Aditya Birla Group is spread across 14 industrial sectors (with cement, aluminium, textiles, and telecommunication being among the various sectors) and is a leader in many national and international businesses. It has played a pivotal role in many lives including mine.
After clearing the second level of Chartered Accountancy examinations (IPCC), I was supposed to sit for interviews. Among the various lined up; there were also interviews scheduled with the Big Four. Fresh out of school, in the first year of college; I did not have an inkling of what were formal clothes, let alone “business formals”. I did not know which brands to approach for the same. Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited (a consolidation of Pantaloons and Madura Fashion) came to the rescue. It offered brands like; Allen Solly, Louis Philippe, Van Heusen under one roof. The dream of wearing formals; sitting for interviews and looking presentable did not seem a dream anymore. The clothes I bought gave me enough satisfaction and poise, that I could sit confidently in the interview and look presentable in at least one aspect. It even had brands like Ralph Lauren and Forever 21; which became a fashionable weekend trendsetter.
Another major reason why Aditya Birla is big in my life is on account of Vodafone Idea Limited which is a partnership with Vodafone Group and Aditya Birla. Being the leading telecom service provider in India, it changed the face of the Indian telecom industry with its brilliant connectivity and customer services. Vodafone is a brand on its own. I have been a loyal customer of Vodafone Idea for the past 10 years and I cannot even think about shifting to another service provider let alone do it.
Aditya Birla Group has been big in my life in many ways, the most important of them being listed above.
The biggest challenge in my life came in the year 2014. I was in my first year of college life trying to manage Chartered Accountancy tuitions and compulsory attendance in college. It was becoming difficult with every passing day, to juggle between the hectic college schedule and the 12-hour tuitions. With end term approaching, the mandate of 75% attendance was looming over our heads. I failed to meet that benchmark by .5%. As a result, I along with 35 other students were asked to repeat the entire first year. It was the most difficult situation in my life, since, I had not failed in a single exam since kindergarten, while in that year, I failed in two things simultaneously – IPCC and my first step to a new future after school – college. I was devastated. However, I tried maintaining my sanity. Instead of repeating the first year, we changed our college. We shifted to a place where attendance was not a mandate. Most of us were pursuing CA tuitions and we didn’t want a mishap like this to happen anytime soon. Once was enough for a lifetime. So, I changed my college and sat for IPCC again. Being infamously famous for being one of the toughest exams to crack in the country, studying for any chartered accountancy exam once is difficult, but studying for it the second time is close to suicidal. That too with the burden of losing a year weighing on your mind. Nevertheless, I managed to clear it and what more, I was given a chance for article-ship at KPMG (one of the biggest names in the auditing industry). There was no looking back after that. I cleared my CA final exams in the first attempt post that, becoming only the second person in my firm’s locational history to achieve that feat. I went on to lead engagements, acting as a reviewer and being an asset to my team and my firm.
I learnt, that, whenever we think that all doors are closed, one is always open. Whatever happened, it occurred because of a reason.
