PART A
Why Aditya Birla Group is big in your life
It was a bright Monday morning. Monday mornings usually seem like hustle-bustle. Today, however, was different. It was a widely celebrated Telugu festival ‘Sankranti’, that morning. I could hear my mom whining from the kitchen for the tenth time....
*** Conversation between me and my mom***
Mom: Why don’t you have a holiday on such important festival? What sort of company do you work in?
*** Seeing through her desire of me staying at home, I have patiently kept answering her...***
Me: We follow the calendar of the United States, ma.
Mom: Okay, go and get ready at the earliest. Finish your pooja and start to your office a bit late.
I got ready and went to the pooja room and that’s when I realized that I ticked off a time bomb.
Mom: How many times should I tell you that you are supposed to wear a new dress for a festival?!
Me: I forgot to get one, Ma.
Mom: Go right now and get it and only then do your pooja.
I immediately rushed to the nearest Louie Philippe store at Himayathnagar, Hyderabad. It has always been my go-to place for my apparel. My parents love it too! I waited for the employees to lift up the shutters and hurried in.
The showroom always gave me a feeling of splendour with its decor. The brand has constantly been evolving, now, with the use of latest technologies like online shopping. The touch of the fabric gave me a familiar feeling of comfort. With the help of the courteous staff, I picked up a fine shirt and went back home.
My parents loved my shirt, as expected!
Mom: I made some special wadas and pooris today. Eat them and go.
Me: I am really getting late now, Ma. Pack it in a box.
Mom: They won’t stay fresh if I put them in the lunchbox. Have it here and go.
I then got an idea and rushed to the nearest ‘More’ supermarket. This was the first supermarket in our locality, I was thankful that there was one just 5 mins away on a two-wheeler. I bought ‘FreshWrapp’ and gave it to my mom to pack the food and assured her that it will stay fresh and tasty. It was only then that my mom allowed me to leave! After reaching the office, I have shared the food with my colleagues who always loved the food cooked by my mom!
Thank you so much Aditya Birla Group for becoming an integral part of my everyday life and for making the bond I share with my family stronger.
PART-B
How you overcame challenges to achieve your ambitions in life so far.
My life has been always been like a lake, laying there in its comfort, happily fulfiling its job. After spending 23 years of existing this way, the lake was convinced that this is what life is all about. And one fine day, his beliefs came crashing down. The past 2-3 years has been a rough patch for me and my family, both in the personal and professional fronts. My sister had a delay in her post-graduation. Being an orthodox family, this, added to the responsibility of getting her married, led to my parents having many sleepless nights and endless discussions. Miles away from her, we felt helpless and crestfallen. Later, my father was thrown with issues in the family business and added to that, he had to face differences with people.
In the midst of all this, I was fighting my own battle to get into one of the best B-schools in the country. When people found themselves struck between Quantitative aptitude and Logical reasoning, I was struck between family issues and preparation. I gave my parents the much-needed emotional support and stood strong by them. I had done a lot of sacrifices to make sure to spend the maximum time with my parents and try to find solutions to the issues. I learnt to find the right balance between my work, personal life and career. If it wasn’t for the support from some beautiful souls and my strong grit, I would’ve stopped my preparation long back. When someone asks me how did you go through all of it, I just have 3 words “Don’t give up”. Now here I am at a prestigious B-school sitting and writing this article and proudly saying to myself that “I did it!”.
"After a storm, there comes a rainbow"
