ABCs Of ABG - Brands & Values | Mudit Gandhi, IIFT

The recollection of my first day in college is as lucid as ever. It was exactly 7 years back when I left home to join BITS Pilani. I was proud to be a part of an institution of such glory but was apprehensive of the place where it was. If you have traveled to Pilani, you would know the kind of effort it takes to navigate there. Little did I know that this hamlet called Pilani in the Shekhawati region in North East Rajasthan has in store for me. Pilani is where the Birla family has its roots. From the beautiful Saraswati Temple (which is one of the only temples in the world with idols of scientists), to the exemplary Clock Tower, to the very prestigious schools and museums, to articles and letters for and from the family.

On my first day there, when I was buying a phone sim card from the yellow Idea kiosk and in there somewhere I noticed the Red logo with the sun. It was then that the sheer vastness of the group struck me. I have always had a knack for brands, logos, and companies. Before the epiphany, I already knew that Peter England and More Megastore (ABRL) were ABG Group companies. Most companies set out to make brands in one segment, but not ABG.

ABG has been with me ever since. When I set out to buy formals during my first internship, I did not have any brand in my mind as I was shopping for formals for the first time. When in doubt, one trusts their father for the best advice. My father has always stood by Peter England, my mother, on the other hand, wanted me to go to the new mall in Indore and have a look at other brands as well like Van Heusen. I bought my first plane white from Van Heusen and have been in love with the fabric ever since. It not only is the most professional and rich white shirt I have ever tried but is also the most comfortable. While buying casuals as well, be it Pantaloons or Linen Club, ABG brands have a way of winning over the customer’s trust. If you have known a fashion product for its quality, chances are that the product is from ABG. I really enjoy wearing short kurtas casually and have every colored Indus Route kurta in my wardrobe. The feeling of wearing Swadeshi and the comfort of cotton is just not there with T Shirts.

There are a lot of places where a company interacts with the customer as a part of an end product from another brand. Digging a little deeper, I understand that when I leave my home with my lunch box, my mom used the aluminum foil from Hindalco, the car I drive most likely has tyres from Birla Carbon, and the soft drink can that I love with my meals is made from Aluminum from Novelis Aluminum.

Having recruited wearing a Van Heusen suit from BITS Pilani a few months back, today I feel confident wearing Van Heusen and attending Guest Lectures by all of these role models at IIFT, Delhi. If I think of it I am educated, fed, covered, sheltered and transported with ABG, it is BIG in my life.

It was 2010 when I broke my knee and completely tore my ACL while playing football in a field in Kota. Apart from the immobility and pain, the injury brought in me a sense of helplessness meaninglessness and despair. Seventeen years old, I thought that I am broken in a permanent way. My academics suffered and I could not accept the fact that a small lapse in judgment in a game I used to play every day had led to an event which would prevent me from being the same ever again.

When events like these occur they might feel like a lot, but from this incident, I learned that life goes on. It took me about 3 months to recover and my knee still used to falter time and again. It was then that I learned about the power of rituals and small incremental steps. I started non-impact exercises to keep myself fit without straining the knee. I learned that being physically fit helps me do better in academics and competitive examinations.

After this incident I got through BITSAT and joined BITS Pilani, where I pursued medium distance cycling, lifting and swimming. Today I can cycle continuously for a hundred kilometers, swim for an hour and squat a hundred kilograms. I was also the catalyst in getting my family fitter. My sister lost 20 kilograms and maintains a fitness blog.

Thanks to this turn of events, I have taught myself to quickly get up if you have fallen. I also started appreciating how fickle life is, how important and underrated being healthy is. And as a result, I am more resilient and thankful than before.