According to me, life throws at us a new challenge every day and our ability to deal with it and learn from it makes us who we are. I would like to share one situation which, for me was one of the most difficult situations to handle, and it made me learn some very important aspects of life.
I was working as an Ed-Support Volunteer at an NGO, teaching kids living in shelter homes. We organized a 2-day outdoor camp for these kids called “Dream Camp” in 2015, wherein we planned various activities. One such activity was where we gave the kids some chart papers and colors and asked them to draw/paint whatever they want and then explain to us what the painting is about. A kid in my team was very reluctant and did not want to draw anything at all, neither he wanted to share his story with us but after talking to him I was able to make a connection with him. And then he shared his story as to how he ended up in the shelter home after he lost his mother since he had no one left in his family. Then upon asking what he wanted to do in his life, he told me that he did not want to continue education and start working as labor to earn money.
This was a moment which was very challenging for me because the kid was just 11 years old, and I wanted to explain to him the importance of education, but he was trying to convince me that education would not help him in his future rather he would like to earn those 200-300 rupees a day. Later, after the activity was over, I talked to him in private and I am happy that he agreed on not leaving the shelter home and continue his education. He also drew one of the best paintings in which he drew 3 peaks, the highest peak he named as “Maa” and the two very tiny peaks were named as “dream camp” and the rest were all plains. He explained that his mother was the best thing that has ever happened to him and after her death, he felt the 2 dream camps he has been a part of the NGO were the only other highs in his life.
How ABG Has Been Big In My Life?
The incident was eye-opening as it made me realize how our tiny efforts can make such a big impact on someone’s life and society. ABG is one such conglomerate which is ingrained deeply in our lifestyle and has affected us in our day to day lives. I believe that ABG has been working in various sectors for long to connect with people at different levels. Be it the affordable clothing range by Pantaloons, high-end styling range like Van Heusen and Allen Solly, telecommunication services by Vodafone Idea, ABG has been in our lives since decades.
Their vision ‘Think about Tomorrow, Today!’ has been their driving force to work on developing sustainable products and services to bring us a better future. ABG subsidiaries like Novelis, Birla Carbon, Grasim, etc are to name a few that have proved that sustainability is the strategic focus of the Aditya Birla Group and how it is making valuable contributions to the community in which it works and the society at large. The impact this will have on our society and environment, in the long run, is commendable.
Similarly, ABG’s CSR initiative with tagline ‘Big on Smiles’ is something that caught my eye. The way ABG is making a difference by offering quality education, health supplies, providing meals, etc to millions of people in need is commendable. This way, ABG has been successfully affecting the lives of marginalized and underprivileged section of the society.
The values of ABG coupled with their spread across industries and businesses have made an unparalleled contribution in making the world a better place. With their numerous initiatives, the ABG group has been touching hearts and have brought a qualitative difference in millions of lives including one of mine.
