Sometimes it is the ads shorn of any kind of glamour; without celebs that catch the eye. They are the ads that don’t plug a product so much as an idea. While the ultimate aim for companies maybe the profit motive, it is heartwarming when CSR (corporate social responsibility) initiatives are geared towards actual positive social change. This is why Procter and Gambles’ ad featuring one such initiative caught people's attention. The P&G Shiksha initiative tells the story of Bittu:
The film’s premise is that there is no age for education; that it is never too late to become literate. The story of 70+ Badrinath or ‘Bittu’ is that of an old man going to school for the first time and is inspired by a true story.
P&G Shiksha initiative supports rural education initiatives that impart education to underprivileged children. The initiative claims to have built and supported 1800 schools and positively impacted 1.4 million lives via the CSC programme funded by everyday purchases you and I make.
The film tells the unlikely story of an old man wearing school shorts and going to school with little children. Like other kids, he plays on the see-saw, eats while class is on and even gets punished for this. This underlines an important aspect of education, which is socialisation. Maybe the real ‘Bittu’ didn’t really ride the see-saw, but the dramatisation helps tell the story more effectively.
Celebrities such as Sonakshi Sinha also tweeted about the ad film and threw their weight behind the CSR initiative. It is a fact that many in India are like Bittu, for whom education remains a dream.
The importance of education cannot be stressed enough, however it is also true that millions of kids in India simply don’t have the opportunity to get basic primary schooling either because of poverty or because access is an issue.
The film tells the story of many Indians who did not have access to education in their childhoods, but who decide that it’s never too late to fulfil their dream of education. We have heard many stories about older people either going to school with little children or getting their kids and even grandkids to teach them how to read and write. The story of the grizzled Bittu going to school with children more than 60 years younger is sweet and heartwarming and inspiring. With over 27 million views, viewers obviously agree.
Do you have something interesting you would like to share? Write to us at [email protected]
