Well I knew Aditya Birla Group was big, but old!!. 1857, this is like the era of rani Laxmibai and Tantia Topey. Battels on horsebacks with swords in hands. This came a bit shock to me though. Aditya Birla group has been an India much larger and diversified than it is today, and been a part since. I won’t be surprised if it’s not just big in my life but in my great grandfathers as well. One thing that first comes to mind with Aditya Birla is the idea sim card. Well Well, it was like the most trusted network, at least in Maharashtra as far as i know, in terms or network connectivity. Of course it was our first sim, in around 2005. 1 sim for a family of 5. Phone calls those days were a luxury than a necessity or niche, unlike today. Put the phone on speaker, entire family sitting around the phone and taking turns to talk with grandma, in a village miles away. Yes village, in 2005, that was the reach of idea then, where some operators still struggle to reach. And who can forget birla cement ads. A 90s kid have that tagline hidden deep inside his subconscious brain, with Arnold holding buildings in his arms, Birla Cement. Real shocks were now, when I was reading about ABG to write this article and saw few fashion brands I use in their portfolio. Brands I thought were too far for Indian manufacturers to chase, to compete with, were Indian!
Part B
A break from academic studies 2 years after graduating had made it very hard to step back in. I had my cat in few months but was not able to concentrate well in studies. I tried hard, but couldn't. I tried shifting my location, methods etc but nothing worked. It was then my sister suggested to come Mumbai and stay with her for studies. She stayed there with her husband, who was pursuing his MD in radiology at Tata Memorial college and my sister was preparing for her PG entrance exams. I had little hopes left, but i gave it a shot. I went to Mumbai few month ahead of CAT and started studying along side my sister who was also preparing for entrance. It was here i realized, it was all in my minds. I saw my brother-in-law studying after exhausting day at hospital, my sister into her books for hours and hours. I simply joined them. We all studied together, day in and day out. for the remaining months.
Last month I got into one of the top B-school in India, and my sister is pursuing her MD in ophthalmology from GMC Nagpur.