"Great businesses are never built on the quick sands of opportunism." This statement by Mr. Kumar Mangalam Birla aptly portrays the spirit of the Aditya Birla Group. Over years of functioning across many major industries, Aditya Birla group has made an image for itself. Its businesses have grown into global powerhouses in a wide range of sectors – metals, textiles, carbon black, telecom and cement.
I have seen the name of Aditya Birla since I was a kid. Be it my first IDEA sim card on which I have spent hours talking to my family of friends or the hours to walking around following my sisters in Pantaloons while they browse the unending collection of clothes.
Aditya Birla Group has become an integral part of the lives of Indians and also I believe many people abroad. My other brushes with the enigmatic brand has been when I saw the stock of piled cement packets when I saw the construction of my house and also in the Grasim cloth suits that I wore to the family weddings. I am a firm believer in the quality and abilities of such a value driven Multinational powerhouse and I choose to show it also as I hold shares to the company hence not only saying that I believe in the company but also banking on it to make my pocket heavier.
In my experiences with Aditya Birla and its brands, I have seen how this company has survived through years and has made a name for itself and I believe it will continue to uphold that position.
Seeing this vigour of the company I feel that we should learn to be slow but steady and committed to achieve our goals in life. I remember facing issues as I decided I wanted to do an MBA after having worked for almost 1.5 years in an MNC after my B.Tech. I had decided I wanted to study finance but I remember people telling me how silly it sounded that I had wasted my studies up until now by deciding a complete change of career. I used to work US shifts in a Noida office at this time. I remember sitting one day and deciding that I want to actually pursue an MBA and I decided that no matter how difficult or hectic it seemed I will study till I reach a good MBA institute. It was 3 months to the entrance tests when I started my preparations and I remember slogging for hours after my night shift and compromising on my sleep to study hard to do what I had planned out to do. And it did pay off.
I remember the day my results came out and I was selected. I was ecstatic and that taught me that no matter what people tell you and no matter how hard it may seem, if you are actually committed to something and you put your heart and soul into it with the spirit and intent to achieve your goal, there is hardly any chance that you wont achieve it and even if you don’t, there is a lot you would have learnt along the way.