As I stand confidently in the auditorium of IIFT Kolkata, crisply dressed in a blazer, all set to embark on a new path, I reflect back on my journey and realize how significant a part Aditya Birla Group has played. From shopping for birthday clothes in Pantaloons as a school going kid, I distinctly remember wanting to take home all the clothes in the store, much to the amazement of my parents. Nothing much has changed over the years as I still get equally enamored when I walk into a Forever 21 store. With time, I was introduced to many other ABG brands that played a part in fulfilling my basic needs, like the More supermarket, which I frequent every Saturday to stock up weekly groceries and essentials or the Freshwrapp without which my office lunch wouldn’t be fresh and complete! I believe in the phrase – Let live so that you can live, and admire ABG for abiding by it as well. Not only do they have initiatives to conserve and save different facets of the environment, they also believe that education should be accessible to all, thus going through with the Aditya Birla Scholarships which provides financial assistance and mentor-ship to deserving candidates. Back to the present and I wonder how subconsciously the brand has helped me build my confidence, today, it’s from the Van Heusen formals that I don.
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’. I live by this quote and truly believe that life throws experiences at you and how you perceive it will determine its flavor. In my work experience, I was privy to many situations that can be termed as challenging, but being able to keep a calm mind, analyse and then list out the plan of action was something that I gradually learnt and developed. I also realized that the tougher the situations thrown at you the better evolved you become as a person. All my experiences have taught me a bevy of things, corporate etiquette being one of them. Preparing for MBA entrances while working full time was one of the most challenging phases. Maintaining and dedicating time and focus was something I was finding difficult to do given the tight deadlines of the deliverables I was working on. Nevertheless, I chalked out a schedule that I was to follow over 6 months in order to get the desired results. However, that year had different plans for me as I did not get into the B-school of my choice. I took the result in my stride and decided to reappear for the entrances again next year, this time, however with better planning and prioritizing of tasks. I was able to convert the college I wanted to pursue my education in and this process has thus helped me improve my time management and strategy skills. Most importantly, it made me emerge stronger and introduced me to a more confident version of myself.