“Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” – Ibn Battuta
This quote by Ibn Battuta, the Moroccan traveller, draws relevance even in the modern world. I love to travel to new places, meet new people and experience new cultures. Roads, bridges, mobility infrastructure play a major role in connecting the unconnected and bringing development into modern world. Thanks to the connectivity, travelling, as a hobby, has become prevalent bringing more and more people under its ambit.
Recently I had an opportunity to travel to Leh, in Jammu and Kashmir, which is one of the most picturesque places in India. Leh, in the abode of Himalayas, is home to numerous flora and fauna, and cultures. Such far off places have become accessible thanks to the roadways. Tourism has enhanced in the region owing to the infrastructure thereby facilitating all stakeholders. While in Leh, I had the opportunity to visit the beautiful Pangong Lake, Chang la, Khardungla, Lamayuru monastery and Tso Morari. Leh is not only a tourist destination but also a strategically important place with respect to security of our nation. For military purposes also connectivity through roads is highly important as resources need to move fast as per need. As far as locals are concerned, roads are not just paths of connectivity but they connect people thus giving opportunity for social, economic and cultural exchange. Leh being a tourist destination is economic hub of Ladakh area, thereby attracting nearby locals for business. During tourist season, when tourism flourishes nearby population travel to Leh for earning. Thus, roadways play a major role in the life of people of Leh.
Aditya Birla’s Ultratech cement and Ready to Mix concrete have been key ingredients in the manufacture of roads and bridges. The contribution of providing high quality products have meant that the infrastructure thus built is of the highest quality, with greater longevity, connecting hearts and minds of people, thus serving best purpose in the society.
“Whatever does not kill you, makes you stronger” - Nietzsche
Challenges don’t just make you stronger but also keeps you stronger. The story of my life can be summarized by the constant pursuit of challenges thereby fulfilling my pursuit of happiness. I have rarely swayed away from any challenge that comes into my path. Success and failure are two ends of it but the path must be enjoyable.
The most refreshing and recent of my challenges has been my tryst with Civil Services. Civil Services Examination, as most of us know, is one of the toughest examinations of not just India but also the world. The level of competition and the level of knowledge one needs to pursue is unparalleled. The pursuit of knowledge of a wide variety of subjects ranging from History, Geography, Sociology, Polity, International affairs, Science and Technology, Economics, Ethics and Public Administration has added numerous attributes and most important of which is critical thinking. The importance of critical thinking is vital in whichever field one goes for. Further the knowledge about various cultures and places has invigorated the traveller in me. I love to travel to places of scenic beauty, cultural significance and pursue adventure sports wherever an opportunity arises. Although I could not succeed in clearing Civil Services and pursue the most coveted Indian Administrative Services, but the lessons learnt during my pursuit of Civil Services have made me a new person altogether, most important of which is my conscious realization of the societal obligations we have. So, to fulfil my desire to serve the society I joined We4you Charitable Trust which works for the betterment of Visually impaired students through education. The exposure it provided was immense and it gave me an opportunity to not just work for Divyangs but also interact with various Divyangs, work with them, understand the issues they face. Further, I had an opportunity to visit “Bhima Bhoi School for the blind” and had interviewed the Head Master who gave an insight into the functioning of the school and also the challenges faced by the teachers. Another interesting experience which I would like to share was during the vocational training for Visually impaired which I had participated in. Despite the challenges, the level of enthusiasm and the learning curve of the Divyangs is unparalleled.
And now as new chapter has begun after I wrote IIFT entrance examinations securing 99.803 percentile and I got an opportunity to pursue my higher education, MBA International Business, in the coveted IIFT New Delhi. It has opened up newer avenues and given me a fillip to work to move to business side of things while continuing my contribution to society through volunteer work. All in all, challenges and failure are stepping stones to achieve the next level if the goal is clear.