The year 1857 holds a special place in the hearts of Indians because of the Great Revolt that shocked the British rule. Another significant event took place in 1857 which went on to make a huge impact on India – it was the foundation of the Aditya Birla Group, the 3rd largest conglomerate in India today. Started by Seth Shiv Narayan Birla as a cotton trading business in the town of Pilani, Rajasthan, it has come a long way to generate an annual revenue of over forty-four billion dollars. Ghanshyam Das Birla, considered to be the founder of the group, expanded the group’s business in the early 20th century, by venturing into the aluminium, cement, fabric and textile businesses, paving the way for Aditya Birla Group to become an industrial giant.
Today, Aditya Birla Group is everywhere with involvement in so many sectors. ABG is a constant entity in every Indian’s life, providing products and services to millions. It is hard to imagine life without the use of a single ABG product. From the UltraTech cement used to construct my house to the Louis Philippe shirts that I wear and the Vodafone Idea 4G services that keep me connected to my friends and family, ABG and its products hold a special place in my heart. Today, far away from home, I still remember the lunch my mother used to pack in Freshwrapp aluminium foil for school. So, ABG is now a part of me, inseparable, present even in childhood memories.
Overcoming Challenges in Life
I belong to a family of professors with my father, mother and grandmother all in the teaching profession. Needless to say, special emphasis was laid on my education and how to excel in it. I was always a bright student who got more than just decent marks and even secured good ranks very often. I never studied too much or for a long time as I had always been told and also went on to believe, that I was gifted and had great a grasping power. Over the years this transformed into overconfidence and laziness and my grades started taking a hit, that too at a very critical phase of my life - my class 12th board exams.
By the time I took control of the sinking ship, I was halfway through my Engineering degree. Then came a major turning point in my life when I failed in a subject for the first time and was completely devastated. I was still fine with getting less marks but failing was just not me.
I took it as a challenge and I did not give up and instead, decided how much and where I needed to put my time and efforts. I put in monumental effort to completely change my lifestyle and studying habits.
Transforming myself from a casual nonchalant person to an enthusiastic student was not easy and turned out to be a huge challenge for me, but my never say die attitude always helped me and kept me going.
Fast forward to 2018, I was preparing for my MBA entrance exams very diligently while also performing exceedingly well at work. My friends and family helped me a lot in gaining my confidence back and supported me throughout my preparation. I did reasonably well and got selected for MBA (IB) at IIFT, one the topmost B-schools in the country.