I consider myself fortunate to have made into one of the elite B-Schools in the entire country.The journey however,has not been a smooth one as to where I have reached today and wish to scale newer heights as I progress in my journey ahead.
Being a sincere student all throughout school, I had always dreamt of doing great things in life.The thought of pursuing engineering have always intrigued me during my high school years.So, when i passed Xth standard with distinction,I wasted no time and enrolled myself at a residential coaching institute at Vizag, Andhra Pradesh.I was a stubborn kid who convinced his parents to allow him to travel that far only to realize his wish without considering whether his parents had the wherewithal required to sustain his education.My father somehow managed to bear with the steep expenses the coaching institute demanded of.This meant the rest of my family had to tighten up the purse in terms of living standard and even to the extent that my siblings had to settle with fewer opportunities.I guess i was too myopic to realize it back then.
True to its tagline 'A world of opportunities', the coaching institute had students coming from all over India, presented a plethora of Career opportunities be it in the medical , engineering or even commerce field for the students to choose from.Classes were held simultaneously for both board exams as well as JEE/EEE/PMT exams.I took up classes for both JEE as well as board exams.My enthusiasm knew no bounds when I found myself in the "topper's" class of the batch where only those students were admitted who performed really well in their Xth board exams.I was obviously thrilled to be amongst the best of the 'brains'.I put my best foot forward in the pursuit of achieving a coveted seat in one of the premier engineering colleges of India.
A few months in to my preparation, I realized how inadequate I was in my preparation with respect to my peers.I had everything easy up till then, always been a topper at school, been the editor of my school magazine for three consecutive years.I was confident and felt the world was my oyster.It was my first major setback and little did I know, I was slowly starting to lose self belief and was crippling myself with anxiety issues.It became too much for what a 16 year old me signed up for and I just withered under the sheer pressure of performing well.I wish now someone had kicked some sense to me then that it's not the end of the world and it's okay to be an average.I yearned for a mentor but wherever i looked i found everyone to be bewitched by this rat race.I wallowed in self-pity and my situation worsened as i started to procrastinate and lost my drive all together.It then became a question of just biding the time and waiting for the eventuality.The eventuality where in I failed to bag a seat at the esteemed IITs, I failed to secure a seat in the NITs as well.My board results were just par and i felt like a complete waste.
Sometimes in life you are just not ready for a thing you crave for so ardently.Destiny has its own way of making things up for you and it ensures that you be at the right place at the right time.So,after doing my graduation from a reputed college with the tag of central university, well not coming any close to the IITs of course and also working in a well known company for two and a half years, I find myself again at the crossroads of repeating history.This time around though,I belled the exam and the WAT-PI process to bag a seat at the management programme of IIT Kharagpur.I believe one only learns from failures and come out stronger as a person.Qualities like resilience, perseverance and honesty hold a deeper meaning for me now and I wish to ride high on the life lessons that I learnt during my early days to sail through the seemingly excruciating journey of two years that beckons me next.
Why Aditya Birla Group is big in my life
I remember buying my first phone way back in 2011 and remember had to decide upon which service provider to use.After much thought, I zeroed in to use IDEA,an ABG company.Idea has been at the forefront of marketing ingenuity and this can be seen in the cheeky sloganeering they implement in their ad campaigns.e.g- 'What an Idea,Sir Ji' ,'No FreeG..3G' and the likes are forever etched in the millennial psyche.The merger with Vodafone in 2018 has led to the formation of Vodafone-Idea as the largest telecom entity in the country with the most subscribers base and revenue market share.This augurs well for consumers who are in for better experience at affordable rates.I have been a loyal customer still to this day because of the dirt cheap tariffs they charge and hope this stays the same with the current merger.
ABG is a company which has touched People's lives and it's quite palpable the impact they had on building the nation through it's cements,textiles,chemicals and agricultural products.
When we talk about fashion,it's hard to look past brands like Peter England and Pantaloons and Forever 21.These are ABG brands and are known for their smart and chic wear.I have personally wore them on various occasions but the most vivid memory of wearing them has to be at my job interview during college campus placements.I got through the GD-PI process successfully and fashionably as well, donning a Van Heusen shirt and a Peter England trousers.They give you a premium feel on wearing them which other Indian as well as foreign bands try hard matching up to.As I begin my MBA journey, I am readying myself for the various presentations and case competitions that awaits me and guess what the first thing in my mind is to buy myself a few pairs of Louis Phillipe shirts and my 'favourite' Peter England trousers and a Van Heusen suit to add a touch of finesse and there you go, you have the perfect B-School look ready to take on the world.
#VGSoM#IITKharagpur#ABGWoomeS2
