ABG - An Idea That Changed Billions Of Lives | Ankit Panda, MDI Gurgaon

“Entrepreneurs are born. Executives are made. We need them both.” - Kumar Mangalam Birla, XVI Convocation Speech, NIT Rourkela The Aditya Birla Conglomerate has set it imprints on the lives of every Indian in whichever domain you may look around. Be it the textiles arena where brands of Louis Philippe and Peter England enjoy a large chunk of market share or the Aluminium Industry in form of Hindalco and Novelis, you find their presence everywhere. The recent merger of Idea Cellular with Vodafone turned them into India’s largest cellular network and globally second largest. Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited (ABFRL) is India’s one of the pioneer in the fashion and retail sector. Aditya Birla Capital Limited (ABCL) is the holding company of all the financial services businesses of the Aditya Birla Group. Talking of my personal experience, the first faint memory that I can recollect of my association is a black and yellow diary of Ultratech Cement that my Dad gave me to scribble around. Having a dealership of Ultratech Cement paved way for a lot of goodies for me hence after. When I grew up I took one step closer and got myself an IDEA cellular connection. I clearly remember those prolonged shopping sessions with my sister at Pantaloons, Bhubaneswar. The diversified collection of garments and accessories would always land both of us in a dilemma. Securing admission in NIT Rourkela made me establish a direct connection with the ABG Group in form of Dr. Santrupt Misra. He was the Chairman, BOG, NIT Rourkela. And I quote him from my convocation speech- “follow no advice but always follow your heart”. This is something that comes very naturally to me. And lastly the convocation address of Mr. Kumar Mangalam Birla at NIT Rourkela. Mind you I wasn’t receiving my degree but such was the magnitude of the event, I travelled all the way 150kms just to listen to his thoughts and ideas. It was one session which I shall surely cherish. All these instances might be small but indeed they have left a huge impact on me. Aditya Birla Group’s focus on sustainability and education as a part of its CSR Policy is truly a remarkable step taken in the direction of building our society. The concept of recycling of almost 65 million cans through Hindalco and Novellis illustrates the responsibilities of a responsible corporate towards building a better world for the next generation to come.  This is something that touches me. The post-independence era saw the rise of Aditya Birla Group through every section of the society in a diversified portfolio and contributed in improving lifestyles of not only me but millions of my fellow countrymen through its continuous addition of quality products and valuable services. Being a part of their journey through the brands of Idea, Pantaloons, Peter England, Louis Phillipe, Ultratech and surely many more to feature in the list ahead has really made an impact in my journey through the most valuable tagline I must say

 “An Idea can change your life”

How did I make an impact?? Life is a challenge - Face it!! Every now and then we find ourselves being pierced by a plethora of challenges. It doesn’t depend upon the stock of your arsenal but your skills of using them that can win you a battle. And I believe a man who has is persistent and passionate will always sail through such challenges. My life is nothing different from the rest. Charles Darwin Theory of Evolution proposed the survival of the fittest. Since birth, we have been at the constant battle against a new challenge that crops up the moment we feel we have conquered the last one!! The first challenge was to get a good education. Now that I landed up in an institute of national importance, the new battle began to get a good start to the corporate life. This landed me a job in an aluminium smelter in my home state itself. Another new challenge!! I must say the transition from campus to corporate is one of the most difficult things you ever have to face. From sleeping in hostel for an indefinite time to rushing to punch machines before the deadline of 05:59:59, that was one hell of a transformation. Somehow I managed to slowly sink into my shoes filled with discipline and dedication. Now for the people familiar with life at aluminium smelter, it is the most challenging job role one can ever expect. Initially, I struggled a lot in this new set up. That mindset of the classroom was to be wiped out. By the time I completed my 6 months, I started settling down. But life never allows you to settle down. I was promoted up the system to lead a shift crew comprising of 30 members, many of them having almost 6-8 years of experience. Indeed this was a huge responsibility for me to manage the shifts all alone because the margin of error is very less. A minute mistake can have huge financial implications. So there was this one instance of a sudden power outage during a night shift of mine and while restoring current, there was a technical glitch that led to trip of ID fans. Now this meant no feed to the pots which may lead to open circuit and blast of entire smelter. While other lines had some senior shift in-charge, it was a completely new challenge for me.  A Do or Die situation without much time to plan and strategise. Instantly came up a plan to manually feed but that would need a lot of manpower which unfortunately was not an option during night shifts. So I gathered my team and appraised them about the situation. We couldn’t wait and watch for senior management’s instruction to come. I took the lead, announced to stop the allotted job and to get on this work with utmost priority and sincerity. I myself initiated the process of manual feed in a couple of units and this had a large impact on all my team members. A leader doesn’t lead by words always, sometimes action speaks louder than words. By the time normalcy was restored we were able to control the units without reaching any emergency like situation. The next morning, I along with my entire team was summoned to the war room and the senior management applauded our efforts and presence of mind in saving the plant from a critical situation. That day I didn’t learn anything new technically, but the one major take away was- Never panic in any situation. A calm composed brain can always give us a better solution than someone in a lot of stress. Also, teamwork is something that is never taught to us but in real life, it is the most important aid to face any critical situation. So always strive to be a team player. Irrespective of our designation we should always try and get involved with the team to achieve the best of results