PART A
India has sought a great of progress in every aspect and ABG is a name which shouldn't go unmentioned here. It has tie-ups in industrial sectors, employment sectors, fashion and business industry and what. Hindalco industries is centralized on non ferrous metals and also further expanded to making alumina chemicals etc. In a country like India having such a self sufficient source of industries is definitely something which is contributing to the Indian economy as well. As far as day to day shopping is concerned, ABG came up with an amazing concept of building a mall chain, Pantaloons which has gained popularity in no time. Gaining the rights to FOREVER 21 is another milestone towards the textile business which has helped to be accessible to such brands which can lesser be thought of. Now,focusing on the cement industry, the ABG has come up with the ULTRA TECH CEMENT which is the largest cement company right now in India and also the superior quality is not at all compromised. Who can forget about the Idea cellular network in the market which now merging with Vodafone India is the largest telecom in regards to the subscribers. All in all, anywhere I turn my head, there's a contributed asset of the ABG and an undoubted milestone achieved in every sector. The group left no stone unturned in any sector where it had scope towards. And as far to the life of citizens like me, the impact is tremendous. It has made my life easier. Louis Phillipe and many other brands that are widely promoted for men's clothing and also financial services like ADITYA BIRLA SUN LIFE INSURANCE, Mutual funds and pension plans have given me a ray of hope. I whole-heartedly appreciate the work carried out The ABG group and congratulate them on this wonderful contribution to the modern Indian economy.
PART B
Context – Human Powered Vehicle Challange
Its an annual Event organized by ASME, where Teams from colleges around the country participate. The teams are required to design and manufacture a Human powered vehicle within the pre-defined rules and regulations. The Human Powered vehicle challenge is a 3-day event, 1
st day is Design report presentations and safety checks. The 2
nd day begins with a qualification round in which only 30 teams come through. Then 1v1 drag races start, where 2 defeats lead to knockouts. On the 3
rd day we have an endurance race, where all the teams have to ride their vehicles for 2 hours and 30 mins on a track of about 2 km, and the team the teams with the most number of laps wins. The final results take into account the results of all these events.
Story
Now, in my 2
nd year of engineering at KIIT University, I was the part of the college team for the Human Powered vehicle and was elected the vice-captain of the same. The event was scheduled in the month of February 2017 at LNMIIT, Jaipur and we started our preparation from September. So the vehicle was ready in January and was shipped before the end of the month. Though I wasn’t satisfied with the performance of the vehicle, the riders were well prepared. We reached Jaipur a day before the event started, settled ourselves, had a last inspection of the vehicle before the events started. Everything looked fine.
1
st day: Safety Inspections and Design report Presentation were to take place at the same time, So presentation team went in and both went well, we were the only team to clear the safety inspections in 1 go, thus reinforcing our confidence. But out of nowhere, when the results of Design Presentations came out, Our team stood at #32 out of 44, That’s where everything started going south. Nevertheless, we went to our accommodations and prepared for the next day.
2
nd day: Qualification round and Drag Race. We did well, I rode in the qualification race and finished in 4
th Place thus securing a place in the Winning bracket. Next started the drag races, being the winning bracket had us in a good spot, we won 3 races and needed to win 1 more to get into the final 4, but in the 4
th race, the guiding pulley in the transmission gave in and broke off the chasis, leaving the vehicle immovable. Even after getting a 10-meter lead in a 700m race, I lost and we were placed in the losing bracket. The team started panicking but we had 1 more chance at this, But we had to repair the vehicle and we only had 15 mins, so we did what we could do in that little time and we were back at the start line. But fate wasn’t on our side. During the next race, the same thing happened and we lost the race and finished 6
th. Hopes of securing a good position overall were all gone. #32 in 1 event, #6 in the 2
nd. All we had was the last day to get a respectable rank at the end of the tournament. Back at the hostel, the whole team was hopeless, long faces everywhere, some were crying even our seniors were all quiet and sad. I, at this moment, trying to figure out any possible way to get a good rank in final results, took out the results of the 2 events, trying to figure out which team was standing at which rank, and of a chance we had. There, it clicked, and I found a way. If we finish 1
st or 2
nd, with at least a margin of 4 laps with the present leading teams after 2 rounds, we had a chance of getting into top 5. Sounded quite impossible but if only luck favored and we all gave our best, we could pull this off. That’s what I said trying to cheer my team up. There I was, a 2
nd-year student, with a team of 3
rd years and 4
th years, trying to motivate them, gave them hope. And I succeeded (Quite surprisingly). All of us with a new found hope and zeal, went off to sleep, get all the rest we could before the big day.
3
rd Day: Everyone went in, all pumped up, 6 riders prepared for the challenge, with the other all around the circuit, cheering and giving out all the help they could. 6 of us, starting with the thought of giving ours all for the team and our college. Those 2 and half hours were the most astonishing and positive moments of my life, our lives infact. Everyone, not only the riders, the other around the track gave in their everything. Everyone lost track of the number of laps we or the other teams completed. At the end of those 2 ½ hours, there we were all 6 of the riders, including me, on the shoulders of the rest of us, everyone was celebrating, no matter the results, we were all so proud and happy. After all the cheers and celebrations, we went on for the ending ceremony, where the 3
rd-day results were to be announced. Everyone sat there, without any thought of winning anything, waiting for the results. The judges declared the 1
st 2 days results and gave away the prizes, we sat there clapping and praying. Then as the judges started declaring the results of the last event, we hoped to hear our names, but for the 3
rd and the 2
nd positions, we weren’t awarded and there we lost our hopes. But what happened next, was the best thing I ever experienced in my life. We had won the 3
rd event with 6 laps lead and secured the 3
rd position overall. That’s were everyone lifted me up, went to the staged, received our prize. That was pure bliss.