Why Aditya Birla Group is big in your life?
Aditya Birla Group, ever since its inception in 1857, has always strived to deliver superior value to both its customers and the society. It encompasses brands like Allen Solly, Louis Philippe, Pantaloons, Peter England, Ultratech Cement, Van Heusen – all of which everyone knows. As a telecom engineer, I’ve found myself very connected to this group’s Idea.
As a kid growing up in the 90s, I loved going to my village to visit my grandparents during vacations. It was fun to go back and play in the fields the whole day. I loved my grandparents dearly, but it was only during those vacations that I could see them or talk to them – landlines were not yet available in my village. Then, we got news of the launch of Idea services in Bihar.
Idea, being a late entrant to the telecom game, tried to gain prominence by investing more in exploring the rural and semi-urban areas of India. In 2009, my village got its first Base Transceiver Station (BTS), due to which it became super easy to talk to my grandparents on a regular basis. It had a profound influence on me, and I decided there and then that I would one day make my career in telecom. I still remember the happiness my family had when they were able to communicate regularly.
I think bringing people closer together by reducing their distances is a really worthwhile effort, and so I opted to become a telecom engineer. My operator used to publish the number of new subscribers on a monthly basis. I felt like my entire work was vindicated just by seeing those numbers. Thanks in part to the efforts I was putting in as a telecom engineer, I had impacted the lives of lots of people.
Idea has also always been an iconic brand when it comes to advertising. Its been at the forefront of many pathbreaking campaigns which have been well received by the audience. Some of them have even been elevated into use as part of the local lingo, which speaks to their cult impact – “Dharm jo bhi ho, har tyohaar manaana achha Idea hai”, “Use Mobile Save Paper”, “Education for all”, “No Ullu Banaoing”, #MeriRealLife. These expertly crafted campaigns have helped Idea generate a greater number of subscribers. The brand really knows the ins and outs of how to really make an impression on people, and in doing so becomes a part of their lives.
How you overcame challenges to achieve your ambitions in life so far?
I come from a socially conservative family of modest financial means, which meant I’ve had my fair share of struggles in pursuing my education up until this point. In my society, girls were not supposed to go out and work. When my mother got married to my father, she wanted to work as a schoolteacher, but my grandfather was vehemently opposed to the idea. She struggled hard to convince him, but in vain. She was blessed with six children, so she fulfilled her dream instead by teaching us. None of us siblings have attended a single coaching class until we were in the 10th Std. It was entirely down to my mother’s hard work and compassion that she taught all of us so well.
With the steady advent of progress, my family's views towards the disparities between men and women started to decrease. My elder sister got admitted to an engineering college, which in turn inspired my uncles & cousins to educate their own girls to be independent and educated. My mother and sister inspired lots of people not in my family but also in my society to educate their girls.
When I was young, I also wanted to do something that would help to inspire people towards higher studies. It was with this hope in mind that I joined Ericsson fresh out of college; within a few months, I had been promoted to the role of lead & tasked with overseeing my team’s functioning and delivery deadlines. This included supervising members with significantly more experience than me. I really enjoyed the challenges and how the role helped me mature in a corporate setting. This inspired me to add managerial skills to my technical knowledge.
Looking back, I think this has been one of the biggest achievements of my life for a couple of reasons: the enormous benefit to myself and my immediate family that a graduate-level degree entails, as well as being able to break down barriers for other young girls in my society.