While the answer to the question whether or not I have heard of ADITYA BIRLA GROUP (ABG) is very obvious. The answer to the question why am I fascinated by it is not. So, to make that obvious, let me take you on a short journey. I would like to begin this journey with a quote that pretty much defines what I believe in.
“Excellence is never an accident. It is always the result of high intention, sincere efforts, and intelligent execution.”
I feel that excellence is a way of doing ordinary things in an extraordinary way. I see a resemblance of my beliefs in ADITYA BIRLA GROUP. ABG, with a lot of efforts, innovation and execution has created a reputation for itself as one of the best companies. ABG brings excellence in our lives. I believe that ABG gives ordinary people, a chance to be extraordinary. This is probably the reason that ABG is one of my dream companies to be associated with.
I would want to work with brands that I have used all throughout my life. The biggest connect that I feel with ABG is towards its fashion brands. The fashion brands under ABG are without a doubt the most popular, iconic and a symbol of excellence. Wearing a Louis Philippe formal into an interview gives a person a whole different level of confidence and that is exactly what I am talking about. I can say this out of personal experience that wearing a Van Heusen formal actually gives you power. It makes you feel powerful and confident. Apart from that, I am a fashion person and I love studying the different trends in fashion. So to be associated with the most iconic brands in the world of fashion would be an honour.
I also believe in the saying, “Do what you love, but do it best.” This is something my father has raised me on. We can see that Aditya Birla Group has ventured into a vast number of industries from cement, to fashion, to telecommunications and what not. Not only has it explored different sectors, but it has established itself as a leading brand in most of the sectors. That is something that I admire and would want to achieve in life. Vodafone is the second largest market leader in the telecom sector. It has remained so even after the entry of Jio into the market. I, myself am a Vodafone customer and plan to continue being one. That is the amount of loyalty that ABG commands of its customers.
Taking this journey forward, I would now share a very personal experience from my life.
So, I had always been a chubby kid in school. As years went by, and we grew up, I encountered a lot of teasing from my classmates. But having been a bright student with a good academic record and great leadership skills, I was confident enough to be impervious to what others thought. So, frankly speaking it did not bother me as much. But it started to matter when it began affecting my chances at dancing.
Being raised in a Bengali household, I have had a knack for cultural events. I have been highly passionate about dancing. Dancing was something very dear to me. It was my way of self expression. It gave me a sense of complete freedom. But, I started facing certain discrimination. There is a bit of stereotype associated with dancing. There is a feeling that only light-weighted people or skinny people can be good at dancing. At least, that is what I had faced. This began lowering my chances at getting into the school dance team or competitions. The emotional damage being done was a different part of the story. It started getting tough for me. My self-esteem started to fall. To see my classmates forming dance groups among themselves, completely excluding me as if I did not exist was both humiliating and heart-breaking at the same time. The fact that I was better than most of them, just made it worse.
I decided that things have to change. If dancing is so important to me, than I better go and fight for it. By that time, I had also reduced a lot of weight, though I still was not skinny and neither did I want to be. Personally, it didn’t even matter to me. Because according to me, when it comes to dancing, size and weight should not matter. What should only matter are your skill and your passion. That, I had. So, I decided to change things around there.
It was the annual fest of my school and a dance drama was being organised. The theme was “Mahishasura Mardini”. I, being a 5th year trained Bharatnatyam dancer, was more eligible than the person who was being considered for the part. I went to the dance teacher and I asked her to take an audition fair and square. I literally had to fight with her for the audition, to which she finally agreed. The other girls thought that I was making a fool out of myself and would not get the part. Anyhow, I gave the audition and the results were out. It turned out that I was given the main lead in the dance drama.
It was that day and the last day of my school-life wherein I was titled as the “Classical Dancer” of my school. In between these years, I had performed as the lead dancer in my school annual shows, won dance competitions and enjoyed the art form thoroughly. Most importantly, I was able to prove my mettle to the entire school. I showed them that yes, I am what I claimed and there was no one better than me in it. The day that I decided to fight back changed everything. The will to claim what is rightfully yours is all that matters. I knew dancing was important to me. I knew I was passionate about it. I knew that I was better than anybody else. That is all that was required to make a difference. For me, it was dancing. For you, it could be something else.
A point that I am trying to make is that things don’t always come easy to you. There are going to be times that you want something and you feel that you deserve it, but you are not getting it. That would be the time to fight back. If it means that much, fight for it and get it. This is something that I learnt. If you fail, try harder. Giving up is easy but it’s never the option. If you are actually that good, people will recognize you and it will happen. Let your talent speak for itself. Most importantly, learn to defy. Defy limits. Defy odds. Defy stereotypes.
