Why is Aditya Birla Group big in my life?
As a teenager, I preferred having my lunch at school canteens. Not that I had a lot of pocket money, but I just enjoyed freshly cooked meals. My very first encounter to Aditya Birla Group was with Freshwrapp, a brand of aluminum foil that completely enhanced my whole experience of lunch breaks. In her quest to convince me to carry my lunchbox, my mother somehow came to know about Freshwrapp and bought home a packet of it. Henceforth, my lunchbox became a constant companion. Now that I look back, I could have never imagined how a simple product such as aluminum foil could play a pivotal role in countless memorable lunch hours.
Living independently during college and subsequently while working in corporate firms had its own set of challenges, and one of the foremost was buying affordable quality clothes, especially when you moved to a new city. Pantaloons became the default destination for me no matter which part of the country I was residing since I always found clothes to my liking and fit at reasonable prices at their outlets.
The dearest relationship I have had with Aditya Birla Group has been through its cellular network Idea. Innovative advertisement campaigns and value-for-money services offered by Idea were very effective selling points of the brand. Almost five years ago, I changed my cellular network provider to Idea and since then have always found the company to deliver more than promised. They always manage to surpass my expectations. Aditya Birla Group is one of those very few brands that has had a profound impact in multiple facets of my life, and I feel immensely proud in using products and services of our home-grown conglomerate.
How did I overcome challenges to achieve my ambition in life?
I have always been shy, and public speaking has been one of my biggest phobias since childhood. Baring one or two instances I had never participated in debates and extempore or any form of public speaking for that matter. Ever since I discovered my inner calling about wanting to work in the corporate sector, I realized that I needed to improve upon my communication skills. After due diligence, I began the dreadful journey to overcome my fears. I had to make a conscious effort to watch countless debates and engage in discussions with my peers and teachers, something I hated a lot of times. With constant effort, I have been able to get over my stigma of public speaking to a great extent.
Although I am still an introvert, I no longer fear the crowd. In my short professional career spanning over a few years, I have had to participate and preside over countless team meetings. With experience, I believe I have become quite good at addressing a group of individuals and engage in meaningful discussions.
However, it’s been two weeks since I joined an MBA programme at IIM Visakhapatnam, but my class participation has been on the lower side as of now. So, I guess there is still some distance for me to travel in this regard. As T. D. Jakes very aptly said, “The world is a university and everyone in it is a teacher. Make sure when you wake up in the morning, you go to school.” I intend to keep learning and better myself each day.