In a time and age where global mega-corporations are going for consolidation of businesses to remain relevant in the volatile market scenario, one does not have to look beyond the Aditya Birla Group to know that actual strength lies in diversity. With its footprint in textile, mining, retail, chemicals, cement, financial services, telecom, IT services among others, ABG is one of India’s most diversified conglomerate that has directly or indirectly contributed to the growth of India and its people right since its inception in 1857 by Seth Shiv Narayan Birla.
I wouldn’t have to search beyond my erstwhile workplace in the engineering industry to search for my first contact point with ABG. UltraTech Cement is the matrix upon which some of India’s tallest, biggest and largest concrete mega-structures stand. It wouldn’t be an understatement to call UltraTech a pillar of the nation. It was time for me to join IIM and hence the time to go shopping for a new suit. ABG ensured I did not have to search for long as Peter England, Van Heusen and Louis Phillippe in my nearest shopping mall made my search for the business formals a breeze. Pantaloons, the branded fashion retail store from the stables of ABG was my go-to location whenever I needed a new pair of jeans and casuals.
Another place where ABG touches my life every single day is through its impeccable network connectivity under the aegis of Vodafone Idea. Wherever I go, their network follows me. Grasim Chemicals ensures that I get clean and potable water at my tap every day. ABG supports the agriculture industry through its fertilizer business, Hindalco ensures India’s aluminium and copper needs stay fulfilled. Their carbon black wing gives the distinctive black colour to the tyre in every 2 nd car in the world. ABG plays a critical part in India’s power distribution infrastructure not just by supplying Aluminium for the conductor but also is one of India’s leading manufacturer of high voltage porcelain insulators.
In this manner, ABG touches not just my life but also millions of lives in India and 34 countries across the world every single second. With a strong focus not just on its business, ABG takes every opportunity to give back to the society and community through whose support they could grow to the stature they are in today. With an articulated social vision embedded deeply in its corporate vision, ABG’s focus on CSR, diversity at workplace and sustainability initiatives, ABG is determined to make this a better place to live not just for its stakeholders but the people at large.
Tell us how you overcame challenges to achieve your ambitions in life so far.
Throughout my younger years, I would not have been the most ambitious person you would have met. I was a carefree lad who had no long or short term goals but took life as it came and tried to make the best possible out of whatever opportunities I got in hand. The flow of events ultimately landed me to work in the harsh conditions of the core engineering industry. Back then for an introvert and not so hard spoken person like me, the harsh realities of working in the core engineering industry was like a nightmare come true. It was an amalgamation of all things I abhorred - public speaking, teamwork, hard work and punctuality. Realized did I at that point of time how much learning experiences I had missed by not socializing and peer-to-peer learning.
However, it was not the time to look back at the past and whine at the lost opportunities. It was the time to work upon those hortcomings as soon as possible to ensure that I remain competitive in my profession. I requested my immediate superior to give me a chance to interact with the workmen during their daily morning pep talk. I believed they were the only demographic who would listen to me without judging my abilities. Thankfully, I was able to learn their local language very fast courtesy my stay across India during my childhood days. I started progressing quickly and so was the section of workmen I got to address every morning. It was at that moment that I realized that things that I thought were very difficult and prevented myself from even attempting for the fear of failure, were not so difficult if you tried attempting them. My work experience in the industry taught me many things I was oblivious to reviously - the importance of teamwork, the critical nature of sticking to deadlines and that hard work in an essential ingredient to success.
I also happened to come across the inspirational speeches of people like Robert Kiyosaki from where I realized how much I was missing in life just by not attempting. As I was nearing the end of my project, I decided to do something big in life, aim high for once, work towards it hard and accept the result what may come. That was when I decided against the advice of my friends and family to leave a well-paying job in a dream Indian MNC to pursue my dream of pursuing education from an institute of national prominence. There started my attempt towards my very first CAT. I had to take time to come out of my pre-emptive notions that one had to have superhuman abilities to crack CAT and get selected for an IIM. However, I decided to put myself through the test and see how far I could get.
Then started the long days and nights of preparation for the next 100 days that would eventually lead to the big day. The exam went through satisfactorily and then it was the time to prepare for the upcoming rounds of WATs, GDs and PIs. That was a relatively smooth experience thanks to the wealth of communication, interaction and professional writing experience I had gone through in my work experience dealing with people of all strata of life from the uneducated daily wage worker to people in the IAS cadre. Thanks to the belief I had in my abilities to take a calculated risk, I could get selected to study in one of the countries most reputed IIMs.
Now when I look back at myself from a few years ago – a silent, not so outspoken introvert with a carefree attitude taking life as it comes to my current self as a goal oriented and confident person who is not afraid of trying and of failure, I see a long path travelled and this is just the beginning. The more I see and read about people who have achieved great things in life and their experiences, the more I get inspired to take up bigger and bigger challenges and excel at them. The biggest lesson I learnt in life is that nobody is a superhuman by birth. It is only through passion and hard work that they achieve the level of excellence. If I am ready to put myself through that hard path, I too can reach there eventually. I may even fail but so will I with a wealth of experience at your disposal for a lifetime
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