Sometimes we don’t even realise what shapes our lives. It becomes so deeply intertwined with our lifestyle that a conscious effort is required to notice it. Aditya Birla Group holds this place in my life. I can still faintly remember the aroma of lunch that I used to eat in school as fresh and flavorsome as ever; all thanks to Freshwrapp. Childhood is a beautiful phase of life. You do as you please, without worrying too much about others and if you like something, you become devoted to it. All those seasonal visits with family to Pantaloons is still one of the most cherished memory of my life. It wasn’t about a big name then, not even about how it looked. What mattered most was how it felt. The comfort in those clothes is the reason I still find myself heading to the store whenever I see one. With time we grow and face new challenges of life, we cry, laugh and learn new lessons. And we realise to live a life of Integrity and Passion, perform every task with full Commitment. This isn’t a coincidence that Aditya Birla Group shares the same values. The first time I lived away from home was when I started my graduation. I never realised that I could become so homesick, but it was the Seamless Idea network that helped me bridge that distance. I called and stayed connected with my family for as long as I wanted. More time passed and life became more serious. The childish shenanigans gave way to a more mature lifestyle. I was about to start working professionally but before that I needed to look professional and for that I looked no further than Peter England. The clothes looked good and felt even better. Life was good, I felt complete. But after a couple of years, a yearning to achieve something more intensified under my skin and I decided to pursue Master of Business Administration. The values that Aditya Birla Group and I shared helped me clear the exam in the first attempt. Indian Institute of Foreign Trade was going to be my home for the next two years. Then the D-day came, and I stood outside the gates of IIFT feeling excited and nervous. My hands felt cold and my heart beat rapidly threatening to burst. I checked my tie and buttoned the top button of my Van Heusen suit. It fit as though it was tailor made for me. I know that the next two years won’t be easy. There will be cries, laughter and many more lessons to learn and we will again fail to notice the things that shape our stories. But through it all, Aditya Birla Group will continue to touch our lives.
I understand that it is the people that constitute the Aditya Birla Group. They work diligently day and night striving to make an impact in our lives, irrespective of whatever challenges they might face. They are focused and driven, something that I wanted to instill in me for a very long time. The two big challenges that I faced and bested were not having the clarity about which career path to choose in life and how to not give up so easily. I always played it safe even if it meant not being satisfied with life. My early twenties suffered from an acute lack of ambition where I did what everybody else was doing. I just became part of the crowd, another faceless entity. Couple of years passed like that and I continued to remain on an auto-pilot mode. It was only after an intervention by my father that I started thinking for myself, started pursuing things that I wanted to do even if it meant failing several times. I envisioned an aim, worked hard for it; failed at it. I worked even harder the next time and became consistent at working hard, failed again. Next time I gave it everything I had; hard-work, consistency, right attitude, self-confidence, positive mind frame and dollops of hope. Now I am in a premier B-school learning International Business from a top-notch faculty with the world full of opportunities ahead of me. Finally, I realised the depth in these words, “It isn’t over, until it’s over.”