I feel nostalgic as I think of those days when my mother packed my lunch in freshwrapp aluminum foil to keep my chapatis warm & soft by the time i ate them in afternoon. Making my life better since my early days is the Hindalco company, manufacturer of freshwrapp foils owned by Aditya Birla Group. Aditya Birla Group is not only a big shot in India but has a major global presence. With over
US $44.3 billion turnover, the Aditya Birla Group operates in
35 countries and is active in
14 industry sectors and has more than
120,000 employees worldwide. It has many reputed brands including Allen Solly, Peter England, Van Heusen, Louis Phillipe on which I heavily depend on, not just because of their high quality products but also for their variety of offerings at reasonable price. I gave my CAT interview in a formal shirt trouser and blazer which i purchased from Van Heusen. I tried pairs from many different brands but the way Van Heusen products added to my personality was unparallel. I was extremely happy with their customer service and the overall experience during my purchase. I use a Louis Phillipe trolley bag, Allen Solly handbag and Van Heusen sandals. They have such an attractive collection, that I have sometimes ended up in their stores even when I didn't plan for it. I have been associated with ABG for many of my purchases and can’t even imagine how my life would be without these ABG products.
No one is here who has never experienced a challenge in their life. I am sure when a 28-year-old Kumar Mangalam Birla first took over as the Chairman of the Aditya Birla Group upon the sudden demise of his father in 1995, he would also have faced several challenges while uplifting ABG to the position where it is now. With positive attitude one can conquer the mountains. Coming from chemical engineering background, working in an IT firm was the biggest challenge for me. I had always been a good student throughout my life but in Cognizant I was struggling with basics of new programming languages. Learning in a short span of time and giving exit tests was a big hurdle for me at the time. But I think I was fortunate getting to work with Cognizant, it made me learn some of the very hard-realities of life. I was not a Computer Science graduate, so learning and deploying that knowledge in practical scenario was much more difficult. I had to put in lot of efforts to learn programming languages which was new to me, but I didn’t give hope. After clearing the exit tests of Cognizant, I worked on services which made me realize that I want something in core industry to be able to utilize my past learning. That’s when I decided to find a job in core sector and started working hard for that. After that I joined and worked for Tata Pigments and did a wonderful job there. Cognizant days have taught me patience, endurance and more importantly it strengthened my belief in God. I feel learning is incomplete without challenges in life and this is what keep people going in life.