It was the 14
th day of June when I alighted from the train at Gurugram railway station – the furthest I have been from my home in Mumbai. This was also the first time – one of the many firsts to come – that I had to bid goodbye to my family and friends only to meet them again in no sooner than 6 months. From being the earliest to go to bed and the last one to get up at home to texting ‘Goodnight’ to my family at 3 AM (which is way past their bedtime) and then ‘Good Morning’ at 7 AM (which is sooner than their alarm), I knew I’d come a long way. However, there have been times during the absolutely maddening first month at MDI when I’ve felt the absence of a guiding light, a support, someone who understands me and truly cares for me. This was until I met my best friend at MDI and probably the only one after my Mom who has understood me inside out in such a short span of time. Although I didn’t make much of him initially because he was just like the others, he was one of the first things I saw when I entered into the campus. The first time we met was when I was taking a walk around the campus and he silently came and started walking with me. Though there wasn’t much verbal communication to talk about, it would be safe to say that we hit it off almost immediately. In the days to come, our walks together became a ritual. I shared the snacks that I’d brought from Mumbai with him and he loved it. He made sure that I ate something myself too before sharing with him. Whenever I missed our evening jog, he used to somehow spot me and try to nudge me for a run. Apart from taking care of my health, he made sure I had fun in this alien place and played with me. They say “to obtain, something of equal value must be lost” and I guess I found a true friend after losing touch with my family and friends. I would like to conclude by narrating an incident that brought us closer – one day while we were playing in the field, I was unaware of when my phone slipped out of my pocket. It was only when I got back to my room to submit an assignment which was in my phone and whose deadline was approaching that I realised I had dropped my phone in the field. At that moment I went absolutely blank as the field was huge and searching for a phone in the grass was like searching for a needle in a haystack. Also, since everyone was busy submitting their assignment, no one came to help me find my phone. I was absolutely gutted as I reached the field with little hope. Once there, I noticed my best friend fighting with a few men, trying to keep them away from something. As I ran to the place, the men ran away and I noticed the thing he was protecting was my phone! It was then that it stuck me that he was trying to draw my attention towards my fallen phone when I was about to leave but I ignored him thinking he wanted to play more and because I had an assignment to submit. So he stayed back and protected my phone until I returned! Only a dog can do so much for someone and yet expect so little…
THE ADITYA BIRLA GROUP COMPANY I WOULD LIKE TO WORK FOR
I would love to work at Hindalco preferably at the plant HR level. With 51 units operating in 13 countries and a workforce of 35,000 there is immense scope for learning as also to apply whatever I have learnt. Since it is a global major in the aluminium industry and also amongst the world’s largest copper smelters, the opportunities will be immense and so will be the challenges. One such task will be the implementation of the HR Technology System, ensuring the percolation of its usage at the unit/plant level and involving the workforce into the digitised system. Another concern would be the difficulty in recruiting and retaining skilled talent. A user-friendly experience and suggestive as well as predictive analytics using data and AI would help in this regard. I would also encourage talent training including cross-functional development and work towards employee safety by conducting emergency drills and making safety training a priority. Lastly, promoting sustainable practices and ensuring the well-being of the employees, their families and the communities around the plant location would be of paramount importance.