Having spent most of my life in Guwahati, I noticed that there was no multibrand-shopping hub like most of the Indian metros. It was finally in 2008, when Aditya Birla Group’s Pantaloons was opened in the city. It soon became a one-stop destination to hang out and shop. On the exterior, it might look like a building, but it served a bigger purpose. It has introduced to us an upgraded standard of living. The nearby locality also gained importance and the local shops received more crowd than ever. So much the was the popularity that even when people had to go to a different place in the same building, they addressed the building as “Pantaloons”. It was only the first outlet in the city to have a 3-floored escalator facility. On the lighter side, almost every Guwahati city dweller who were born before 2000 took their first escalator steps in Pantaloons. It is almost fascinating how a business can mean so much more than just the bottom line, going beyond what meets the eye. We grew up, I came to Delhi to complete my graduation and many retail hubs grew in the place. The place has undoubtedly developed exponentially since I was a kid but I still love shopping there. The brands reason with my shopping instincts. As fate had it, 11 years down the lane, the First Forever 21 outlet was opened in June this year exactly opposite to pantaloons. As a millennial, I feel that my friends in Guwahati can enjoy the same upmarket fashion as we in metros do. Aditya Birla Group has truly been a driver in upgrading our lifestyles and has totally changed the game in the North-East.
As businesses face and survive the never ending threats to its existence, the human life is no different. Challenges are powerful elements which keep our zeal alive. They are personal to each one of us and is uniquely beautiful. We all are facing our little ups and downs and it feels like it makes our life process interesting. Nobody would be ever doing anything if challenges did not motivate us. I believe the biggest challenge is to find happiness. Happiness, even if it terrors you, the terror that a phone call from home will not break you down, that the feeling of loosing your father will swallow you down or that I could have done better, had situations been different. We keep firm and believe in the Greater Good. Keep going, because the treadmill in our lives does not stop. I have tamed my terror on the counting breadths of a loved one, became the elder sibling when I had to and vehemently fought, fought to my best, until the terror is gone and I learned to accept the things we cannot change in life. As Franklin D. Roosevelt has put it in the best words possible, “Only Thing We Have to Fear Is Fear Itself”. But it does not mean that the terror is gone. Challenges will always be there, but also motivating us to grow a little wiser and stronger each day, with each conquer. I feel great joy to have penned down my inner thoughts on this subject.
