From protecting my aloo-paratha in my tiffin box to building EMI-proof home for my father; from securing my future when I was 3ft tall to suiting me up for my interview call, standing 6ft tall; from holding the last sip of my fizzy drink to shaping my dream of sitting behind the steering wheel; Aditya Birla Group has been a big part of my life because they understand that even the tiniest moment in our lives means a lot to us.
Being a millennial, I have witnessed the journey of the tagline from "Iss cement main Jaan hai," to "Bade Iraadon Main Jaan daal de." But the tone remains the same which is To Empower and Inspire; and this theme resonates through each unit of the multinational conglomerate called Aditya Birla Group, whose identity has been inbred in our Indian DNA.
It's not just a business with 36 companies, 47 brands, with a Net Worth of Rs. 7294.99 Cr. by March '19, but a family with more than 1,20,000 employees worldwide. When asked to the Chairman, Mr. Kumar Mangalam Birla, "What gives ABG the edge over others?" He replied, "Undeniably, our people!" He adds, "Their dedication to work, their sense of belongingness and pride in the Group is the reason our business is far ahead than the competition." And these 1,20,000 odd hotshots put their brains and brawn to reach and touch our lives, for good.
The most happening time of our lives, before smartphones invaded our souls, was the trip to "Nani-Ghar," during summer breaks. And mine happened to be at Hirakud, Odisha. I constantly used to nag my uncle, who was an employee in the then newly commissioned Hindalco-FRP plant located in Sambalpur district, to take me along with him. And I used to be mesmerized with the sheer scale of things. He used to educate me about how the rolled sheets of the shining metal (aluminium) is used to make little products like a bottle cap to colossal forms like aeroplanes. This gave me a better perspective of how every little thing in our daily lives is intertwined. And as I grew, it made all the more sense. From the Louis Phillipe suit, I wore for my XIMB interview, to the Freshwrapp over my 'paratha'; from the Ultratech cement that holds my father's house together, to the Idea connection I use to talk to him; they are all connected, flourishing under the single roof of Aditya Birla Group.
Being an wanderlust traveller, I am used to journeys in our Indian Railways, which is the lifeline of almost 2.5 crore passengers daily. But I was fascinated to know that a single train is made up of 20 tonnes of copper component! And, amazingly, Birla Copper is one of the largest contributors of copper, literally keeping the Indian railways on track! I am also a fashionista. A lot of credit for making me look good, goes to Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited, which has an elegant bouquet of 17 brands viz., Van Heusen India, Louie Phillipe, Ralph Lauren, Simon Carter India, Peter England, Forever21, Pantaloons fashion, Skult, to name a few. An avid follower of automobiles, I know that carbon black is used throughout the industry. It’s the key to manufacturing tyres and its performance depends on the carbon black used. But the application does not stop there. It is used in everything from the engine compartment to interior components to exterior coating. And I was not surprised to know that Birla Carbon had won the ‘Eco-Vadis’, a gold level rating for its sustainable practices for the third consecutive year. It is the global leader in carbon black production and supply, which successfully tackled the biggest challenge faced by the carbon black industry: Sustainability.
One of the happiest days of my life was when my elder brother got placed. And him being a fashion illiterate person, he asked me to help him chose his first-day work shirt. I took him to the Linen Club near Pantaloons, Bhubaneswar. The sheer vibrancy of the fabrics, the inimitable feel, their meticulous weave, and the exemplary design, kept my brother wondering for a while. And as he came out of the fitting room, he stood gallant. I put my hand on his shoulder and said, "You're made for different"; as was endorsed by Farhan Akhtar.
Aditya Birla Group does not just canopy our basic needs of "Roti, Kapda, aur Makkan" but it also empowers us to live up the extra. Aditya Birla Capital Limited (ABCL), which manages aggregate assets worth more than Rs3000 billion and a lending book of Rs600 billion as of December 31, 2018, is among the top five private diversified NBFCs in India. It facilitates to live it up to our dreams by offering products like Financing, Advising, Insurance, and Wealth Management. With its plethora of 12 financial services, viz. Aditya Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund, Aditya Birla Sun Life Asset Management Company, Aditya Birla Health Insurance Limited, to name a few, one has ample opportunity to make the most out of the one life we are all given.
I learned life, the hard way though.
Well, learning, I believe only happens when life throws challenges at you. As rightly said by ABG's Chairman, Mr. Kumar Mangalam Birla, "Failure is not fatal. Failure is inevitable. If your first instinct is to run away from failures, then perhaps you’re doing it the wrong way!" This is Mr. Kumar Mangalam Birla's mantra to deal with failures. I had failures. The first time I gave my CAT, in 2016, I got a meagre 39%ile in the quantitative aptitude section. Being an engineer, it hurt my ego. 2017, same result. Ego did not help. 2018, I took it as a challenge. I dived into questions I knew I might not be able to solve. But I kept opening the book, every single day. Trying to get one answer right. One correct answer led to another. And then another. And before I knew it I went from a 39%iler to a 93%iler in CAT '18. Uncertainty prevails in each moment of our lives. Yet the only legitimate way to go about it is to trust yourself and dive straight in.
From work-life imbalance to family issues, the past year has been a roller coaster for me. In this fast-paced world, with information overload and little time to sit back and introspect, the one thing that came to my rescue was meditation. The very thing which used to distract me, my smartphone, helped me find an app called "Headspace." It helped me to keep my priorities straight, to connect with others, and most importantly it taught me to live my life one breath at a time. Meditation is not a formula for Nirvana nor is it a secret Shaolin ritual. It's a skill one needs to develop over time. The "secret," however, is persistence. No matter what, you turn up for the practice every single day, even for 10 mins. And then you naturally get good at anything that you practice every passing day. There is no secret to that!