Why Aditya Birla Group is big in your life?
Whenever I heard of a word Indian multinational giant, the first word that strikes my mind is Aditya Birla Group. From the shaping of the conglomerate to becoming India’s first MNC and then entering various products and services, Aditya Birla Group has never looked back in the same way it has been adding values to every family of India. Ever since its inception, it has excelled in various sectors such as mining, agri-business, insulators, chemicals, carbon black, fashion and retail, fashion and retail, textiles, financial services, telecom, cement and metals, thereby making it one of Fortune 500 companies valued at $44.3 billion. Knowingly or unknowingly, it has served our families continuously.
The very first product or service of Aditya Birla that made the impact in my life was the telecom service provider, Idea. My family has been associated with Idea since the days when Idea took over Escotel, and incoming calls were charged. My father has been continually receiving the goodies and awards from Idea for being a loyal customer for around seventeen years. Our family has a few life-changing moments associated with Idea. So, currently, everyone in my family uses Idea or Vodafone. It was in 2004 when our family went on the trip to Naukuchiatal and Jogeshwar, and there was no network coverage. My father took one big decision for his business and was awaiting an outcome, which would decide the further course of action of a company. However, there was no network coverage, and therefore, my father's phone was unreachable. Suddenly, he received a missed call from my uncle, although there were no networks. He then used the landline number of a local guide to call back my uncle and inquire about the outcome. Uncle then asked my father to return instantly since some of the documents required his signature. Had he not received that missed call, our life today would not have been the same. It was one of the life-changing decision which my father took, and Idea helped us in execution.
Also, Aditya group has played a significant role in facilitating the foreign clothing brands under one roof at economical prices. This has become the go-to place for our family to shop. Not only it is contributing to the sector as mentioned earlier, but also it is serving the society by taking various social initiatives such as providing mid-day meals, education, healthcare and sustainable livelihood projects in various countries to bring millions of people out of poverty, scholarships to thousands of rural children and running multiple schools to provide quality education.
Having said all of this, it would not be wrong to say that Aditya Birla Group is an integral part of the lives of Indians.
How you overcame challenges to achieve your ambitions in life so far?
I have been living for cricket since I was six. The day I joined the cricket academy, everyone hailed my play, and I decided to take it as a professional career. While playing gully cricket, I dived forgetting it was a street and fractured my left wrist, and I had to take a break. After recovery, I resumed it without any negativity and received U-14 talent award from D.C.A., district cricket association, Muzaffarnagar, U.P.
Though I was fifteen, I represented my U-16, and U-19 district team at the various state-level tournament and state selectors kept a close watch on me. It was like a ‘star in the making’, but I was too young to think that. All selectors present in Intra-State tournament went speechless at my remarkable performance.
In my trails for the state team, I successfully cleared two phases but got eliminated in finals being youngest in the probable's camp. It brought sudden sadness to me, but selectors gave me sheer hope.
In my Class X, I decided not to lose focus from studies. One evening before my state-level trails, the coach asked me to bowl and suddenly my knee twisted while following through, and I fell. After several medical tests, doctors found out severe ligament tear, and I had to undergo a series of surgeries. State selectors approached, but I was not allowed to play for two years. I had to walk on crutches and took fitness training to heal.
After recovery, I took the hardest decision to concentrate on class XII instead of getting back to cricket professionally since I had to start everything from zero, which somewhat gambling with life. I got admitted to a prestigious college but did not stop following my passion, and I was selected as part of my college cricket team since I had the intent, belief, perseverance and ability to bounce back. After graduating, I represented E.Y. at various corporate tournaments and won multiple awards. I continue to pursue the passion I have for this game.
This incidence of my professional cricketing career was jaw-dropping, but no negativity conquered me as it led to a new beginning. I am reminded of some beautiful words that George Bernard Shaw said, “Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.”