The luminary business group Aditya Birla is sure a household name in India. From what set off as a humble textile business by Seth Shiv Narayan Birla, the group has expanded to various fields. True to its logo, depicting the rays of the sun, the group has been casting light into the lives of millions of people across the world.
For me, Aditya Birla is a presence which cannot be ignored. Right from my cellular connection - idea, to all those chic brands- Peter England, Allen Solly, Van Heusen and the like, in my wardrobe. AGB has become a daily standard. Thanks to Ultra tech cement, another AGB company, we have a strong home.
Indeed, one cannot be oblivious to the involuntary presence of AGB group in our lives. Like any other middle-class Indian family, trains are our preferred long-distance commute. Now, you must be wondering how Indian railways relate to AGB. Well, a large of the copper requirements for Indian railway is met by Birla Copper Limited. That said, Birla Carbon is the world's largest carbon black additives manufacturer. Again, thanks to the AGB group, we have safe tyres.
Coming to education and medical field, the AGB group has over 18 hospitals and 42 schools with free education for almost 18000 children. Back in my school days, BITS Pilani was one of my dream graduation schools in India. Though I could not make it into BITS, I hope one day I could make use of the large career openings the AGB group provides.
Life without challenge is idle. Confronting challenges are what make life worth living.
Growing up, I had my share of challenges and risk that I would say helped build the present me. Strong-willed and open to risk.
Breaking out of comfort zone was something I suffered from, during my school days. Having had my early education abroad, coming back to India and coping with was a challenge. To add to that was the rat race of Engineering entrance and the pressure that came along. Looking back, to those days, I would give my younger self a pat on the back.
Even at 18, I wanted to be an entrepreneur. But hailing from an orthodox society, where getting a government job is the greatest achievement, choosing an MBA, was a challenge in itself.
The work-life-study balance was something one had to see through. Cracking CAT meant time and hard work. The various family functions and social activities, one had to avoid did raise eyebrows. Why invest time for private when he could be safe and choose a career in the public sector?
Although my parents were really supportive of my choice, there were times my responsibility as a son, came up. Being overseas my father could not be there for each of our daily needs. Running errands was a part of my daily activities. Late night studies did take a toll on my health.
But despite all these, books are what gave me the motive to move forward. I gave myself the luxury of knowing the life of great leaders and young entrepreneurs. That was also when I came across, Mr Kumar Mangalam Birla. To shoulder an age-old business empire, at a less experienced age of 28. And to set a high benchmark. He has done it all.
Keeping the body fit was something I made certain of. I tried never to avoid my daily dose of yoga and gym. I read a lot of inspiring books and drank a lot of water. Today, I could happily say, I am one more challenge down to my biggest dream.
