Aditya Birla Group has been such an integral part of my life, that I never fully realized its impact on me. After thinking hard, and trying to disassociate myself with it, I realized that it's a part of my personality. It does not just reflects my confidence, it also boosts it up.
The first time I went shopping to an Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd. Store in my undergraduate college. I went to Gurgaon from a small town for the first time. A new place and new people, interacting with them was extremely overwhelming and intimidating. My uncle then took me to a Pantaloons Store for shopping as well as a pep talk.
I went back to college with confidence and shopping bags from the store. The clothes we bought from the store made me feel good about my appearance, I felt presentable and confidently interacted with other students. The knowledge of looking appropriate and feeling comfortable in every situation reflected in my work and interaction with the people around me.
The confidence my demeanor reflected helped me assume leadership roles at my workplace as well, and dressing right always worked in my favour more than I thought.
Aditya Birla group has something for everyone, and my familiarity with the brand always saved me from my younger sister's fury. The stylish and comfortable products, especially the Dresses from Honey Range came to my rescue every time I forgot something.
Once my sister and I got stuck in the rain, and we wanted to buy something which would be cost effective as well as stylish, and Pantaloons is where we ended up. Although we had planned to buy the clothes for one time use in emergency, but the products turned out to be so amazing that both of us still wear them.
Dressing appropriate never fails for me, looking good mostly leads to feeling good, and helps me in all my endeavors. After getting shortlisted for IIFT Kolkata, while I went to Peter England and VanHeusen to shop for formals, I did not forget to visit the first ever Pantaloons store opened in India in Gariahat, Kolkata for my Chinos and Polo T-shirts. The magnificence of the first ever store was so overwhelming for me that it brought the nostalgia of visiting the store for the first time and made me imagine how it must have been for the brand to establish itself in India for the first time.
Challenges that I have faced and Overcoming them-
Living alone, especially in the formative years of my life, I learnt self-sufficiency in all the domains. I also learnt that living alone is extremely comfortable because one doesn't have to present oneself, one can just be.
Both my parents had a transferable job and they were posted really far. My father was posted 150 km away from our place and hence stayed away mostly. My mother used to leave early in the morning after waking my sister and I up for school and used to come really late in the evening.
Throughout the day, from getting ready for the school to our lunch, to our evening snack, my sister and I used to do all the work together. While mostly we would fail, make mistakes, eventually by helping each other and working as a team, we learnt to do all the tasks.
People bonding over perfection is only perfect for movies, I realized, and we bonded over our vulnerabilities.
My fondest memory as a child is opening the door for my mother in the evening after work, and her satisfaction at seeing how we kept the house.
During vacations, we would visit our father, and it was as enjoyable yet different, while the only connection being the hoardings of ABG we saw around at both the places.
I was already independent and self-sufficient by the time I came to Gurgaon, but I was still not confident due to the lack of exposure to a big city. The first connect with Gurgaon for me was the ABG-Pantaloons store. It filled me with nostalgia and became a place of comfort in a place where nothing else was familiar.