Aditya Birla Group : A Gamut of Possibilities - Parth Shankar,NMIMS Mumbai

“What an Idea Sir Ji!” – These are the first words that pop in my mind when I think of Aditya Birla Group. Being a millennial, the first encounter that I can relate with ABG was through Idea Cellular. When I got my first mobile phone, I subscribed to Idea Cellular. In fact, my whole family was an Idea customer at that point of time. I remember the day I bought that sim for some odd 300 rupees or so and the happiness it brought into my life. Aditya Birla Group, through its gamut of brands, have touched all of our lives in one way or the other. However, that is not surprising at all. What is amazing is how effortlessly ABG has carved a space into our hearts. “Mujhe Banane ka Shauk tha bachpan se, aur bade bhaiya ko Giraane ka” – I remember these lines perfectly because of a reason. I used to tease my elder brother for years with these sets of line. The last time time my father renovated our house, the choice of cement was almost obvious. Ultratech cement, he said, is the best one can get at this price. Hailing from a middle class setup, getting top-notch quality products at reasonable price was a boon to us. I do not think it is a coincidence that the first tie I bought for myself, was of Van Heusen. It was clear in my mind. I associated Van Heusen with sheer professionalism and when it was time for my first job interview, I did not want to take any chances. However, the biggest impact Aditya Birla Group has made in my life is through ‘Freshwrapp’. Nothing comes close to the joy one gets in eating mom’s hand cooked food, that too served hot. ‘Freshwrapp’ has been and will be a constant in my life. Aditya Birla Group has been amazing us in its own glorious ways and I believe it will remain a big part of our lives in the years ahead.

‘How I overcame challenges to achieve my ambitions in life so far?’

 Commitment – to oneself and to the ones you love. The driving force in my life has been the sheer commitment I have to improve myself every day. I have been able to achieve my ambitions so far because of the relentless self-improvement I pursue. I remember I was in class 9^th when I asked my mother to enrol me into the best school of the city. All my scholarly friends were going there. I had to drop the idea due to financial situations in the family. My father was recovering from alcoholism and we simply could not afford the fees. I promised myself that I would score better marks than all my friends would in the CBSE boards. I did so and gave myself another goal – to be self-dependent as quickly as possible. I took a loan for pursuing engineering. By the second year, I stopped taking money from home for my expenses as well. I used to teach my warden’s children after classes for pocket money. In the final year of my engineering, just before my final placements, I lost my elder brother to jaundice. He was the only living soul I confided in. He was my mentor, my friend and my biggest critic. Fighting through grief, I secured placement in the first round. It was possible because of the commitment I had towards my family. I believe because of this determination I have been able to secure admission for MBA while on a full time job. I even got dengue in October last year but that did not stop me from securing admission in one of the best B-schools in the country. Every time I get bogged down by challenges in my life, I remind myself that it is only you who will change your destiny and no one else will do it for you and that I think is what makes me rise every time. #NMIMSMumbai #ABGLPWooMe