Why and how ABG is big in my life?
'Aditya' meaning the Sun, and Aditya Birla Group has left no stone un-turned to tap almost everything that exists under the 'Sun' today. The morning coffee to our textbooks, the offices/institutes we go to, brands we love and everything else has ABG's touch to it.
My first interaction with ABG was when my father took me to his work site and showed me around ,all I can recall are the yellow sacs of cement with the ABG logo and Ultratech written on them and little did I know that our names were not the only thing in common. Every transfer that we had , ABG was a part of it and transfers being a major part of my life ,I felt at peace having at least one companion along , no matter where our lives took us. As I grew up and realized my passion and keen interest in fashion and related brands, I found my companion once again standing next to me ,as few of my favorite brands turned out to ABG ventures.
"Great businesses are never built on the quick sands of opportunism. I reiterate that, if living by our values means, perhaps growing at a pace slower than we would otherwise have liked, so be it. For us, leadership lies at the heart of knowing what we stand for.
Mr. Kumar Mangalam Birla
Chairman, Aditya Birla Group"
These words describe how and why the company is what it is today, from 1857 till date Aditya Birla Group has not only grown within India and abroad but also made a deep impact on the lives of everyone it has come in contact with. Apart from its major roles in the field of Education, Infrastructure, Technology, Retail, Health and others ,ABG has always felt deeply for its social responsibilities and continues to make tremendous efforts to bring smiles to millions of people around the globe.
Learning from the challenges and how I surpassed them -
Being an enthusiast of track events , I've learnt my way to outdistance hurdles and hardships and have a head on attitude towards everything that life puts forth. My father having a transferable job ,we have moved around a lot , and every new house , locality, school and most importantly people, whom I met and learnt lessons which shall remain for life , the most significant learning would have to be the ability to adapt , it's a skill which has helped me at every stage of my life. My decision to take up management studies after taking up science at school ,moving out of my home to a city like Mumbai, alone; my first internship these were all major life issues when they first appeared in my life,now they all seem like little milestones which I've managed to achieve.
Looking back, at the challenges faced or taken, most invigorating would have to be my solo trip to Himachal Pradesh. The idea behind a solo trip was to get some time off and moreover get some time for myself, to internalize and remodel everything that I know about myself. A trip which involved minimal amount of planning and a lot of courage; knowing myself as being one who plans everything beforehand, shy away from risks and has a lot of self-evolved apprehensions, this trip was the hammer thrown at a glass door.
The trip began once I reached Kasol, after a 16 hour bus journey ,curious to explore, I booked my 'airbnb' which turned out to be an hour long bus journey away followed by a two hour trek leading me to Gargi (a village , up the mountains ,one of the 4 oldest places in Himachal), after putting in all the might to reach up there , the serene ice clad mountains from my window and the following sunrise made all the efforts worth it.
Trekking up to Kheerganga ,while it was raining constantly and temperatures dropped as I ascended, the slight warmth standing under huge pine trees at some 3900 meter was every reason I wanted to be there , which eventually made me realize as to how far I've come , to let go of all those apprehensions and inhibitions. Finally ,sitting on rocky-shores of River Parvati , instilled the knowledge of being present and aware of the 'now'.
“Traveling alone will be the scariest, most liberating, life changing experience of your life. Try it at least once!” - Anonymous