‘’Vision is a picture of the future that produces passion’’. It is his passion that led Aditya Vikram Birla to establish Grasim, world’s first global company. Since then, Aditya Birla Group (ABG) has expanded itself into 34 countries across 5 continents, with over 130 state-of-the-art manufacturing units. It is the largest Indian company with manufacturing operations in USA. Helmed by 120,000 employees, it has been named the ‘Best Employer’ in India in 2018 by Aon Hewitt.
ABG is a leading player and marks its presence in almost every sector in India: from infrastructure (Ultratech Cement) to automobile (Hindalco, Birla Carbon), from telecom (Vodafone Idea) to manufacturing of smartphone glass covers (Hindalco), from life insurance & asset management (Birla Sun Life Insurance) to banking systems (Aditya Birla Payments Bank), from being world’s largest recycler of Aluminium (Hindalco, Novelis) to leading producer of copper cathodes and continuous cast copper rods (Birla Copper) to name a few.
ABG has been an integral part of my day-to-day life. Thanks to Vodafone Idea, which is my network operator since I bought my first mobile phone, I’ve been able to connect with friends & family. More has been my go-to store for groceries, personal care products and daily needs. The BIGgest existence of ABG in my life is of Aditya Birla Fashion Retail Ltd, India’s no.1 fashion lifestyle entity. From dressing me up in formals for IIFT with Allen Solly and Van Heusen, to revamping my wardrobe with style and elegance with Forever 21. Thus, ABG has had a very deep impact on my life and will always be the BIG in My Life..!!
Challenges Overcome:
“You should never view your challenges as a disadvantage. Instead, it is important for you to understand that your experience facing and overcoming adversity is actually one of your biggest advantages” – Michelle Obama.
What is life without any challenges? They are the milestones which define the roadmap of our success. They pull us out of our comfort zones and make us resilient in the face of adversity.
The challenging situation of my life was when I couldn’t make it through any of the MBA entrance examinations. I started my MBA entrance prep from June 2017 and appeared for several entrance examinations. But couldn’t clear any of them. This made me question my abilities. It was a very challenging period as I had to manage both my work and studies simultaneously. And even after putting that amount of effort I couldn’t clear any examination.
But no matter what kind of difficulties we have to go through in our life, it is our inner strength which gives us the courage to face them. It was my grit and determination that kept me going on. I left my job to focus on the preparation and appeared for the examinations again in 2018. This time I cracked IIFT’s entrance test and decided to not to let this opportunity slip. I put in all my efforts to clear the interview process and finally got into one of the premier B-schools of the country.
Failures of previous year taught me to be resilient and helped me achieve my goal through perseverance and determination. I emerged as a stronger and more optimistic person.