My recent experience with the Aditya Birla Group
In my first Trimester, I undertook a project on Performance Management. A curious HR student like me wanted to know the nitty gritty of the process first hand. Among the many different options my team had available, we chose the apparel giant ‘Louis Philippe’. The outlet in Khar would be my first direct interaction with the Group culture.
Apart from the beautifully arranged displays, what I found most pleasing was how friendly the staff were. The store manager, who had only recently been informed of our coming, took us in with great hospitality. He showed us around the entire store, gave details of how the employees worked, how the apparel was arranged, and why it was done in a specific way. He took great interest in our questions and curiosity, which communicated to us how much he valued the growing management students. He, in fact, introduced us to a management trainee interning at the store and told us how much he loved our bold and innovative generation. Despite his busy schedule, he spent an hour telling us about not just the topics which we needed to know about, but also advice on how to approach future projects.
As a student, this was a very motivating and enlightening experience. I realized that it is not just monetary figures which make a company, but the people and the values they portray which makes an organization worth remembering.
For me, the Aditya Birla Group is portrayed by that store manager. I am currently pursuing a new project on change management, and our target company is Pantaloons. I have no doubt, that this endeavor will be as rewarding as my last.
The Road I have taken
Before I came to Mumbai for my masters, I’ve always lived in the comfort of my own home. My school, my college, place of work, were all fortunately or unfortunately, just a short commute away. At the age of 24, when I decided to do my MBA, I knew this will be the most transformative two years of my life. I barely knew how to cook for myself. I didn’t speak Hindi. I was relatively a short guy, just 158 centimeters. I wasn’t an absolute genius. But I had desire. I had a drive. I wanted to be independent. I wanted to dwell into the unknown foreign world from which for so many years, I hid in fear. But I took the leap.
On April 29th, I left my home on a quest. The quest to overcoming my fear. To face my biggest challenge, my own weaknesses. Mumbai was every bit scary as I had imagined. Not knowing Hindi, meant that I was easy prey for being cheated out of my pockets. Every commute and every purchase was a challenge. I was a small guy, but with a big heart, and I always kept that in mind.
NMIMS, being a college with a huge batch strength definitely worked to my advantage. “The more the merrier” was my mindset as I mingled with fellow students, day in and day out, to tinker with the hidden extrovert in me. My distinct Kerala accent caught the attention of many as I charmed them with my skill of poetry and rhymes. The once shy boy who lived as a shadow was now a magnet for attention. Through hard work and dedication, I was part of 5 different student bodies, namely, the Student Council, HRuday (The HR Cell), the HR Conclave committee, Rangpunch (The Dramatics Club) and Treblemakers (The Music Club).
I always looked at my roots and humble beginnings. The boy who wanted it all, but was afraid. It was then that I had the chance to help students from own hometown, children who were physically and mentally challenged, the children of Adarsh Charitable Trust Kochi. My college’s ‘WeCare’ program enabled me to visit my hometown to serve these children. I had the chance for the first time to instill inspiration in children who aspired to be great.
Fast forward one year. Now I wake up every day and watch Jim Rohn’s ‘The Day That Turns Your Life Around’. Every day I practice my Hindi lessons. I’m teaching myself to cook and how to stay healthy. I have won multiple competitions and am very active in the D2C websites. I occasionally dazzle the student community with poetry in college magazines. I go to the gym. I converse in Hindi (with difficulty with the wonderful people of Mumbai. I go out in front of huge crowds to perform occasionally. Step by step, I am proving to the world and myself how ‘Big things come in small packages’. This is not a story of how I overcame challenges, but one which is currently being written as we speak. The story of how challenges are molding a small giant-to-be.
#NMIMSMumbai #ABGLPWooMe
