Author’s Note

Writing this piece has brought to light the lifelong association that I have had with Aditya Birla Group and their various companies and products. I have also pondered over another question, what are the qualities that have made an individual or a company more successful than the others despite having the same offerings. I have come to believe that it is someone’s willingness to go the extra mile which determines where they end up.

Chapter 1 : Plan Foiled

Aditya Birla Group’s products first became a part of my life when I started school and it would continue for the next 13 years from Noida to Lucknow. During our morning recess, when I would open my tiffin, I would find parathas made by my mother wrapped in a Freshwrapp aluminium foil. Though the parathas were made 4 hours ago, the Freshwrapp foil locked their freshness and food tasted as though it had been prepared just moments ago. But, the foil’s role did not end there. It had a higher purpose. I always asked my mother to pack my food with some additional foil. As soon as I was done eating, I would roll the foil and it would turn into a ball. My friends and I would then play catch, writing-pad cricket (yes that was a game) or any other game that our young and imaginative minds would come up with. For those 20 minutes, Freshwrapp became more than just a packaging material.

Chapter 2: An Idea! Which Connected Us All

School passed by in a daze and it was time for college. Moving away from home was difficult for both my parents and me. From Lucknow, I was coming all the way to Pune. Our Lavale campus, though unparalleled in scenic beauty was nested in the hills, far away from the main city. Mobile phone connectivity became a major issue for parents who were leaving their kids behind for the first time. It was then, that Aditya Birla Group came to my rescue. All mobile networks claim omnipresence, but only some are really offer total coverage. At, Lavale, we had just one service provider and that was Idea. My Idea number has kept me connected to my friends and family for the past 7 years and I am sure that our association will continue in the times to come.

Chapter 3: Suit Up!!!

My connection to friends and family back home through my Idea connection helped me survive four years of engineering. Before we were about to step out into the real world, it was time to suit up for our farewell night. It was the first time that I wore a suit and it was Van Heusen that I was garbed in. Looking back at all those photographs still brings a smile to my face. The suit was a part of another special day of my life, my sister’s wedding day. Dressed in a Van Heusen suit with a Louis Philippe shirt, I performed my fraternal duties in all the ceremonies.

Chapter 4: A Relentless Pursuit Of Excellence

Up until I graduated, I was just the recipient of services provided by large Indian conglomerates. However, I did realise that I was not receiving quality products and services by chance. An entire ecosystem has been developed due to which things function smoothly.  It is their customer obsession due to which they deliver excellence every time. I have sought to emulate this in my professional and personal life. In my former organisation, I was assigned to a project along with two other colleagues. A few weeks into our job we were hit by a double blow, our office burned down in a massive fire and our project faced a resource crunch due to a reassignment of people to other projects. The responsibilities of executing the project fell on my shoulders alone. It was hard work and I worked day and night for weeks at a stretch. I made it my mission to deliver an output which exceeded the client’s expectations no matter how hard that task was. That period became a crucible in which my character was forged. My effort bore fruit and not only was the client satisfied with my work on the project, he even started coming with repeat business to us.

Afterword

As a current student of management I am constantly trying to look at ways in which individuals, organisations and conglomerates have brought about a change in the society. What they have done motivates me to do my bit. I would derive great satisfaction from my work if I through my work I am able to provide better products and services to consumers and clients.