India, April 4 -- Remember those white gym/PT shoes you had to wear every Saturday in school? We know how much you hated them. Keeping them spotless was as rare as the comfort they offered. We've all been in those shoes. But, what if we told you that the latest sneakers you just bought are simply their distant cousins?

Allow us to explain how history has unfolded for sneakers. In 1830, Liverpool Rubber Company developed rubber-soled shoes, called plimsolls, which mirrored today's typical PT shoe. These became the very first sneakers, deriving the name from how quiet they were while walking due to vulcanised rubber soles.

What started as basic footwear for a seaside stroll (as you will find on the internet) transformed into a cultural ph...