The first memory of every day starts with the penetration of the sun's ever punctual rays into the window of your room where you are signaled the dawn of another opportunity to make your mark. My journey with the sun also started very early in my childhood. I still vividly remember my first painting class in which I was asked to imitate a scenery presented on the black board. It was a lake surrounded by trees, with hills in the background and the sun rising magnificently. It was beautiful, mesmerizing, hope inducing, scenic, cheerful and merry, all at the same time. A new day always brings in new challenges and through them, learnings (of course the sun too). This is the feeling, I'm sure, everybody associates with, when they see the shining sun that is the Aditya Birla group. It needs no introduction and any attempt I make to appreciate and thank the conglomerate is too little. Having said that, I would still like to describe the importance of Aditya Birla Group in my life, with a small incident.
I was a resident of the beautiful city of Visakhapatnam till my graduation and I loved every bit of my stay in the city of destiny. I grew up in a family where my every need is taken care of, most of the times even before I recognize the need myself. I know it sounds superficial, but I guess we are entitled to take such liberties when it comes to family (I'm sure you agree). I never felt the need to buy formal clothing and I haven't had a clue as to what constitutes formal clothing because such a necessity hasn't arrived till the day of my campus placement interview. I'm positive that many of us can associate with the excitement and anxiety this particular event subjects us to. I was in a similar situation minus the formal clothing. I'm the eldest boy in the family, and I have no siblings I can ask advice from. All the excitement was about to turn into panic when my friend suggested Peter England and what a suggestion it turned out to be! I never wore formal clothing before, like I already mentioned but the moment I stepped into the showroom, all my fears were put to rest. It was the epitome of professionalism. The sales representative was also like an extension of the brand instead of representing it. I tried out a few shirts and then some trousers and finally got out with a pair. I was so confident that I'll look my personal business best in this attire that it added a new dimension to my confidence. The first interview for any individual is memorable and it turned out to be a great one for me as I aced it and got into one of the premier software services companies. Thus, the role of Aditya Birla group in building my confidence from the very first step of my career is immeasurable.
Writing about the challenges one has faced is always a hectic task because we have to go through the ordeal all over again. But like the famous quote, " What doesn't kill you makes you stronger", challenges only make us stronger than we were. I am fortunate enough to get admitted into one of the best b schools in India and the hard work I did to get into IIM Ranchi is another story by itself. But the challenge I want to talk about here is more personal and harder in the context that it had happened to me when I was still learning the importance and hardships of being honest as a teenager. In my tenth grade, I was wrongly accused of lying about my hall ticket for half-yearly examination. The teacher is my favorite tutor of all time and I couldn't digest the fact that she accused me of lying (It was a case of misunderstanding and she is and will always be my favorite teacher). Nevertheless, I stood by my story and faced a lot of wrath from her for not agreeing to the lie. Our relationship was strained but I never gave up on the truth. Going to the class every day was a scare because someone I respect is not reciprocating it for no fault of mine. This is especially disturbing for a teenager. Eventually the truth came out when she talked to the other students about the incident. But the mental test this incident put me through is something I can't forget and I realized that day that the demons are very real when they are in our head. I thank Aditya Birla group in this regard as I have read many stories on how Aditya Birla group helped ease many of such demons.