Part A – Dreams Lived and Loved
Cement is one of those products which are silently an indispensable part of someone’s life. Good quality cement is never appreciated for providing safe buildings and homes, yet cement is quickly criticized in case of a mishap. Building a home is a lifelong dream for a person. A person and his/her family spend a lifetime in a home. Sometimes generations pass by in a single home and in this way UltraTech cement silently provides safe havens to thousands of people every year. A brand which has been in place for 25 years has touched millions of lives in its journey. My interaction with ABG brands was even before I knew what it was. I was 7 years old and used to go with my father to the construction site of my home. It was that black & yellow logo that got my attention and still lingers in my memory.
ABG has been helping people in every aspect since its inception in 1857. The group has now grown in various sectors, still, its goal to give back to the community has remained strong and robust over the years. The group has evolved by imbibing the five core values of Integrity, Commitment, Passion, Seamlessness, and Speed. Its presence is felt by everyone the society and ABG, through its brands and way of functioning has touched millions of lives. ABG takes special care of the community around its plant. From improving the quality of life of the people of villages in the proximity of its plants and industries to taking care of the middle-class people’s aspirations of wearing branded clothes, ABG handles its communities perfectly. Aditya Birla Group has always believed in the power of education. It believes that only education can help improve the condition of this nation. It is associated with 42 schools, affecting more than 45000 lives of kids and children.
Part B – ABG Changing Lives
Fortunately, I have been able to sail through life pretty comfortably but ABG has helped me play a significant role in someone else's life. When I was in undergrad college my father advised me to start saving from my pocket money and start investing it. I read about mutual funds and started a SIP with Birla Sunlife Equity Mutual Fund at the small amount. The decision to choose Aditya Birla Capital was after positive feedback about the mutual fund both offline from and online. It was surprising to the trust people had in this mutual fund despite the usual fear about mutual funds. I started investing in early 2015 and had no idea that the money I invested will help me in such a significant way.
I passed out of college in June 2016 and as soon as I started earning, I increased my investment amount. I was happy to see almost 12-13% returns on my investment. In 2018, one of my school friends contacted me. He belongs to a family of the low-income group and was the sole bread earner of his family. Being a self-possessed man, he used to manage his own expenses since class 12th as his mother has to take care of everyone and everything in the family including his two younger brothers. He was selected in the MBA program of a well-known institute of management in the north. He reached out to me if I could help him arranging the fees. I did not have enough money at that time, but I realized my savings in mutual funds could help him. I liquidated my investments and helped him pay the fees. At that time I realized that helping someone achieve his goal will not only make him financially stable in the long run but is also the greatest good deed one can offer.
While doing the MBA, my friend also did a part-time job to meet his finances. Fast forward to this year, he completed his internship bagged a PPO job offer in a well-known bank. I felt as if I've achieved what I was aiming for. It was all his hard work and perseverance but I felt so happy and proud of his achievements that it felt like my own achievement. If it wasn't for the cushion of Aditya Birla Captial, a man wouldn't have been able to fulfill his dreams.