Aditya Birla Group, one of the world’s biggest conglomerate traces its roots to 1857 when it commenced cotton trading operations at Pilani, Rajasthan. From its humble beginning, the company has come a long way and, in the process, touched many, including me. I still remember an advertisement “Chalo pehchan banaye, Chalo ghar banaye, Chalo India banaye!” from Ultratech cement. This advertisement was brief and simple, yet it had a deep message motivating people to build their future, culture, trust, history, identity, and nation. It is messages like these that get imprinted on a young mind and stay forever guiding them through life.
With such a diverse product portfolio, ranging from textile & fashion to metals & chemicals, it is highly unlikely that one has gone without using any ABG product in their life. I can vouch for it that, most of us in India have used one or the other product from ABG, be it knowingly or unknowingly. There are brands like Louis Philippe, Van Heusen, and Pantaloons, which I often shop from, and then there is Ultratech, Hindalco and Birla Carbon, which I might have used, even without taking note of it. Undoubtedly, ABG is big in my life!
But it isn’t these brands from ABG, that have left their mark on me the most, it’s something else. A few years back, during my short stay in Kota, Rajasthan, I came across another facet undertaken by the company in the form of a social cause. It ran a comprehensive educational program across numerous anganwadis and government schools with the aim of providing children a path to grow from the time they enter school till they acquire skills and step out for a career. It’s true that the businesses are established to make profits, but above that, they also have another significant role to play. It is their responsibility to help the community in its social and economic development.
Though all corporates are involved in CSR activities, it is the sheer magnitude and impact of the company’s endeavor in this field that motivated me to take up this cause on a personal level. Hence, in undergraduate college, I joined “Sankalp”, an NGO that aims to provide free and quality education to underprivileged children in the college’s locality. The NGO runs five centers near the institute, and it is managed by the alumni and students of the institute.
As a part of the NGO, I used to teach kids on the weekends in a center near the institute and on an average, the classes had a decent turnout. The locality primarily housed migrated labor families, where men were mainly working as skilled laborers in the nearby small-scale industry. While most of the ladies were illiterate and stayed back at home to take care of daily chores. We realized that the illiteracy among these ladies inhibited the education and learning of their kids to some extent, hence we initiated an adult literacy class to empower them. Though, because of initial inhibitions, the attendance was very low. However, due to our persistent efforts through awareness drives, we were able to motivate a significant portion of the ladies in the locality to attend the class. Hopefully, this helped a lot of families and looking back at this helps me realize the impact I have made, even if it’s infinitesimal in proportion.
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