The managing director of India's largest private bank, HDFC, Aditya Puri, recently stated that he prefers Bata and he rather stated it "proudly". It looked like more of a celebration marking the bond that people like Puri and others of his age, who grew up wearing Bata shoes, have with the shoe manufacturer.
Puri recently in an address to shareholders mentioned his long-standing relationship with Bata and he referred to it as humble beginnings.
Puri in his address said, "We came to start this bank 25 years ago, a bunch of us so-called kids at that time, who had grown up in middle-class backgrounds sharing a coke and wearing Bata shoes."
As Puri stated this, Bata took it as a moment and there was an exchange of thoughts and appreciation between Bata and Puri. Bata tweeted, "It is humbling to see what people with dreams can achieve. We are glad to be a part of your journey #AdityaPuri and we wish you more power ahead."
Puri on the other hand responded rather warmly and sent a cake, along with a heartfelt note to Bata and congratulated Sandeep Kataria, CEO of Bata India, for the journey of the household brand.
The note with the cake from Puri stated, "Dear Sandeep, I have watched the transformation of the brand in recent years with great interest. I wear Bata as a preferred choice very proudly. My best wishes to the entire Bata family."
Bata posted the image of the cake along with the note sent by Puri on Twitter. Bata added that appreciation from someone like Puri meant a lot to the company.
Established in 1984, the Swiss footwear brand is part of Bata Corporation. It is a Swiss company but Bata has been the shoe creed for many households since it came to India. About thirty to forty years ago, people did not know about all the fancy brands that we see in India now. All they knew was Bata.
