Trying to concise the impact that Aditya Birla Group has had in my life into an article is one of the toughest things that I have had to do in recent times, because there is so much to write about their products and services offered to me (and to the rest of this world ). I will try my best to map my daily routine during one of the major life changing incidents of my life with the ABG products.
October 2014…..As I stirred and slowly woke up in the morning, I had these beautiful rays of sunlight, like golden threads, falling on me through the Eternia Windows in a hospital. I was in my 12th standard with pre-board exams around the corner. I had met with an accident. I didn’t know at that time, that you have to look both ways to cross a one-way road. A biker coming in the wrong side had hit me and run. I was rushed to a hospital by the people around me. God bless them. Doctors had said I would have to take rest for 2-3 months. That would mean I would miss my pre-boards and would just be ready for my boards without any practice. I knew all of this and was feeling hopeless. I would slowly get up to grab my BirlaCellulose towel and took it to the bathroom to freshen myself. On return, I would see that the nurse had arranged my bed and folded my bedsheets (from the same BirlaCellulose brand, which I got to know, is a completely natural product) neatly. I was really feeling bad that I will be missing school and I was in total shock as I might have already sabotaged my career because of the accident. To cheer me up, my parents filled the wardrobe of my hospital room with clothes from various brands that included Peter England, Van Heusen, Allen Solly, Ralph Lauren, Hackett, Pantaloons and Planet Fashion. I have to accept that this did help in lifting my moods up. I did have fun in choosing what to wear and once I decided as to what I will wear, I felt guilty for rejecting the other equally amazing brands of clothes in my wardrobe. There was this positive vibe that I was getting and this was the phase in my life where I started developing the reading and writing habit. I read books of various successful people who had lost initially in life and how they became successes later on. I would get inspired and put in my full efforts to manage my academics as well. Also, I started writing poetry as well, to vent out my feelings. I had this ultimate urge in me after reading the story of Steve Jobs to recover faster. I slowly started making progress by following a strict diet and exercise. On most days during this quick recovery phase, where I had no hospital diet restrictions, I would get food prepared at home. My mom would make food at home and neatly put it in Freshwrapp Containers, that she buys regularly. The most amazing part is that the food still stays fresh and hot even after around 2 hours.
In the evening, I would sit on the chair near the bed. I had a beautiful view of the hospital buildings and the infrastructure from my room and I would either work towards my academics or wait for ideas to hit me (to write poetry/articles). I admired the amazing infrastructure of the campus. Soon, my thoughts would wander and I used to wonder as to how buildings, all over the country (or the world) with such wonderful infrastructure, have been constructed. They must have had amazing plans and designs to construct such buildings that have stood the test of time. That is when it hit me that all these plans and designs have been implemented and the constructed buildings have been strong and rigid because of the materials that have been used to construct them. The hospital, where I was getting treated, was around 50 years old. I understood that the core material of any long-lasting building is quality of Cement and this word till date automatically maps to the brand UltraTech Cement. This mapping of cement to UltraTech Cement occurs because whenever I used to see/still see a building getting constructed or whenever I visit any construction site, I see loads of packs of UltraTech Cement. Just as Xerox has replaced the word photocopy in the real world, I see UltraTech gradually replace the word Cement. Just like how cement is the foundation for any building, my self-confidence, support from parents and God’s Grace were the foundation for my speedy recovery and to getting my focus back on track. I was given 2-3 months to recover. But, due to factors mentioned above, I had recovered within a month. I was discharged soon and had started attending revision classes before giving my pre-boards and acing my boards.
Although, it might not seem a big achievement to many people, for me this is one of my biggest achievements as I did manage to beat all odds to recover fast from an accident that could have potentially had a huge impact on my career and achieved my dreams of doing well academically in school and acing the boards. Coincidentally, various types of ABG products have also travelled along with me all these years. Now, as I look back and as I tuck myself in the BirlaCellulose bedsheets and bedspread (I use the same brand as that of the hospital), a sense of calmness sets in me, which may be attributed to the fact that I feel a sense of connect with the nature and an internal happiness sets in as it continues to remind me of my splendid recovery. All said and done, the real fact is that all ABG products have become a part of our day to day life and the ABG (Affordable Brilliant and Generous is what I will call them due to the pricing, quality and quantity of the products) has become a part of my family