All my life, I have had this feeling of gratitude towards the universe. But it took me a while to realize who my universe was.
Coming from a small village in Himachal Pradesh, my father only knew how to work hard and that's what he did. He made sure my brother and I had all that we could ever wish for. He made sure our family back in HP was happy and content too. He juggled between his job and our farms back in HP all his life and I never saw him break a sweat.
I still remember the day when I first saw a More Mega Store on a school trip and a friend of mine bought jeans from there. I came back home and kept nudging my father about the same. He kept resisting for a while but then caved in to his kid's pleading. We went to the More Mega Store in Vadodara, Gujarat that weekend and I remember entering the People Store there. I was 14 back then and that's the day I bought my first jeans.
I grew up, completed my college and got a job. My father was the happiest man on earth and couldn't control his grin for a week. A week after that he came home early from work and told me to get ready. He took me to a Louis Philippe Store. He bought me my first pair of formal clothes and I am proud to say that I have been a satisfied and a loyal customer of the brand since then.
All my life, I have seen him put our wishes and demands before his own. He rarely ever bought anything for himself. He would get his shoes remade unless they weren't stitchable anymore. And I believe that's true for all the fathers out there, who put their family's wishes first and forget about themselves in the process. So, a couple of years back, my brother and I both decided to give him a surprise on his 55th birthday. We took him to a Van Heusen store near our house and bought him a complete suit right from the cuff links to socks and shoes. I have never seen him more proud and happier.
From the small village in HP to the compact cities that my father has lived in, Aditya Birla Group has always been a constant and has added value to our lives and we can't be more grateful for that.