I belong to a small town named Valsad in Gujarat. On 26th January 2001 when the country was celebrating Republic day, we experienced a massive earthquake which changed our lives. The center of the earthquake was Kutch, however the seismic waves in Valsad were strong enough to create cracks in many houses.
Ours was a normal house like any other in the city quite old and comfy for the family, but that day we realized how strong it was. This was due to the raw material used in building the house. Flooring of many houses sinked and cracked due to weak flooring without proper concrete. However, our house was standing strong due to the Ultratech concrete and cement used. Being a Civil Engineer my father had a great eye for proper raw material to be used in building the house and that’s why he chose Ultratech.
Thousands of people lost their lives, houses, jobs and family members. Aditya Birla group was ready to help the people in Kutch and lead a rehabilitation plan based on a Rs.1.00 crores direct donation and support on their core competence via the Aditya Birla Centre for Community Initiative and Rural Development.
ABG has always been an active member in contributing to the world and giving the economically weaker sections a chance to grow and build a life for themselves. They have built more than 90 model villages in India and making great progress in other villages and work with many government schemes for betterment of the society.
The contribution made by ABG and many other groups, NGOs, organizations etc. during Gujarat earthquake was an inspiration for me to become independent and be able to give back to the world. I’ve always been very thorough with whatever I do. When my father got transferred, my family stayed back and my mother had to take on the responsibility. We faced many hardships but despite being a home maker she worked very hard for us which was an inspiration for me. I wanted to become capable to help my mother and other like her in times of hardships.
During engineering in February I had an accident when I was riding my scooty. My scooty was badly damaged and I suffered a harline fracture in my foot and minor injuries all over. I was advised complete rest by the doctors. This was a major challenge as my examinations were round the corner and I had to miss classes and coaching classes. I was initially very upset and depressed but soon decided to work as hard as I could by myself. I made a schedule of studies and followed it diligently. My inability to move meant I couldn’t go out and it worked in my favour as I managed to put in more hours of work than I would have of fit. I passed with flying colours. I learnt from this experience to believe in myself and not to give up.