"Never mistake the power of influence" - Jim Rohn
The very first acquaintance with the ABG group was probably with my mother’s insulting remarks since childhood, that I should study hard to secure a good life since my family name is not Birla. A household name synonymous to success, wealth and respect. ABG or Aditya Birla Group has been part of every Indian’s life consciously or unconsciously. The humongous corporation ranging from Fashion, construction to Telecommunications has had a severe impact on not only us Indians but people overseas too.
My story is no different. In fact, I had been using ABG products probably right from my childhood but of course unknowingly. The very first instance I can think of using an ABG product is Hindalco Fresh wrapp. Every day my mother used to pack tasty delicious tiffin’s like paratha, eggroll in this amazing foil for my school break. Even though ABG made this product with only food hygiene in mind, but it was extremely useful to us on another aspect. Right after tiffin break, these foils would be wrapped around paper balls with rubber bands to give them durability along with strength and we would either play cricket or catch-catch with that in school. I assume ABG would have never thought of this application in their wildest dreams.
Probably my second close acquaintance with another ABG product was when my grandfather started construction of our own double-storied house in Kolkata. I used to see ‘Utlra-tech’ cement being used as raw materials. I used to observe how the cement was mixed with water to make it hard. Even used to build small castle-like structures with the extra cement. When I walk through the staircase now, I remember my grandfather inspecting the staircase during construction. A big thank you to ABG because it gave shape to my grandfather’s dream.
Apart from these, ABG directly impacted my life through fashion brands like Louis Phillipe, Van Huesen, Peter England. The formals I wear today in Interviews, Business Conclaves, competitions are a major reason for the confidence I carry myself with. When I look in the mirror, I feel successful, energized, all ready to conquer the challenges. I feel BIG. ABG has had a big influence on my life.
“When there is no struggle, there is no strength” - Oprah Winfrey
In mechanical engineering, there is a term called Work Hardening. It essentially means that more you deform a metal, slowly the material develops a strength to withstand the deformation. I couldn’t find a better analogy to the strength we develop over time. Struggles are a part of every man’s journey in this circle of life. Some face it early, some in their mid and few unfortunate ones at the very end.
I never really understood the struggle I was facing, until very recently. My struggle was not some external factors. The struggle was within me. I was a fairly good student from my childhood, people had high expectations throughout my life. But in most of the cases, I hadn’t been able to perform when it mattered. I struggled with the ability to keep calm in pressure situations which might have been short term or long term. I have always had the power of keen observation, intuitiveness, intelligence. But somehow, I always underperformed. My abysmal performance came during my 12th boards, where I could only get through a tier 3 engineering college. I had become just another droplet in a sea of mediocracy. Later on, I tried being very active in college with competitions and events. But coupled with a little bit of misfortune and anxiety I again failed at important junctures.
After getting placed in an IT firm, life became monotonous and I was slowly being constricted by my comfort zone. But an instance occurred which changed my life dramatically. After being intoxicated from a party, I was riding a bike and I met with an accident. I escaped death by a whisker. After the initial nerve-wracking moments, a thought came to me. What have I done till now? Can I be proud of any single thing? Did my life matter until now? Fortunately or unfortunately, the answer was no.
This fueled an immense desire to do something worthwhile. I started introspecting my actions. I realized that I had always been procrastinating and I had a serious disorder of not being able to prioritize my events. Initially, it was quite overwhelming but slowly it started making sense. My actions indicated that I had never put that conscious effort. And with this realization tables turned. I had been daydreaming of making it to a prestigious university to pursue an MBA for the past 3 years. It was hardly six months from the MBA entrance exams and I decided to take this up as a challenge. I struggled immensely balancing Job, preparation, family and other things. But I did not give up. I micromanaged my time table and sacrificed on a lot to make sure I was adhering to what I had planned for. I even started learning Yoga from online videos to control my nerves.
By now I was not worried about failing anymore. I have failed so many times in my life that it was no more of an embarrassment to me. I just focused on what to do and not on what if? A year-long effort, struggles, defeat and finally I was offered to be a part of one of the most coveted management schools, Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneshwar.
So, in essence, my struggles taught me to be patient, committed to the idea I have in my mind. I am much more confident now. Because now I am not scared to fail. I fail every day, but I learn every day too.
