Why is ABG a big part of your life?
At the ripe age of 24, Aditya Birla, an industrious and ambitious young lad, laid the foundation for one of the biggest giants in the textile industry, cotton and jute to be precise. The Birla family had been synonymous with their contributions to the Indian society well before independence. This, in my opinion, is mighty inspiring – we all vie to be in the top brass of the corporate structure but only few understand the eternal obligation we have to society, our roots.
It was quite a poetic coincidence when I stumbled upon the Aditya Birla Woo Me Competition. Being a graduate from the National Institute of Fashion Technology, Hyderabad, the Aditya Birla Group was synonymous with “making it”. During my time in NIFT, we were to do two internships, and I had the fortune of doing both of them at Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited. As a naïve production intern, I was instantly thrown into the production line with machines rumbling and guzzling. Every second was precious, and I was able to see, first hand, how one small mistake could cost the whole production line dearly. Standing for eight hours a day, sweating through my crisp, ironed shirt and gobbling lunch to head back to the line – I wondered “Is this how life after NIFT is?” Days turned into weeks and I slowly began to develop a taste for the rigor, challenges and competition. My project focussed on the women’s wear trouser and skirt production line; highly stylized garments flowed in an out each day. That being the case, we had to be on our toes, and forecast the requirements for the upcoming styles in terms of manpower and machine allocation. The unforgiving pressure from the project lead and the fact that I was just a college student, left me directionless and at the mercy of “production numbers” monster. But like I mentioned, as much as the environment grew on me so did the dynamics of the shop floor. Day-by-day I understood that small, incremental changes through trial and error gave certain amount of direction. Maybe if I add a waistband attach operator, I can fix the bottleneck? Or maybe if I upskill the button holing operator to work on the blind hemming operation, she can add more value and assist in crisis situations? These key insights, without the freedom, guidance and push of the ABFRL staff, would have been impossible to decipher. The team and I went on to increase the average production of the line while keeping quality as a key staple in the overall output.
I went on to receive two awards from the National Institute of Fashion Technology on my graduation namely, the “Best Graduation Project” award and the “Most Commercially Viable Project” award. These awards inspired me to pursue an MBA from the coveted Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar. So, it is quite safe to say that the Aditya Birla Group was present at the big steps of my life, helped me look through the noise and bash on regardless.
How I overcame challenges in my life to achieve my ambitions.
Sitting on a comfortable bed, being more or less part of the privileged section of society, I feel like Master Oogway imparting the wisdom of life as I write this essay. But nevertheless, this is my moment isn’t it? Let me run the clock back to June 24
th, 2014.
My parents and I were on an exciting vacation to the group of islands of the African coast, Seychelles. An undiscovered paradise, white sand beaches and fresh water untouched by the murky human hand. My father and I loved the water, we shared umpteen memories in the pool, from me clumsily learning how to swim to us competing in swimming medleys. One sunny afternoon, we were off on a local cruise which was to culminate with all the passengers going snorkeling in the quiet lagoons of the Mahe backwaters. As planned, my father and I geared up in our suits and dove into the fresh water. The water was rough, nothing like the calming confines of the swimming pool, so I stayed close to the boat. But my father, in his adventurous spirit, zipped swiftly through the rough currents of the Arabian Sea. In a matter of a split second, I noticed my father, far from me, was struggling for breath. In my vain attempt to reach back to the boat and inform the guard, I paddled through the ocean. Soon enough I was able to inform the guard and a life boat rushed to his rescue. Minutes turned to hours, and my heart pounded with anticipation and worry. About two hours later, we received word that my dear father was no more.
A widowed mother and a young teenage son, at the threshold of his academic life, were struck by something we never anticipated. I ended up joining the National Institute of Fashion Technology, Hyderabad, so that I could be there for my mother in Hyderabad. Being in NIFT was never my first choice, so my entrance into the gates was with anger, frustration and disappointment. Battled the grief of the loss of my father and being in a course, that was not my first choice took a toll on me. But keeping my father’s spirit in me, I put on my creative hat and pushed through the rigorous and demanding NIFT curriculum. In NIFT, garment construction is a key technical skill, simply put – stitching from scratch. One of the key quality parameters was that the colour of the thread is to be the same as the colour of the fabric. This was a gargantuan task for me because I have been grossly colour – blind since birth. My competitive and ambitious side wanted to push through but my handicap chained me down each time I tried. I was fortunate to have a strong support system and friends who cared. I was able to push through the obstacles, and graduate with bagging two academic awards and a plethora of awards in debates, extra – curricular activities and sports. Now, as I step into XIMB, I embraced my challenges and I look forward to a career in fashion and apparel.
Looking back, I would never change the way my life panned out. Like common quote, everything in life happens for a reason. I believe that stands true for a fact. There are no failures, there are only temporary setbacks, trust the process and invest in you.
#ABGLP #ABGWOOME #XIMB #ABGWOOMESEASON-2