The Aage Badhegi campaign by Titan does not just make you feel; it makes you reflect. In a post-Mother’s Day landscape filled with forgotten hashtags, this one stays with you.
At ChangeinContent, we have always believed that necessary conversations and initiatives around women, especially mothers, shouldn’t be confined to one day. Mother’s Day came and went. The sales ended, the sentimental posts faded, and most brands moved on. But we didn’t. Our vision has always focused on everyday narratives that challenge the norm and stick around. That’s why certain campaigns this Mother’s Day didn’t just pass us by. They made us stop and take notice.
So, we will keep bringing these stories into the conversation, whether it is five days after Mother’s Day or five months later. Especially when campaigns like Titan’s show up and genuinely push for change, they’re worth returning to.
‘Aage Badhegi’ campaign by Titan: When mothers become students
Titan chose to tell a different story this year. One that feels personal to many of us. The campaign follows women who never had the chance to finish school, and some never got to start. Now, inspired by their daughters, they’re returning to the classroom.
It is not fiction. The campaign film, titled “Aage Badhegi,” created by Ogilvy and produced by Superfly Films, tells real stories of rural women who are part of Titan’s ongoing CSR initiative, Titan Kanya. The program, in partnership with the non-profit IIMPACT, provides custom literacy modules for women who missed out on formal education. In the last financial year alone, Titan Kanya reached over 74,000 girls and women across Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.
These are not one-time workshops. We are talking about continuous support such as life skills, scholarships, and STEM education.
She doesn’t have to live through her daughter
We’ve all grown up hearing a version of this line: “I want my daughter to have the life I couldn’t.” It is a familiar sentiment, especially in India, where generations of women were taught to put family first and dreams second. For many mothers, their ambitions were never lost but were simply shelved. As years passed, those dreams found a second chance through their daughters.
Society sees these sacrifices as noble, and in many ways, they are. However, they also show how society has long expected women to step back, to sacrifice quietly, and to be fulfilled only through the success of others.
That is what makes the ‘Aage Badhegi’ campaign by Titan so beautiful. It does not challenge that sentiment aggressively, but does it gently, with care. It indirectly asks a simple yet powerful question: What if a mother didn’t have to live only through her daughter? What if she could live for herself, too?
Yes, why can’t both mother and daughter live their dreams?
No expiry date on learning
There is a subtle rebellion in this campaign against the unspoken deadlines. Education by 22, marriage by 25, and success before 30. And after that? Silence. As if ambition has an expiry date. We’ve all felt it. That invisible timeline that tells women when they should study, work, marry, and settle.
So what if a mother goes back to school at 35? Or starts learning to read at 45? These stories show that it is never too late to take charge of one’s life. Because of CSR programs like Titan Kanya, the opportunity to learn no longer stops at childhood.
Education gives a woman the agency to stand on her own. Many mothers spend their whole lives focused on their children’s futures, often because they didn’t get a chance to chase dreams of their own. While this kind of love is beautiful, it also leaves them in a place of dependence. What happens when the child grows up, moves to a different city, and starts building her own life? Where does that leave the mother who never got the chance to build hers? The mother who gave everything is left with time, memories, and questions.
A story worth revisiting: Nil Battey Sannata
This also brings to mind the film Nil Battey Sannata, a quiet yet powerful story that deserves more attention than it received. The story follows Chanda Sahai (played by Swara Bhaskar), a domestic worker and a determined single mother. She dreams of giving her daughter, Apeksha, fondly called Appu, a better future through a good formal education. However, when Chanda asks Appu what she wants to become, the answer is disheartening.
Appu replies casually, “An engineer’s son becomes an engineer, a doctor’s son becomes a doctor. So obviously, a maid’s daughter will become a maid.”
Chanda refuses to accept this. She joins her daughter’s school, not to embarrass her, but to motivate her. What follows is a heartfelt journey of both mother and daughter working hard and completing their SSC exams together.
Nil Battey Sannata shows us that ambition has nothing to do with one’s background. More importantly, the film reminds us that every mother, not just those with financial means or social connections, has the right to pursue her own goals and support her child’s dreams.
Yet, stories like this rarely get the spotlight. Campaigns and conversations around women like Chanda often appear only around Women’s Day. That needs to change. Narratives like these deserve space every day, not just once a year.
Closing thoughts on ‘Aage Badhegi’ campaign by Titan
At ChangeinContent, we don’t wait for special occasions to talk about what matters. We bring it back. We sit with it. Moreover, when a campaign like “Aage Badhegi” shows up, we keep the conversation going for days, months, or however long it takes. Motherhood, education, and agency deserve attention beyond a single day on the calendar. Let’s not wait for next year’s Mother’s Day to talk about this again.
At Changeincontent, we believe in amplifying stories that do not expire after trending. Explore our take on how Mother’s Day is over, but the Motherhood Penalty is not: Read here.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are based on the writer’s insights, supported by data and resources available both online and offline, as applicable. Changeincontent.com is committed to promoting inclusivity across all forms of content. We broadly define inclusivity as media, policies, law, and history, encompassing all elements that influence the lives of women and marginalised individuals. Our goal is to promote understanding and advocate for comprehensive inclusivity.
