MAM
Korean becomes fastest growing language in India: Duolingo report
Mumbai: Language learning app Duolingo has released the 2021 Duolingo Language Report in the country according to which Korean leads the language learning growth curve in India. This rise can be attributed in part to the release of the popular streaming show “Squid Game” (2021).
Influenced by pop culture, Indian millennials and Gen-Z – especially between the age groups of 17 to 25 – are responsible for the rise of Korean learning in India. Over 56 per cent of respondents said that they were influenced to learn a new language by pop culture trendsetters including films, OTT shows and web series, said the report.
Korean has climbed up the ladder of most popular languages becoming the fastest growing language in India and has comfortably established itself as the fifth most popular language in the country. English, Hindi, French and Spanish are the other top languages that Indians are currently learning on the Duolingo app. It is interesting to note that English, Spanish, French, German and Japanese are the most popular languages on Duolingo globally.
As India tunes into more Korean entertainment and listens to more K-pop, language study has been reframed as something that complements and supports interests and other activities.
Taking a deeper dive into the impact of culture on language learning, Duolingo also conducted additional research in India in association with an international data and analytics group.
The report found that improving career opportunities and personal growth are main reasons in India for learning a new language. Close to 40 per cent of respondents stated that they were currently studying a new language. There is equal focus on learning English and regional languages. Digital learning is the most preferred medium of learning especially via mobile applications and video platforms.
“With a young India wanting to stay connected to local and global culture we have witnessed most traction on Duolingo from the 17 to 25 age bracket, across languages,” stated Duolingo’s country marketing manager for India Karandeep Singh Kapany. “As Indians increasingly move to virtual learning platforms that are fun and effective, we look forward to further tailoring courses for the Indian learner and meeting their language learning needs.”
Duolingo revealed that in 2021 over 700 million hours were spent learning on the app with nearly 10 billion lessons completed and 15 billion words learned. 25 million people worldwide were learning more than one language.
MAM
Titan Raga campaign urges women to make time for themselves
New film reframes ‘being busy’ as choosing joy without guilt or permission.
MUMBAI: For many women, the busiest thing on the to do list is often… everyone else. Titan Raga’s latest campaign turns that idea on its head, urging women to reclaim moments for themselves without the quiet guilt that often shadows leisure. Instead of glorifying rest, the brand’s new film celebrates the conscious choice to claim joy, without waiting for permission or feeling the need to “earn” it first.
At the heart of the campaign lies a familiar yet rarely spoken truth. Many women instinctively feel that personal time must come only after every responsibility has been ticked off. Leisure becomes something to justify, and joy is postponed until the to do list runs out. Titan Raga’s message is simple: perhaps it never needed permission in the first place.
The film brings this idea alive through everyday scenes rather than dramatic gestures. A working professional, a mother and a film director move through their daily routines, each quietly negotiating that familiar internal voice that questions whether they deserve a moment to themselves. Instead of waiting for the right moment, they simply choose it.
These moments are small and deeply relatable. A pause in the middle of a hectic day, a quiet personal indulgence, or a few minutes reclaimed from the chaos of everyday life. Individually they appear ordinary, but together they carry a quietly rebellious energy.
The narrative is stitched together by a playful track that flips a common refrain on its head: “Haan hoon main busy… making some time for me.” What once sounded like an apologetic explanation becomes a confident declaration.
Titan Company Ltd. chief marketing officer Ranjani Krishnaswamy said the campaign was shaped by a recurring emotional insight.
“What we kept hearing underneath everything was guilt. Not because anyone was asking women to be constantly available, but because they were asking it of themselves. It is not a rule someone handed them, it is something they carry quietly and instinctively. With this campaign we wanted to speak to that moment when a woman realises she has always had the agency to choose differently,” she said.
Ogilvy Bangalore executive creative director Aarti Nichlani added that the team aimed to spotlight everyday decisions that rarely receive attention.
“The idea was to capture moments women seldom see celebrated, those brief pauses where they choose themselves in the middle of everything else. We wanted the film to feel light, relatable and real because sometimes the smallest choices can feel the most liberating,” she said.
The campaign concludes with a simple thought that neatly sums up its spirit: let’s get busy making time for ourselves.
