Why Aditya Birla Group is big in your life?
My tryst with management began in 2018 after being an engineer for 4 years. During my time as a student pursuing management, I realized that some products can just be ingrained in your memory even after a long time. The
Aditya Birla Group is one such conglomerate which has a portfolio of products which just stand out in my memory. My earliest memory where the ABG group helped me was when I was in 7
th Class. My friend had invited me to his birthday party to which a lot of girls were also invited. None of the clothes I had made me happy, as they were too simple to be worn to so grand an occasion. That was when I first stepped into
Pantaloons. I was lost in the display of clothes for an unknown amount of time. Finally, I found a shirt which became my standard shirt of choice for any grand occasion till I outgrew the shirt and those occasions.
I also distinctly remember the way
FreshWrapp kept my food hot even after hours so I could relish the lunch my mom packed for me after a hectic half day in School.
Peter England was always the brand my father wore for any official or personal function because for everyone in my middle class family, Peter England was the definition of Luxury. It was later replaced by
Van Heusen as my family climbed the economic ladder along with the country where now, all of us aspire to be great….Or in fact, all of us aspire to bring happiness into lives just like the Aditya Birla Group brought Happiness into mine.
How you overcame challenges to achieve your ambitions in life so far?
“Breaking a Leg” wasn’t really lucky for me….
It was early in the morning, my eyes were half open and I realized I was late for one of the most important Organic Chemistry classes of my 12
th Standard. For a nerd like me who was aspiring to get into IIT, every class was important. I rushed out of my home, half asleep and got onto my scooter and left without telling my Mom the customary “Tata” which I told her every day before leaving to class while she stood at the door waving at me long after I had even left my street. I was so worried I would miss my class that I forgot to break when I was speeding too close to a car in front of me. By the time I realized and pressed the breaks, it was too late. I had lost control of my vehicle and within seconds I found myself lying on the middle of the road unable to stand up with blood forming a small puddle near my leg. It was a clean break. Something the doctor called a “Compound fracture”. I was lucky though, the broken bone missed severing my nerve which, if it did severe, would leave me limping for the rest of my life with very low chances of recovery. It was bad, to say the least.
What followed were months of Rehabilitation and worry for my parents. All my exams including the IIT JEE went down the drain. The only memory I have of my 18
th Year was me walking with the help of crutches to college and back. I performed well in only one exam; I got admitted to and graduated from Manipal Institute of Technology with a degree in Electronics and Communication, made a ton of friends and got a very promising job. It took 5 years, 3 surgeries, 2 plates, 13 screws and a lot of pain and agony to recover. After 5 years of visiting the doctor almost every week, I was fine. I had lost a lot because of that accident, but gained even more.
What I had lost was the fear that something bad would happen, the self-doubt of whether I will be able to face tough situations, the habit of praying to god for a happy life, the constant worry about the future, the fear of embarrassment, worrying about what others thought about how I look or conduct myself.
What made up for these losses?
I learnt that I will be fine no matter what. That it is foolish to worry about the future, but smart to prepare for a tough one. Because, you never know what life has in store for you. I learnt never to pray for a happy life but to pray for the strength to endure a tough one. I learnt that the future is what you make of your present. And most importantly, I learnt that I am responsible for what happens to me. Every. Single. Time. Without exception.