple gesture. My mother used to never settle for any other brand of aluminium foil but Freshwrapp. I still remember, when I was in my sixth grade, we went grocery shopping. My mother was actively looking for aluminium foil rolls on the shelves. The well meaning shop assistant was trying to push another brand of aluminium foil, which had an offer going on – two rolls for the price of one. But my mother refused and stuck to Freshwrapp. When I later asked my mother what the difference was – after all, it was just aluminium foil – she replied saying: “It’s all about the brand. Aluminium foil is something that is in direct contact with my child’s food. A child’s food is paramount to her health. How can I trust any random brand with something so important?” That’s when I realized that, often the things that we dismiss as mundane and ordinary end up having the greatest value. It got me thinking of the benchmarks that help us assess a brand and it dawned on me that there is nothing more trustworthy than a mother’s trust. If a mother trusts a brand so deeply for her child, the brand needs no further validation.
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