Seeking roots as early as the 19th century, the Aditya Birla Group has been a mannequin displaying tremendous growth and success under the tutelage of the founder, Mr. Ghanshyam Das Birla. It was further improved and reined by Mr. Aditya Vikram Birla who led the company forward, the stallion of a business trotting its way into the arms of a more globalised venture, which we know today. Tirelessly, through constant effort, determination and an undying resilience, the group became the behemoth that we all respect. ABG nests a wide array of brands, namely:Bhim ABPB, Allen Solly , American Eagle, Van Heusen, Forever 21, Hackett, London, Louis Philippe, Pantaloons, Ralph Lauren, Skult (by Shahid Kapoor) etc. Many of these, if not all, have had a huge impact in the satisfaction of consumers’ needs and wants. Being an avid shopper and a fashion enthusiast, brands like Hackett, Louis Philippe, Pantaloons, Ralph Lauren etc are a blessing indeed. By making these brands readily available closer to our houses, ABG has truly simplified good quality purchases. Another thing that should be brought into consideration is the attempts made by ABG to promote new talent in business. Under the online shopping site of ABG called ABOF (All About Fashion), ABG has partnered with actor Shahid Kapoor to start his own brand of apparel. A new trending brand, it attracts the youth, keeping in touch with the current fashion trends and endeavoring to work for all body types. Not only does this ensure a new trendy brand for the younger crowd, it also enunciates the efforts made by ABG to give people who are willing to expand their career, in spite of previously having no business background, for a more holistic growth. Yes, as is obvious, ABG has been a huge instigator in my personal happiness. But happiness need not be materialistic. As a fellow member of the society, it is heartwarming to see an empire like ABG looking after those who have assisted in setting every brick of their kingdom. ABG has time and again indulged in a large number of charitable causes and activities.To begin with, Ghanshyam Das Birla was an ally of Mahatma Gandhi in the 20th century, assisting in every way to gain independence for our country and attempt to make it the beautiful land it is today. If that is not enough, under Mrs. Rajashree Birla, The Chairperson, Aditya Birla Centre for Community Initiatives and Rural Development: the company has seen prodigious success in fulfilling their corporate social responsibility. These include, but are not limited to: Sponsoring over 20 hospitals and 5000 medical camps, Promoting polio awareness, Operating over 50 schools and educating over 45,000 students, Promoting solar energy, Pushing the mid day meal programs in the rural areas etc. As a fellow Indian, it swells my chest with pride knowing that the company management and owners, in spite of being immensely successful are true to their roots and provide for the less privileged in every way. More than the brands, this gives me a greater sense of happiness, pride and a driving force to commit to practices like those of ABG.
Every marathon begins with a single step. Nothing can be achieved by staying in one’s comfort zone: the act of facing challenges, of working undeterred in the face of adversity is what actually builds a character. Like everyone else, I have had my share of challenges and threats that I had to face when it came to academia, work experience and personal life. In my humble opinion, throughout my journey, I have believed that no challenge is difficult if we follow the steps including :
•Be determined to face the challenge
•Keep emotions in check
•Think rationally
•Select the solution that seems the best
By following these, I have always tried to elevate my standing in this series of events that we call life. There are a few instances that I can think of. Looking back it seems trivial now, but basic human psychology dictates every problem being drastic at the given point in time. We don’t stop having problems, our armor just becomes stronger and the previous issues hold less value. However when I was in school, I remember the incident when I realized I had to face a challenge. I was always involved in a large number of societies: as it happened, I had to participate in a debate competition; which through unforeseen circumstances got postponed to the day just before the exams. Although I had prepared for both, the underlying thought process aroused in my mind a sense of fear with the predicament which had decided to appear in front of me. While, like every teenager, my initial reaction was to panic, I decided to calm myself down, divide my time accordingly, ensure breaks to have a confident and well rested mindset; allowing me to meet both these challenges head on.During my under graduation, I was a part of a society and the group, it fell upon me to have meetings and organize funding for various events that our college wanted to organize. Having never given an official presentation (outside the academic boundaries) before, at the tender age of 18, I built an impressive report of the events’ blueprint along with a convincing apparatus of linguistics which allowed us to, thankfully, garner the investment from the very first sponsor that we approached. Joining the prestigious Ernst and Young was a challenge in itself. My first official corporate interaction seemed both daunting yet exciting. I was willing to work extra hours, manage time with family and friends, invest time in extra-curricular activities and always have an undying hunger to learn more. More than my desire to be educated, I daresay, my desire was always to never “lose”. Not “losing”, in my humble opinion, never meant to always win. Not winning in its own way is a success: it cements the boulevard down the path for introspection and improvement. My definition was to merely never give up. Someone rightly said “Heights by great men reached and kept: were not attained by a sudden flight; They, while their companions slept, were toiling upwards in the night.”
