Aditya Birla Group, the name that strikes a chord in every Indian’s heart. A brand that perfectly resonates its name, “Aditya” (Sun) and the core values it is built upon. The very logo itself with the Sun and its beams depict the values that the company incorporates and how it has impacted millions of lives throughout the world. It is commendable how the company has become a part and parcel of our everyday lives, starting from the cement that we use to build our houses to the tires that drive us to places, from the telecom services that connect us to our families to the wraps that have helped mom’s all over to deliver the best food to their kids, from ensuring lives to helping manage finances, from the smallest of things like the Ink and paints to the rubber goods, belts, and hoses, ABG has transformed lives and how!
Having lived in a Tier 2 city throughout my life, fashion had a different meaning all together until ABG happened to the city. In my city Bhubaneswar, Pantaloons was the first ever retail store to have been set up which brought about the concept of Brands and window shopping into our lives. Irrespective of age, class, and gender ABG has catered to each and everyone’s needs and desires. From affordable mass market to high-end styles, ABG has been the sole leader in the fashion industry with Loius Phillippe, Allen Solly, Van Heusen, People, Pantaloons, Madura fashion and lifestyle, Forever 21, Ralph Lauren to name a few of the giants that are a part of the group. ABG has also made sure to transform fashion with its eco-friendly and natural fabric “Liva”. Growth and transformation along with adaptation to change have been the Mantra for Aditya Birla Group and it has depicted the same precisely. It has proved to the world that it truly is #BigInOurLife.
Challenges are a part and parcel of everyone’s lives. But the important aspect is how one deals with it and overcomes it irrespective of the circumstances. Being brought up in a very protective and secluded environment, independence is something which had a very different meaning for me altogether. Having lived with my parents until graduation, the biggest challenge I faced thereafter was moving out of their protective and spoon-fed atmosphere into a world, where every step you take must be intently measured, especially as a girl. The idea of it was quite intriguing but I faced the challenge with utmost courage and dedication and moved out of Bhubaneswar to Trivandrum and then to Bangalore all alone in order to start an independent life as a working woman. From finding a place to live to traveling all alone in an unknown city and most importantly dealing with strangers all throughout the day, the whole process was quite exhausting and scary. From looking after myself to handling daily chores I learnt and transformed throughout the experience. From being catcalled to being robbed, the whole period had been full of ups and downs where there were times, I wished I could run back to my parents and live the good old childhood days again. But the desire to prove myself that I am a strong empowered woman is what kept me going.
Juggling work along with all these challenges and then preparing for CAT and getting into an IIM is something I am most proud of now. The most important lesson that the whole process taught me was that perseverance and courage are the most important guiding principles in order to overcome any and every kind of challenge one faces.