Aditya Birla Group, the name is itself a definition of class and faith. Starting from Non-Ferrous metals to Telecommunications and Apparel, Aditya Birla is a leading name. When I was a kid, for the first time, probably around 2006, I saw the advertisement of Ultratech Cement and the name Aditya Birla. I noticed a few bags of cement that read Ultratech Cement at a house that was under construction near my grandparent’s home. The next was when I saw my uncle’s suit cloth which read the name Grasim. ‘Aditya Birla’ was the owner’s name which my father told me. “Ek IDEA, jo badal de aapki duniya”- this became one of the most popular taglines and it was through the advertisements on Television and Newspaper that I came to know about its telecommunication ventures. Pantaloons was probably the second mall after Big Bazaar which I had visited in Bhubaneswar and a logo read ‘Aditya Birla’ and for the first time, I saw the brands such as Peter England, Louis Phillipe and Van Heusen. In a few years, these brands became our personal favourites. Birla Sun Life Insurance ads were the next and I was flabbergasted to see a company venturing into a variety of fields. Aditya Birla into education was another wow factor indeed. Not till B.Tech at VSSUT, Burla, I had heard the name of HINDALCO. With one of its plant at Hirakud, HINDALCO was then known to me and I was again stupefied to know that this too belonged to the Aditya Birla Group. Being the Placement Coordinator, I was the part of the team which oversaw hosting the recruiters from HINDALCO, Aditya Birla at VSSUT, Burla. The humongous amount of sustainable development and employment generation in India has been the achievements of the Aditya Birla group. Not only in India, but globally also this conglomerate is doing wonders. Wishing the company, a great luck for its future endeavours and waiting for even newer and fantastic ventures soon.
Now, the tale of my challenges and solutions begin. Choudwar, a tiny location in Odisha which is a popular industrial hub, heard my first cry. Due to the unavailability of decent schools in the town, I had to commute to Cuttack every day for my schooling at DAV, CDA which is around 17 kms from Choudwar. Well, we live in a colony and this colony life kept me secure. Exposure to the external world was too meagre. Being a single child further escalated the situation. Talking to my parents about this was perhaps the best I could do. They clearly understood the underlying logic behind this and probably after this, I was instructed to do my things on my own. This gave me certain freedom of decision making as well. But maturity was something which was lacking. I chose to be a doctor, I prepared simultaneously for AIPMT examination along with my 11
th and 12
th curriculum. This decision was an irrational one as I had overlooked the pros and cons of my abilities and attitude. It was a rational decision when I took multiple psychometric tests and I got the results that my mental traits and inclination is more towards the technical and business arena. So, I gave up the idea of preparing an extra year for AIPMT and joined the Electrical Engineering branch at VSSUT, Burla, the oldest government technical college in Odisha. This was a real test for me, being far from home for the first time, sharing room with 3 unknown people with no parents with me. Results in the 1
st and the 2
nd semesters were tragic, this disturbed me further. I couldn’t concentrate. During summer vacations after the 1
st year B.Tech, a divine magazine named “Sri Sathya Sai Sanatan Sarathi” changed my perspective. An article on 3 steps- ‘Mananam’, ‘Chintanam’ and ‘Dhyanam’ gave remedies to my problem. It was particularly based on Meditation, Concentration and Self-introspection. I practised sitting calm and concentrating for a few minutes and Patience was what I derived. Silence really speaks. Meditation provides a positive energy, a composure and a great amount of confidence, which is priceless. This is what that helps me cross hurdles and difficult situations. Another learning was that there can be multiple solutions to a problem; failure should be made the 1
st step for success. Having the altar of hope burning is perhaps the best thing that someone can do.
#ABGLP #ABGWOOME #XIMB