I was 10 when I was first introduced to the world of clothing offered by the infamous apparel brand from the Aditya Birla Group - Peter England. It was a unique shopping experience, not solely owing to the variety of clothes at the display, but because of the way the clothes reflected the culture of the Indian subcontinent and could define the individual wearing them. The first thing we notice when we meet someone new is not their physical appearance; rather I’d like to say that it’s their clothing. I can recall my father trying on the different colored formal shirts offered at the store and staring in awe at how a piece of cloth could impact the personality of an individual to such a degree. I wondered if my clothing choices defined who I was. Was I just imagining things, or was I just getting old enough to realize an essential aspect of our day-to-day lives? Years passed by, and the more I observed the world, the more I realized how crucial it was. It was the time of my graduation from school, and somehow, I found myself at the doors of the Peter England showroom I had been visiting for years, not realizing that one day I’ll be getting my first evidence of adulthood in the form a blazer from the store. I’m glad it was from Peter England.
But is everyone entitled to the luxury of clothing just like I was? Was I just one of the few privileged people in the world who didn’t have to worry about the necessities of life? I soon realized the answer was a ‘yes.’ The lack of proper clothing is a widely ignored issue that I believe is as significant as the lack of food. Everyone has the right to wear clothes of their choice that reflects their personality, and this right has never made it to the books of various agencies and institutions engaged in social service. I wasn’t very old when my mother passed away. My father and I decided to start a fund that would allow hard-working people to purchase clothes from their preferred brands. The fund was dedicated to the hard working nurses of the hospital in which my mother was admitted. It is a very small step but not an insignificant one. I hope to raise awareness about the right to clothing choice through such small activities in the hope of creating an impact on the existing social structure.