I distinctly remember recess in primary school. After putting my little self through 2 hours of rigorous schoolwork, and with a grumbling tummy, I used to open my lunch box. Most days were disappointing though. Don’t get me wrong, my mom is an amazing cook. But having to eat food hours after it has been made is certainly not appetizing. One day though, it all changed for me. A new guy walked into our class. All alone with no friends, I invited him to sit beside me. During our recess, we both opened our lunch boxes to share food with each other. And I still can’t forget the sight I saw in his tiffin. All he had in his lunch box was a big chunk of shiny metal. “What is that Vineet?!! You eat raw metal for food?”, I remember saying to my new friend. Vineet simply opened through the Freshwrapp foil and gave me fresh and hot dosas to eat. And I was simply amazed. I had no hopes ever of having fresh food in recess, but here was Vineet, telling me that it was possible. All I had to do was get my food packed in Freshwrapp! I pestered my mother for days until she had to give in and buy Freshwrapp. To this day, I can’t help but smile, when I see the smiley on the Freshwrapp covers. It was only much later that I understood that Freshwrapp is made by Hindalco, which is a subsidiary of the Aditya Birla Group. To this day, when I have to pack my food in a tiffin box, I use Freshwrapp. It was only due to Freshwrapp’s legacy that my school recesses became memorable.
When I look back at the product’s legacy, I also remember another incident that occurred with me during my under-graduation. In college, I was very passionate about organizing quizzes. So, for one of my college’s business fest, I was tasked with conducting a business quiz. When I took charge of the event, I realized that the previous year’s organizers had not paid certain dues, because of which the event, in general, had gathered a bad repute. Specifically, the previous year’s quiz masters and prize winners were not paid their dues. So, I took it up to myself to ensure that I will repair the disrepute caused and create a new legacy for the quiz. I realised that I would have to behave in a frank and stern manner towards the stakeholders of the quiz. When I appointed a quiz master for the event, I brought his attention to the previous irregularities and gave him a word that this would not be repeated under my authority. I also signed a Memorandum of Understanding between him and the authorities funding the event, mentioning that he would be paid his dues before conducting the quiz. As expected, the MoU helped legitimize the contract, and the quiz master duly received his money. Next, to make sure that the winners get their prize money, I personally approached a sponsor for the quiz, so as to completely reduced any dependence on the event organizing authorities. In this manner, I was also able to fund the award prize and ensure satisfactory completion of the quiz.