There are more than sixty conglomerates in India. However, very few of them have succeeded in making a positive impact on the life of a common man. I would like to take this opportunity to write about one such conglomerate that operates in so many important business sectors, that it is bound to affect every single person in one way or another. Yes, I am writing about the Aditya Birla Group.
To name a few of the important business sectors the company operates in, UltraTech is the largest producer of grey cement, white cement and ready-mix concrete in India and it operates in five countries. When it comes to the Financial Services sector, the Aditya Birla Capital Limited is among the top five private diversified NBFCs in India with a lending book of Rs.447 billion which includes the housing finance as well. Its subsidiary, Aditya Birla Sun Life Insurance is ranked fifth among the private Life Insurance Companies in India.
Despite all such extra-ordinary companies that fall under the umbrella of the Aditya Birla Group, if I am asked to name one ABG company that has made the biggest impact in the life of a millennial like me, it is got to be Idea Cellular Limited. It has been more than a decade when I was a school going boy, who needed a way to get the information required to complete the school assignments. Even back then, Idea’s Cellular Network used to offer Internet Services through new technologies such as EDGE and GPRS. It used to provide me with a way to get the required information faster and at an affordable rate. Moreover, since the Idea Cellular’s network coverage was very reliable, it used to provide me with a way to always be in touch with my parents no matter where I am.
Now, let me tell you a few bits of my own story...
I have recently joined a post-graduate programme in one of the new and emerging B-Schools in the country. Many people in my friend circle, as well as family, do not understand why I have decided to leave a good job and venture into the so-called uncharted territory! My decision to pursue higher education even after having many years of work experience in the IT industry is based on the challenges that I have faced and the experiences that I have had while being an IT professional.
I used to work on Data Warehousing related tools and technologies. I contributed to the fullest of my potential, in optimizing the workflows that were very inefficient earlier, through the ITIL’s method of process improvement. But the opportunity to lead is difficult to come by when you do a strictly technical job. Hence, I decided to leave my job and prepare for the MBA entrance examinations.
My plan backfired when I could not get admission into any of the top MBA institutions that I had sought! The circumstances were such that I needed to get a job to be able to support myself and to ensure that the sabbatical has minimal impact on my career in IT. It took me a while to get a job that complemented the skills that I had. It was one such period of my life when I was truly unemployed. I resumed the technical job that I used to do, but simultaneously I also kept appearing for the entrance examinations in the following years. When I finally made it to the B-School that can complement my intellect and provide me with the opportunity to be one of the leaders of the future, it was again the time for me to bid adieu to the technical domain of work and strive to excel and succeed in the functional domain!