As the buzz for the FIFA World Cup in North America grows each day, an apparel store in South Puducherry is continuously welcoming customers in large numbers. ‘350 Shirts’ at Nainar Kuppam — South of the main town — has now become part of the travel itinerary for many.
Why? Because Selvi, who owns and runs the shop, has attracted the audience, many who may not even follow football, through her viral Instagram reels. In the several videos on her account, she tries to cater to the audience by trying to pronounce names of famous footballers and show their jerseys. In the process, her mispronunciation or Tamil-ification of the names — Lamine Yamal of Spain is Lakshmi Ammal and England legend David Beckham is Bee Com — has received warm responses from viewers who find her content cute, and the reels going viral across all social media platform.
So much so that on the morning of Spain’s first match, the Tamil X fraternity was talking about how they cannot wait for Lakshmi Ammal’s World Cup debut. Former India cricketer R Ashwin spoke about her on his YouTube channel while Juventus FC — a Spanish football club where Ronaldo played — had uploaded a video of her pronunciations with reactions of former player Paul Pogba.
“It is all thanks to Lakshmi Ammal and Beecom,” she tells CE. Selvi also has her own iterations of other popular names in football. ‘Urgent Lessi’ (sometimes, Android Messi) for Argentina star Lionel Messi, ‘Naroda’ for Portuguese talisman Cristiano Ronaldo, ‘Nee yaar’ for Brazil’s Neymar and ‘Paapa’ for France’s Kylian Mbappe.
While the sales may have not skyrocketed as much as the views she has gotten, Selvi is happy that customers — who have come from different parts of the country — take their time in being there in the shop to talk to her. “Recently, a customer from a different city had come here and stayed with us for half-an-hour. Although I did not have the jersey they wanted, it was very kind of them to stay back,” she says.
Selvi has kept the prices constant despite the viral reception on social media. “We started this business for those who cannot afford to buy clothes. Our prices of Rs 350 will remain for most of our products. College-going kids would want to come here to buy our clothes as gifts,” she says.
Hailing from Thavalakuppam village in Puducherry, Selvi began working at a stall in a railway station, before getting married. “Then, I worked at a silk sari shop in the town, where I earned around Rs 3,000 a day,” she said. Two-and-a-half years ago, owing to health issues, she decided to start a small business from her home, with her son Sivabalan. “I began by selling only cotton dresses. We only had small quantities of jerseys. But as the demand increased, we focused more on selling jerseys. Ever since my son became a cop (Puducherry commando), I have managed everything by myself,” she says.
When businesses around her struggled to make profits, a friend suggested Selvi use Instagram. Local kids help her make the reels. And it has paid off and how! “They suggested that it may help us in the long run. I am very happy to have this recognition, considering the struggles of raising my children and managing the shop,” she signs off.