‘Life is a roller coaster’ is one of the famous philosophical phrases one hears. But what this phrase doesn’t elaborate upon is that despite the ups and downs, life breaks people, destroys them, takes them on a so-called adventure and spews them mid-way.
My life has been exactly like this. But with all the trajectories, I kept two thoughts in my mind- “Etdapi gamishyati”, roughly translates from Sanskrit to ‘everything is impermanent’ and one doesn’t know how strong they are until being strong is the only option. Yet, one day even when life was on its high time, I got to know things which gave me chills. My family had recently employed a new driver, Swaresh. I usually interact with our staff regularly, so one day I started speaking to him, asked about his village and his family. His parents had emancipated long ago as they did not have enough resources to teach 3 sons. His wife had been diagnosed with cancer and was on second last stage, unable to take care of their children. His youngest son had also been diagnosed with atrial septal defect and needed immediate attention. Money was scarce, scarcer were good medical facilities. Living in a remote village also caused problems like connectivity, availability of options, etc.
Swaresh used to work two jobs so to earn enough money for the treatment of the family, but there was no respite. His son needed a surgery soon, and Swaresh was clueless about what to do. His story affected me more than it probably would have on a general day, but for the next whole week I kept picturing his home and how his teenage daughter was busy managing the house instead of studying, how that little kid of his was suffering pain like none of us knew and how his frail wife was lying on a bed after her chemotherapy session. I decided to make a change in their lives, little did I know that that one incident will define me and my outlook on life.
After a good amount of research and talking to various sources, I heard about Aditya Birla Group’s CSR initiatives and with some more information, I realized how they actively pursued these initiatives, and involved many things like mobile clinics, multispecialty medical camps, etc. I dug up some more only to find out that his son and wife could receive treatments at subsidized rates at a nearby plant of ABG. With this news, he did go home with a spark of optimism.
His family was given good treatment and care there, they were even provided with tips to take better care of the family. The people I had connected with at ABG even helped his family get back on track like enroll their children in schools and provide meals for them.
Though this seems like a happy story, it isn’t. It isn’t because his wife did not survive. She fought cancer the best she could, but she didn’t receive good treatment on time. Now Swaresh and his kids live with us, I have seen his son grow up into a great boy, he loves to play football and aspires to work in an NGO. His daughter works at Grasim Industries and comes home everyday with a huge smile on her face. She loves her work!
Life will always be tough, sometimes it would be harsher than you can possibly imagine. But, God works in mysterious ways, He always sends someone to help you in need, He always has a way out.
Since that day, I have helped many more people, enrolled two of my staffs’ daughters in school, taught a boy German, and have gotten rooms for children constructed at Arya Samaj mandir.
Aditya Birla Group is not just about its subsidiaries, or its involvement in defining fashion, telecom or financial services. ABG, especially for me, is about their CSR motto- “To actively contribute to the social and economic development of the communities in which we operate. In doing so, build a better, sustainable way of life for the weaker sections of society and raise the country's human development index.” ABG cares about the country, about every citizen and about overall development of people. And that is more important than minting profits and expanding businesses.
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
