I still remember a particular rainy day when I stood outside a Vodafone office (now Vodafone-Idea), happy and excited to have my first taste of corporate life as an intern. Although not a single entity at that point but Vodafone and Idea were still in collaboration for the 3G network and there I was, a small cog in a giant wheel called The Aditya Birla Group. Who would have thought that it would become India’s largest telecom operator with 400 million subscribers!
We may not have realized but the Aditya Birla Group with its legacy of 162 years and the sheer excellence with which it has established itself and grown to be India’s third largest Indian private sector conglomerate has been a part of each of our lives in varying capacities. We may live or have lived in houses made from UltraTech cement, have worn or wear clothes from famous brands like Forever 21, Louis Philippe and Peter England, call our loved ones using a Vodafone-Idea connection or simply belong to the group of billions of people in 42 countries served directly or indirectly by this billion dollar behemoth. Aditya Birla Group has connected all of us with an invisible bond globally and locally acting as an anchor in ever changing times. With its presence in every major sector, it has become the largest producer in the world of Carbon Black, Viscose Staple Fibre and rolled aluminium. Not only this, it also has ventured into the finance sector providing various financial services under the umbrella brand Aditya Birla Capital.
They have not only ensured their own growth but the growth of the society with them undertaking various initiatives like immunization drives, skill training, medical camps, schools and so on. I can keep on writing but it still won’t do justice to the massive presence of the Aditya Birla Group in India and abroad and the impact it has had on the lives of people all across the globe.
“The real race for excellence is the one where you sprint against yourself, endeavor to outperform, raise the bar, time after time. Excellence is an ever moving target”- said by Mr.Aditya Vikram Birla is what I’ve personally strived to imbibe into my life and follow diligently no matter what the circumstances.
There was a period of grave financial crisis in my family wherein my father’s business had collapsed and for days it felt like the end of the world, shifting houses and changing my school. The harsh truth is that not every business survives but this seems only theoretical unless it actually happens. It is very easy to give up under such circumstances but I did not let this get to me and made up my mind to persevere and be the best version of myself that I could be because we are our greatest competition. There I was, a girl in sixth standard who made sure she worked hard enough to reach a position in life where neither her nor her family ever had to face uncertain times in the future under her watch. I strived to be excellent in studies as well as extra and co-curricular activities winning laurels and making my parents proud. But what I was most proud of was the way my parents worked harder than me to ensure I never felt what they went through. My mother is the strongest woman I have ever known. She completed her Bachelors in Education to become a teacher from a homemaker to support the family and is now at the position of a Senior Headmistress through sheer hard work. I look up to her for inspiration to this day and while eventually things improved, I never left my zeal to excel which is how I got admission into my dream B-school, The Indian Institute of Foreign Trade after failing once before. I believe bright days await me and I’ll never quench my thirst for excellence as it was rightly said, it’s an ever moving target.
