What it really meant is that if other carrier has no problem setting up an esim on the spot while following the same regulations set by the same government, the hardships you have encountered have more to do with Airtel itself.

The issue is not with you picking Airtel but with Airtel being too slow at adopting esim, especially so in a country where authentication via phone and message is commonplace.

Out of curiosity, do physical sim all come with PIN code over there?