Part 1:
Why Aditya Birla Group is big in your life
Aditya Birla group is intertwined with the fabric that is India. Founded in 1857, it has been one of the leading conglomerate, not just in India, but overseas as well. It features in the World Fortune 500 list as well. The Birla family have also played an instrumental role in the Freedom struggle of our nation, right from setting up the Swadeshi movement to financing of non-cooperation activities carried out by Mahatma Gandhi. They were also close to the leaders of the freedom struggle such as Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. It is during these times that the Birla group set up jute mills, cotton mills, sugar mills, started Hindustan Motors, co-founded Hindustan Times and so on. They have also founded companies such as Hindalco which a leading aluminium company.
Right from the onset of Independent India, to today’s day; the Aditya Birla group is a household name in India. They have both direct, as well as indirect impact on our lives and the economy of the nation. The Aditya Birla group generates revenue north of $44 million dollars and employees over 120,000 people across the country and worldwide. Aditya Birla group has its wings spread wide with its involvement across industries. They have revolutionized the Aluminium business, becoming one of the largest rolled aluminium producer. They own Ultratech cement which is the largest cement company in India. The group is also the largest manufacturer world wide of Carbon Black. They are present in the fashion retail industry across different segments - casual wear, comfort wear, formal wear and so on through their brands such as Van Heusen, Peter England, People etc. and through their brick and mortar retail stores – Pantaloons and Planet Fashion. They are also into the Telecom industries holding the rights for Vodafone India and Idea Cellular, both combined being the largest telecom company in the nation. They also have an asset management and financial services group called Aditya Birla Capital.
My experience with the Aditya Birla group has been direct as well as Indirect. As a buyer/ consumer, I am a loyal customer to Louis Philippe, Van Heusen and have been shopping at Pantaloons and Planet Fashion for all my clothing needs. One of my favourite newspapers is Hindustan times which delivers unfiltered and untouched news as it is and continues to be one of the most dependable media facets of the nation. Even in terms of mobile network, my family and I have Vodafone mobile connections and it continues to provide seamless connectivity compared to other brands in the market. As an investor, I have bought funds of Aditya Birla Sunlife as they are consistent performers and provide great returns to the investors. These are just the direct ways in which Aditya Birla group impacts my life. Speaking on indirect impact, Hindalco and Ultratech are used widely across the nation. Buildings that we live in, work in, study in, roads that we drive on, all these are areas where the brands have been involved. Now, as an aspiring MBA graduate, I also look to work with Aditya Birla Group as it is one of the leading conglomerates in the nation and continue touching lives of millions across the world.
Part 2:
How you overcame challenges to achieve your ambitions in life so far
Challenges are what you came for. And you are never ever given a challenge you cannot overcome. What lies behind you and what lies in front of you pales in comparison to what lies within you.
I strongly believe that life is a culmination of all your experiences. We are the sum total of our experiences. Those experiences – be they positive or negative – make us the person we are, at any given point in our lives. And, like a flowing river, those same experiences, and those yet to come, continue to influence and reshape the person we are, and the person we become. None of us are the same as we were yesterday, nor will be tomorrow.
In saying so, to move forward, we continuously need to challenge ourselves, push the envelope beyond our boundaries and limits. As of today, being a part of a prestigious institution such as School of Business Management, NMIMS is also an outcome of pushing the boundaries of how well I can perform and whether I can achieve my set of targeted colleges or not, and this is a story to talk about.
In 2018, I decided that I want to pursue MBA since it was the next step in my career path. My aim was to get into one of the best Business Schools in India to receive quality education. To achieve this, I needed to write entrance examinations and clear group discussions, written ability tests and personal interviews. Here is where it got challenging – I was working at a leading analytics organization providing business analytics solutions for fortune 100 companies. The work was great, I was leading a team of 4 individuals on a cutting-edge project which had multi-million-dollar impact for my client. While this being a great project and great opportunity for learning and development, it was very hectic. There were many days where we stretched much beyond our working hours to deliver a high-quality solution to our client in a timely manner. Considering I was managing the team, I would walk an extra mile to ensure that I am adding value to my team as well as our client. It was quite hectic and time for studies was being impacted.
To ensure that I meet my personal goals without compromising my professional commitments, it became quintessential for me to manage time in an effective manner. The idea was to make the best out of any free time that I had. This challenged me to wake up early and study before office, try and squeeze in some practice sessions during my commute and break-times, effective utilization of the weekend to manage studies as well as personal life. This struggle carried on for over 6 months, yet, at the end, it was all worth it, and today I am proud to say that I am a student of School of Business Management, Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies.
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