ABG – The name that says it all. Be it fashion, telecom, chemicals, banking or cement, ABG has not only engraved its name in every sector, but also established itself as the third largest Indian private sector conglomerate in terms of revenue. It is unlikely that someone has never used a product, or a service where ABG hasn’t contributed in some way. But like that main character in every great story, Aditya Birla group too, had a very humble beginning.
The genesis of ABG can be traced back to 162 years ago, when the group was founded by Seth Shiv Narayan Birla in 1857. It was a turbulent time, as India, being under the British rule, was given no freedom of any kind. After the wave of Independence, India lost many of its business. However, ABG, owing to its critical planning and customer dedication, persevered. These values formed the foundation of ABG as it is today, as ABG has consistently shown their passion and genuineness towards its customers. Apart from their world-class products, ABG tries to understand its customers, their uniqueness and their hopes and aspirations. Currently, ABG operates in 34 countries, with its valuation standing at US $ 44.3 billion.
ABG has spread its reach far and wide. Through its business, it provides livelihood to over 1.2 lac people worldwide. Apart from its business, ABG has been working incessantly towards Corporate Social Responsibility, woman empowerment, healthcare etc. ABG fashion is something which a guy like me can relate to, as popular brands like Allen Solly, Forever21 and Van Heusen occupy the majority of my wardrobe. Coming to telecom services, Vodafone Idea Ltd. is the leading telecom service provider in India and second largest globally. The quality of service and connectivity provided has enabled it to reach the top quartile among the population of India. From Freshwrapp foil to UltraTech cement, ABG tiptoed into our everyday life, without us realizing it.
The story of ABG is a story of Dedication, Commitment and Perseverance, something which many modern visionaries seem to lack. The story of ABG instills passion and confidence inside me, that if a colossal company like ABG, with its 1.2 lac employees can retain its core values without ripping apart, so can anyone.
Passion and dedication have always been the driving force in my life. But sometimes, even the most incorrigible of people fall prey to the titillating distractions around them, thereby losing their objective. After scoring an 80% in my ICSE exams, I had to change my school, owing to my father’s job transfer. Being a rustic individual, I had no idea about the perils of a city life, and soon, I found myself involved in a bad peer company, which made me addicted to the social media. As soon as I entered the 12th grade, I found myself overwhelmed with Engineering preparation, which made me completely ignore the boards. After my CBSE examinations, when I checked my percentage, I was DEVASTATED. I had secured a percentage of 61.3. Yes, my preparation was bad, but not horrendous. But fortunately, with the same level of preparation, I cracked a good engineering college, which helped my life move an inch from a standstill.
Unfortunately, my story doesn’t end here. In the first year of my college, I couldn’t study or concentrate even a bit, as I suffered from a mental breakdown. Not only was my CBSE percentage unthinkable, but also had the potential to disrupt my entire life, from placements to higher studies. As a result of my breakdown, my CGPA fell really low, and in the third year of my college, I was handed a probational letter from college, which entailed that if I failed to pull my CGPA up, before the end of this semester, my studentship was liable to be cancelled. That was it. My wake-up call.
I decided that I would not let my life be defined by the quantity of challenges that I face, but by the quality of hard-work and dedication I put to solve and decode them. I started to manage my time significantly, to cut down any useless tasks or idle periods between 2 consecutive tasks. I started reading various motivational stories about entrepreneurs and business tycoons, who fought their way up from the verge of extinction. Adjacently, I had also been preparing for my CAT exams, as it was my dream to end up in the top 10 reputed MBA colleges. Although I couldn’t crack it the very first attempt, what I achieved was a final CGPA of 7.4 on passing out of my college. Eventually I cracked CAT in the next attempt and got admitted to SJMSOM IIT BOMBAY.
Over this protracted period, what I realized was that no matter what kind of challenges lie ahead of you, it is your duty to burst through them, and create a space for yourself. If you are willing to go the extra mile to achieve your goal, there is no one on this planet who can stop you. In the words of J.K Rowling, “It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well have not lived at all – in which case, you fail by default.”
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