Aditya Birla Group - It's not just a business but a way of life for every Indian #IIMTrichy

Aditya Birla Group, ever since founded in 1857, has strived hard to provide excellent value and to deliver exceptional service to its customers. It has a presence in industries like-Cement, Apparel, Telecom, Digital Banking, Mining, Textile-among others. A US $44.3 billion business, the Aditya Birla Group, is in the League of Fortune 500. ABG's global sphere of influence is massive as it currently employs over 1,20,000 people globally.  

ABG being India's most significant conglomerate with its diverse operations in a multitude of sectors has touched the lives of almost every Indian in one or the other way. It is amusing how often we get used to things in life that we end up not realizing its real importance to the fullest. Fashion is the armor to survive the everyday reality of life. My first introduction with Aditya Birla Group was when I was doing graduation from NIFT, Bangalore. Madura Garments, which is one of the subsidiaries of ABG, was one of the most sort-after companies where I wanted to work. It was my dream company, to be honest. Those were the days when I first started to look after the brands ABG catered to and found my favorite brands: Van Heusen and Louis Phillipe being one of those. ABG has significantly impacted my life and my decisions when it comes to apparel shopping or to make a fashion statement, I have always been a fashion enthusiast, and I would adore the brands from the ABG group. My love for ABG pushed me harder and motivated me to study the retail and apparel business in more depth and ultimately, I scored a great job after college. Though I was not able to work for ABG at the time of my graduation and that the institute might have changed now, but the dream remains the same. 

While most of us were duly informed about the impact they have made in terms of fashion trends, they have significantly improved every other aspect of our lives as well, by providing the Indian consumer's plethora of services ranging from apparel to telecom to digital banking.   ABG has got brands like Peter England, Allen Solly, Pantaloons, Van Heusen, Louis Philippe, under its umbrella. These brands serve Indian consumers at different price points, making it possible for the Indian public- from the lower middle class to the upper class- to enjoy and experience the latest fashion trends and premium clothing at an affordable rate.

ABG touches the life of the Indian public in so many ways- some more visible than others, that it would not be appropriate for me to only focus on apparel subsidiary of ABG.  The list of ways in which ABG impacts the life of the general Indian Public is immeasurable. ABG has become an indispensable part of the Indian Economy and continues to drive the Indian Consumerism. With its commitment towards maintaining high-quality standards, it remains to deliver superior value to all its stakeholders, as distinguished to its competitors.

Aditya Birla Group - Today is hard, Tomorrow will be worse, but the day after tomorrow will be sunshine. #IIMTrichy

Challenges are part and parcel of life. A life without problems will be too dull. Challenges test your resilience towards difficult or unknown situations.  I have faced various challenges in my life, ranging from issues arising from education, social or even work-life balance, which had made me strong and made me what I am today.

Although there are various accumulated diverse experiences, I wanted to talk about a specific situation in my life where I needed to show my resistance and persistence to move forward and also which taught me a great deal about life and gave a new perspective towards it. 

About 2 years back, I was trying to put together a startup with one of my friends. I had quit my lucrative paying job and had invested all my savings into the company. As the months passed, we burned through our initial capital and with little to no revenue, I was utterly broke. I needed to earn money to take care of my necessities as well as I had to focus on the startup. To be able to do that,  I left my rented flat to save the rental money and started living out of my friend's living room couch. Not having any money in my bank account and no backing of my parents, I needed another source of income. At this time, I started taking freelance projects to fund my basic needs. I would work the entire day on the startup doing market research, making supplier calls, product development, remote team meetings and at night I would do my freelance projects like graphic design, video editing, photography projects, web development. It took me almost 3 months of hustle to get back on my feet with stability in my finances and money in my bank account. Even today when I look back at the time I feel mesmerized, I didn't know how I did it, but I overcame a challenge that seemed impossible to me. If I had just given up then, then maybe I would have turned towards my parents and had to leave my startup and join a job. The 3 months of hustling taught me to Never Give Up. Each challenge that you set for yourself should help you to become better. They make you wiser and improve your capabilities. Challenge yourself to greater heights and try to become a better person. 

I think it is the perfect occasion to quote Jack Ma  "Never Give up. Today is hard, Tomorrow will be worse, but the day after tomorrow will be sunshine.” 

Thank you Aditya Birla Group for this wonderful initiative!