ADITYA BIRLA IN MY LIFE
Aditya Birla has been an invisible member in my life all along and I realised that only recently. The brands associated with the group have been an integral part of most special occasions. I vividly remember those days when my brother and I looked forward to getting new dresses during Diwali. Pantaloons was the first choice and it never failed to put a smile on our faces. Aditya Birla also played a big part during my brother’s wedding. People came up with different suggestions for the wedding attire, but we never had to waste time choosing because we were already set on Allen Solly. It was a trusted brand then, as it is now and we were right to trust it.
Reading more about Aditya Birla group I found out that many of the meetings for Swantantra Bharat in the pre-independence era happened in the Birla house in Delhi. Shri Ghanshyam Das Birla was a close confidant of Mahatma Gandhi and even went to the round table meetings with him in London. Built on such values and such rich heritage, it doesn't come as a surprise that Aditya Birla group finds place in every Indian's life in some way or other. It's there in the roads we walk on and the roofs we live under, the garments that cover us and the even the food that we eat. It's there in the chemicals, it is there in finance, things that India mostly doesn't understand, and it is also there to wrap our food. In light of all this, I don’t think it is even necessary to mention how big Aditya Birla is in my life.
MY BIGGEST CHALLENGE AND HOW I OVERCAME IT
My biggest achievement in life is building trust in myself. In school, though I was good in academics, I never participated in extra-curricular activities. My favourite teacher, Ms. Kalpana discovered the potential in me and gave me the nudge to try out things in life. She forced me into participating for a group skit event. The thought of being on stage in front of the entire school scared me, but I had to do it as there was no other choice. We rehearsed multiple times and when the D-day arrived, I was no longer afraid. In fact, I enjoyed my moments on the stage and our team ended up winning the second prize in the event. This incident was the first that enabled me to trust myself. After school, I chose to pursue Mechanical Engineering and loved every second of my college life. I was competitive and made it a point to stay in the good books of my professors. The result, I won the ‘Best Outgoing Student Award’ of my college and graduated with a University Rank. By these achievements, I gained a lot of confidence and I promised myself that I would never doubt my abilities.
I got the privilege of working for an MNC after my college. I was a part of the mechanical maintenance team with 20 workers reporting to us. Our team was responsible for troubleshooting, servicing and ensuring smooth operation of the first stage machinery. These, being the first stage and also high productivity machines, demanded a lot of attention and kept me on my toes. My constant sense of vigilance helped me in understanding and forecasting breakdowns better. A year and a half into my job, I had earned a reputation for having the least downtime in shifts. A test of my confidence came when I was assigned to collaborate with a management consulting company on a cost-saving project. Initially, I was sceptical if I was the right person for the task, but my teacher’s advice came to my aid. I had to trust myself. If I didn’t, nobody else would. So, I went ahead with the project. The project required strenuous efforts, but completing it was even more exhilarating and satisfying. By virtue of the project, I improved my sense of budget and honed my managerial and negotiation skills. The greatest realisation I had after this project was trusting in oneself is all that matters. It is not about whether we are cut for the job or not, it is just about whether we have the confidence to take it up or not. If you have the confidence in yourself, you will find a way to excel. Trust in yourself and everything else will fall into place.
#IIMRaipur #ABGLPWooMe