The first car I remember seeing or having travelled in was a Hindustan Motors Ambassador. Till date, my grandfather quips “If you know how to drive an Ambassador, then you can drive any other car in the world”. This car is still associated with privilege and resonates with the VIP culture, especially on the streets of Delhi. No other car in Indian history has had some much appeal and hence it is rightly called “India’s own world cab”. Growing up, advertisements were of little interest to me and all we wanted was more of Pokémon, Beyblade, Swat Cats, Ben10 etc. But one commercial was always an exception, the “Education for All” starring Abhishek Bachchan. The ad was thought-provoking and when challenged by the traditional, physically bound classroom methodology, he uses mobile telephony to overcome the barrier. The “What an idea sirji” themed campaign strikes a chord every time because it is able to understand the issues plaguing the society and provides an innovative solution via these ads. Coming from Hyderabad, three things I always suggest anyone visiting the pearl city are the Birla Mandir, Salar Jung museum and the Chowmahalla Palace. Perched on a hill-top, the Birla Mandir gives the best panoramic sight of the city and despite the rush, I always feel it to be a calming and serene place. Though ABG’s presence in my life has been significant, only recently have I been able to appreciate the impact it has had directly or indirectly. As I understand ABG is the largest manufacturers of Carbon Black and Aluminium, I would not be surprised if my laptop, bag, shoes have a bit of ABG in them. Be it Hindustan Times, Peter England, Louis Phillipe etc, ABG is truly a pioneering Indian multinational conglomerate and has truly transformed the fashion retail in India though Pantaloons, Lifestyle etc. As I learn more about ABG in the course of writing this article, one thing that fascinates me is how a firm can add value to a common man’s life without necessarily having a direct presence, case in point Hindalco, Essel Mining, Indo Gulf fertilizers etc.