Aditya Birla Group (ABG) was founded in the year of India’s First War of Independence in 1857 and has grown with India since its independence. Apart from the rich history of its founders being a part of India’s struggle for independence, it has touched nearly every Indian individual ever since. I am proud to say that I am one such individual who has been touched by ABG in various important moments in my life.
I still remember when Pantaloons opened its mall in Guwahati when I was in the 10th standard in 2005. At that time, I knew about Aditya Birla only in terms of Birla Institute of Technology, a dream of every school children to reach to. I knew nothing about its connection to the ABG group. It was one of the first malls to open in the city and it was something most citizens were proud of saying, “we are going to Pantaloons.” At the same time, my father, who was a teacher, decided to build an extra tuition room to accommodate his growing number of students. I still remember when he asked someone for recommendations regarding the brand of cement and Ultratech was the one that was suggested. I still didn’t know its connection with ABG. Unfortunately, my father passed away next year but his tuition room is still standing strong filled with all his books and notes.
Fast forward to my under-graduation life, I had to attend the first professional interview of my life. I was confused about where to shop my formals from and decided upon Peter England as it was one of the few brands that would come under my budget. I decided one white shirt, but unluckily it was a bit oversized. However, the salesperson there was quite helpful and said that he will ask the in-house tailor to alter the size, which turned out to be a perfect fit. It was truly the ‘beginning of good things’ for me and I soon became a regular customer of Peter England.
Last but not the least, how can I forget the Freshwrapp aluminium foils that kept my lunch rotis from getting soggy in office.
Now, as I know about Aditya Birla Group and its subsidiaries, I can connect all the ways that it has touched me in my life.
We Do the Things That Make Ourselves Filled with Pride – Challenges I Overcame
Life is all about challenges. If we are not challenged, we will never know how to grow. Just as ABG took challenges by the horn and grew to what is today, "taking India to the world", I have also overcome challenges in life. My first big challenge in life was after my father expired, I had to cope up with my studies and I failed miserably. I had little concept of what was taught in those two years leading to my first major test of life – entrance exams. It was a huge downer and I couldn’t get into any government college and our financials were not so good at that time to go for a private college as my brother was also studying. So, I buckled up and worked hard for the next entrance exams and I was able to crack my both engineering and medical entrance exams, but I chose the former as I felt more connected with it.
The second biggest challenge in my life I faced was in my professional life. Even though I was growing within my organisation, I felt somewhere in my heart that my learning curve has become flatter over the years. So, last year in August, I decided to go for an MBA. I knew that age was not on my side, but I will take this up as a challenge. I gave CAT, but I screwed up my quant section and the challenge mounted. In the IIFT exam as well, though I had a high percentile (around 99 percentile), one of my sectionals didn’t go well. So, I had one chance to make it right in XAT and I worked hard in one month, got a decent percentile. Then again came the challenge of getting a 2-year course in a B-school at the age of 30 with around 5 years of experience. I was not interested in an Executive MBA. There were only a few calls and I made most out of them, getting successful in nearly all the calls. The result, I chose Goa Institute of Management, as it is known for marketing and I am looking to continue in the marketing domain. The challenge continues but I believe that with the right attitude, I’ll be able to make it big in my life.
#ABGLPWooMe #GIM
