“Who knows but the world may end tonight-” Robert Browning, ‘The Last Ride Together’.
Time flows on with the speed of a steady brook and on its way leaves a patina of changes on the surroundings, changes which make people perish, species extinct, companies shut down and shift in the status quo to name a few. But amidst this chaos that we call life there are those shining patches which give us a ray of hope, a hope that we will rise, a hope that our country will reinvigorate itself, a hope that humanity will thrive, a hope that Indians will challenge the status quo, a hope, which is a beautiful thing and perhaps the best of things.
That is what ABG signifies to me a hope for a better life. Without caring for the chaos of time, Aditya Birla Group grew from a small cotton trading company to the mega-conglomerate that it is now with its presence in 35 countries globally, employing 120000 people worldwide.
This signifies the one critical attribute of reinventing oneself with time which ABG continuously did and continues to do so as I write, which is why it stands where it stands right now.
Growing up I always was termed as a rebel, one who wants to go beyond that line, one who is seeking something more than the ‘settled life’, one who is not afraid to take risks and ask the questions not meant to be asked. I always felt since time perishes everything, how do you leave an indelible mark in this world. The answer was right in front of me one day as I was standing in front of the grandiose Birla Mandir in Kolkata whose architecture enamored me to the core and made me wonder who could have funded such a magnificent temple in this modern day. A businessman perhaps, but certainly no ordinary businessman, a businessman with heart to take on the world and the empathy to help people keep their beliefs and self-respect high. Some time passed and then I saw the advertisement of Aditya Birla Group: taking India to the world and suddenly everything made sense to me. It was certainly these very people who had helped create such a great structure where people throng every day in hordes to admire its beauty and their mission is clear, they are taking India to the world.
I also wondered why is it that only Americans like Steve Jobs who challenge the status quo, or a certain Mark Zuckerberg who dares to dream big, or a certain Bill Gates who creates tectonic shift in the technology world. Do only the Americans and westerners have great ideas, do only they have the right and will to challenge the status quo. What about India? The land that gave the world the concept of zero, the land where great sages, learned individuals and philosophers have walked and shared their wisdom, the land of innovation and prosperity where the entire world wanted to come for business in the 16
th century. I had almost come to believe that Indians aren’t meant to lead and succeed when this advertisement made me realize that there were my countrymen who were taking the country’s values and ethics to the world.
I started believing again in my dream of leaving a mark on the world, fast forward a few years and I was standing in my room with the phone in my hand, almost trembling as it was the first time I was going to put my feelings out there for a girl. I finally made that call and guess who helped me connect to the first girl in my Life-Idea Cellular courtesy ABG. It was that same More store of Aditya Birla Group where I had first spoken to her, where I also have countless memories of going to buy chocolates for her and also running errands for my mother every week. It helped me connect to the world outside, the first time I had done some shopping by myself and so those memories still resonate with me whenever I see a supermarket.
After a few more years I grew up and now was an adult when my father decided to sell our flat and move to a house instead which he will get made. I still remember Ultratech cement was the cement that was used, which still binds the bricks in that place called home where even I stay for a minute, it feels the entire world is fine and there are no problems in life.
I did my graduation and post-graduation in Nuclear Science and technology, I wanted to help my country be energy independent, but during the course of those 5 years I realized that I was not meant to be that person and was a misfit in that room. I rather enjoyed touching human lives in a different way, via propagating ideas, communicating with people than by crunching hard data and quantifying things the way an engineer does.
It was a big step but I convinced myself and my parents to make the move. So there I was after 5 years of studies, aged 22 and without a direction in life. I did not lose heart and went to Barcelona to be a sailing instructor and fulfill my lifelong dream of sailing the seas free-spirited and without a care in the world, also helping others sail and forget their problems for a while. I remembered the tagline of ABG about taking India to the world and that lead me to believe that I could do it. I did sail for a while but then I came back to India due to some family reasons. I had to give up my sailing dreams due to some very grave reasons concerning my family which made me stay back in the country but I did not lose heart. I mustered courage and took up my next assignment as a Radio Jockey at Radio Mirchi 98.3 FM.
Growing up I had always had problem speaking in public but like ABG I had tried and reinvented myself in my college years honing my communication skills. I connected and talked with a lot of people during my radio stint but somehow my family members were not happy with what I was doing. I did not want them to be unhappy on account of me as their happiness were paramount to me. So after touching a few lives where I got to know quite a bit of gossip about people and talking with them I quit that job and it was at this time that the thought of doing an MBA came to my mind as I had always wanted to manage a business, generate ideas, taking India to the world stage, thus leaving an indelible mark on society. Finally, after wandering about for almost 24 years I had got the destination in my life or at least it seemed so at that time.
I prepared headlong for CAT as only 3 months were left and just locked myself up in my room and for the first time in my entire life studied for more than an hour a day. After 2 weeks I was studying almost 8 hours a day. There was something about my previous many failures which drove me to succeed like anything and CAT exam became my ‘IRON THRONE’ (reference: Game of Thrones fans). The CAT day came, gave a decent exam but not all stories of redemption have happy endings and mine certainly did not have one. I was shattered and felt dejected as I thought I had failed my parents and myself enough and there was no turning back.
I took up a sales and marketing job where I had to work for 15 hours a day, where my work entailed me communicating to people, visiting their homes and selling a particular education product. It was during these visits that I realized the apprehensions of the parents of today about the country’s job market and how their children will get a job and make something of themselves in this huge competition created by lack of resources. In these dire situations we look up to companies like ABG with its huge employee base who give people a ray of hope to work hard and be the best version of themselves.
I thought of preparing once again for CAT as I had not given up yet cause all great men have failed multiple times, so I could certainly afford to do so as well. I thought if nothing else I will try harder and fail better this time around. It seemed an uphill task but I started managing my job and preparing for the CAT simultaneously, all by myself. I slept for only 4 hours for 3 months straight as I had to come back from my job and then prepare for 2-3 hours each night. Whenever I thought it was too much and I was on the verge of giving up the thought of working in one of the biggest conglomerates in the country namely ABG and helping pursue passion and changing the world for the better spurred me on and come the D-Day I aced the CAT and got the desired percentile.
After the tricky GD-PI process I finally got an offer to join MDI Gurgaon- one of my dream institutes. It was that day that I understood the true meaning of happiness, that fleeting moment that you experience after months and years of labour. More than anything else I was happy that my parents were happy with this feat of mine as well.
When I was coming to MDI I had to buy a lot of formal shirts and suits. I saw people rushing to US Polo association, some rushing towards Tommy Hilfiger, but I went to Louis Phillip, Van Heusen where more such people were like me. Some had the anguish of joining a new job, searching for that perfect suit and the proper shirt for their new stint in life, some shopping for semi-formals just to look smart while some like me shopping for the right formals for the new adventure of a B-School. There I again realized the beauty of ABG is bringing all these people from various walks of life with different intent together rendering happiness and fulfillment to all of them.
So here I am at the MDI campus now, making it through all odds, writing this long piece of article pouring my heart out and hoping that the dreams with which I left my home, the dreams that I have seen throughout my life will come to fruition.
Definitely ABG has played a pivotal role in my life in shaping my thoughts, creating my beliefs and helping me believe in myself to take higher challenges.
There was a long winding road down the lane,
It was journey filled with strife and pain,
Through that journey I could not see the light,
It was a dark night, but I had not lost the fight,
Staring across the tunnel I saw a glimmering ray of hope,
One that gave me confidence to help me cope,
Hoping to reach the destination of the land of good,
I was not alone in this journey through the wood,
Looking up I saw an elixir, a companion of my life,
Now I know that I don’t hang by the knife,
The companion was the one and only Aditya Birla Group,
There is a chance for each management student to join the troop.