To speak of a conglomerate’s presence in a person’s life is a seemingly humungous task. And more so when that conglomerate is Aditya Birla Group (ABG), a Company as old as the first war of Indian independence, and as young as the vibrant present day India. When a single group of companies’ revenue adds up to roughly 1.7% of the nation’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product)*, it would be a gross injustice not to speak about its unwavering presence for the country as a whole where I am living.
ABG has impacted the way I travel when it took part in the prestigious "Rajeev Gandhi Sea Link" project by providing 0.1 million MT of UltraTech Cement*. ABG has impacted the way I communicate when it built Idea Cellular (On 31 August 2018 Idea Cellular completed its merger with Vodafone India and thereby became largest telecom company in terms of subscribers and revenue, surpassing Airtel*) ABG has impacted the way I present myself when it offered me myriad verticals of fashion apparels- Louis Philippe, Allen Solly, Van Heusen, Peter England etc…Altogether, ABG is as diverse as India itself. Ranging from Agribusiness to Aluminium rolling, Cement & Chemicals to e-commerce & Retail Fashion to Telecommunications to whatnot- It has stretched its arms wide to touch and make its presence felt to almost every Indian. Thus, ABG has carved a niche for itself.
To speak on a personal level, my association with ABG goes back to memories of the first time I put on a business suit in an exclusive women showroom of Van Heusen before joining my B-school. It was there to help my family realise our dreams, with its venture “Aditya Birla Housing Finance Limited” aiding us in all the ways to build our dream home.
In a nutshell, as their corporate logo speaks- The bright sun(ABG) showers its rays all over the world and in everyone’s lives.
Sources:
- World Bank reports-WDI
- ABG Official Website
- ABG Wiki page
PART B :
Challenges have a very weird role in our lives. When we are facing them we see them as road blocks and once they are crossed these challenges become our milestones, and sometimes our badges of achievements. One of the biggest challenges that we face is standing up for our dreams when society is putting you down. In 2015, when I was asked to answer where I was seeing myself in 5 years, I promptly replied an IIM. Though the path was considered a conventional one, in my household, An MBA degree always came as a second option after Masters in Technology. Walking up to my father every day with an argument ready to drain our energies over the choices I made and the will power of going and standing in front of him the next day.
After two years, finally my old man gave in and I was sitting in a coaching class with 20 other people having similar aspirations, some better than me and some hard working than me. Travelling in local trains, juggling between weekdays work and weekend classes, missing on weddings and birthdays, I drowned myself in reasoning and comprehensions. CAT 2017 came and all prepped up with my dreams I went it, put my 3 years of dreams and aspirations in those 3 hours. Within no time the results were out, and the dream of being in an IIM shattered.
Though life gives you a second chance to stand again, this second chance needed a year to be waited for. This time I decided to skip classes and work on my own, again the strive started. Days went on a stretch where my job took over all the time I decided for my preparation, but somehow I stood up again with my late night coffees and comprehensions, and then CAT 2018 came, with a little hope I entered into the hall, and said to myself., “If not this time I will do it all over again..”
Luckily there was no CAT 2019 in my diary, but rather the dates for my days to begin in IIM Visakhapatnam. Now when I look back, I realize what challenges do, they don’t let you give up on your dreams, but rather it makes you stronger in every possible way.