PART A :
The year 1857 is famous for 2 things. It witnesses the first rebellion by Indians against the British tyranny and saw the birth of Aditya Birla Group by
Seth Shiv Narayan Birla. Today, the group has grown into a
gigantic empire with existence in
35 countries spread across multitude of sectors like staple fibres, metals, telecom, BPO and IT services, etc.
The brand holds special place in my heart since more than a decade. On completing 10
th I was promised a cell-phone of my own .I still remember the excitement of that day when I went to buy the phone and got my first mobile number from
Idea. Even though I have changed many mobiles, changed my location, met new people all, my number is the same. I am still connected with all the memories, old friends via my cell number. It’s a constant reminder for me to be attached to my roots however high I may fly.
During my graduation days, we were asked to get formals for internship selection process. After a lot of searching, it was
Van Heusen which finally helped me. I got the job and Van Heusen became my to-go store for any further important events.
Aditya Birla Group has truly been a partner in the growth story of India. It has contributed to the infrastructure via
UltraTech cement, its making our journeys safe via improved tyres-
Grasim, it supplies the copper requirements of the Indian Railways-the biggest employer in India. The group is also very active in social sectors of education, healthcare, village redevelopment works. All these are the pressing needs of the country where government efforts fall short.
ABGL has stepped up wherever needed and ensured developmental opportunities for the citizens of the country.
PART B: Overcoming Challenges
After completing education my junior college, I took admission in COEP, a government college in Pune, Maharasthra. There, I realised many of the students could not converse properly in English, had stage fear and remained aloof. It was mainly because they were from rural backgrounds and lacked confidence to communicate. I was aware of the importance of communication skills and how much they were needed to secure a job in this world of competition. Thus I decided to start seminar for them for better communication skills.
This wasn’t a cakewalk at all. The most difficult part was to convince the students of the necessity as all of them considered it a waste of time. Not even one student was ready to enrol as none of their friends were enrolling. This went on for one week. The strategy to convince them directly wasn’t working, thus a change was needed. I decided to approach them indirectly via seniors who were undergoing placements. The seniors agreed to help and began interacting with my batch-mates on a daily basis. Casually, they used to bring up the topic of importance of English speaking for interviews and stress on it. Simultaneously, I was posting links of youtube videos and images about the importance of good communication skills.
Finally, after a week, about 10 students came to me asking whether I was still interested in holding seminar for them. I accepted the proposal gladly. Soon the batch grew to more than 60 students and continued for 3 months. By the end of year, everyone had the confidence to speak in public, during lectures and presentations.