Part A: How big is ABG in my life
Whenever we think of Indian Conglomerates that have made it large in the entire world, first name that flashes in our mind is Aditya Birla Group. From cement to textile; telecom to fashion, the group has created a mark in every realm and thus touches each of our lives in one way or another.
When my family decided to build our first house we used Ultratech cement and concrete. From planning to choosing appropriate land to budgeting, Ultratech team helped us in all the aspects of the biggest project of our life.
ABG’s telecom venture Idea cellular, which completed its merger with Vodafone India to become largest telecom company in the country, ensures that my family has a hassle free to and fro communication with each other. Being an Idea customer for almost 6 years now, I can safely say that it has the best network as well as internet connectivity.
When we come to clothing, ABG’s diverse presence in the sector ensures that my family gets the best clothing experience. Be it through Allen Solly, Peter England, Van Heusen or Louis Phillipe, ABG provide us with an exclusive range of products in optimal price ranges.
Additionally, in the food sector, Frewshwrapp Aluminum Foil of ABG has ensured that food is always kept fresh and hygienic. The company has been successfully achieving its goals now for around 15 years which in itself is a remarkable achievement.
ABG is constantly putting efforts towards serving the society and country not only economically but culturally as well. The group has established numerous Birla temples in India with magnificent and aesthetic architectural designs. I have been to several temples personally and had some amazing experiences. Every temple has remarkable architectural design with a very tranquil and pleasant ambience for religious discourses.
So, like the lives of million others, ABG has also touched my life.
Part B:
How I overcame challenges to achieve my ambitions
After I completed BE in Electronics & Instrumentation, I was selected to work for Persistence Market Research via extensive rounds of interviews in campus recruitment process and joined the same in August 2015 as an Associate Consultant. During my job I handled several complex projects and received high appreciation from higher management for my work. In a short span of time, I was given the responsibility to give training sessions to the new employees in the company.
However, there was still a sense of incompleteness. To be very honest, life as a mediocre was hurting me. I was fairly above average but had no distinguished achievements there. I hated being just another face in the crowd. This boredom motivated me to create a place for myself. Owing to my interest towards public service and bureaucracy, I started preparing for civil services exams along with my job. It was hard to give time to the preparation with job, but I managed it somehow. In my first prelims attempt I felt short of the cut-off by 7 marks. I was disappointed but not demotivated. I was determined to clear the exam. When I introspected, I found that I didn’t devote as much time as the exam of that stature demand. So, In June 2017, I left the job to prepare full time for Civil Services exam.
I began my exam preparation again with full zeal. I read a lot of success as well as failure stories and tried to learn lessons from them. I tried doing what all was suggested as necessary for sailing through the exam. But I failed again. This time by 4.5 marks. I was shattered. I was dejected. The failure crept inward into other aspects of my being. It eroded my drive, confidence and morale. Both professionally and personally, I turned indifferent and under confident. My day to day life became lethargic, timid and was one of mere existence— I was a walking dead man.
Most of us begin our Civils preparation treating it only as an exam. But slowly and surely, as we face hurdles and endure suffering, the exam takes centre stage and getting through it becomes our only objective. So when we are defeated in this exam, we almost feel defeated at life. And so it was with me. I unconsciously fell into the most crushing of traps: I was convinced that I am not good enough.
But instead of wallowing in self-pity and victimhood, I decided to own up to my failures and accepted that I failed because I didn’t deserve. It took time, but once I had accepted this, the inner voice that was so adamantly justifying my failings simply faded away. It was time for me to take a leap of faith and embark upon a new road. I quit my civil services preparation, which was a considerable financial and emotional investment, and gave management entrance exams with whatever preparation I did in 2 months. I knew that despite being talented, I had downplayed my profile by giving priority to civil services preparation and had a two-year long career break on my CV. I cleared all the exams with fairly good scores and finally joined IMT, Ghaziabad.
On the road “to be nobody but” myself, I’ve encountered twists and turns, and some detours—it is unquestionably the hardest battle I could fight.
#IMTGHAZIABAD #ABGLPWooMe
