Aditya Birla Group, a 162 years old conglomerate, spanning over 36 countries and with an extraordinary workforce of 1,20,000 employees, its products and services have touched every person’s life uniquely. One is without a doubt to be definitely associated with at least any one of the ABG products or services. I find myself associated with ABG through its Idea Cellular Telcom services, Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail Ltd. and Ultra tech Cement and many more indirectly. It gave me an immense sense of gratitude to learn that ABG believes in sustainability. ABG were the pioneers in using the by-product hydrogen, from the manufacturing process of caustic soda, as the fuel to power Idea Cellular’s telcom towers, which would otherwise use diesel.
Another outstanding Corporate Social Responsibility activity is the empowerment by the employment of the leprosy cured patients in Karnataka through Madura Fashion & Lifestyle of ABG. Apart from this ABG is also involved in improving health and education in various ways such as immunizing 70 million children against polio, operating 56 schools and proving scholarships.
In which ever rural area ABG has a plant, its focus has been an all-round development of that region. They also collaborate with external agencies like WHO, Australia India Council and Bill and Melinda Foundation to make maximum difference. Such an attitude of ABG, a giant conglomerate, is truly inspiring for young people like us to have great vision and always take our community forward along with us for a better future.
Challenge faced in life
I was not very delighted to shift from Mumbai to Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu when I was 15 years old. My father’s business had failed so I did not get to have any say in the decision of shifting which made me feel helpless. I tried to convince my parents to at least move to Chennai but I knew it wasn’t feasible. I was very reluctant to accept this change. I started school where things magnified my aversion to the place. In my very test I got 50% marks in spite of all correct answers just because I had not replicated the words exactly from the text book. The culture was totally different right from timings of school, the evaluation pattern in exams, the nature of the kids to the attitude of the school administration. On the other hand, I couldn’t come out of my ICSE style of learning.
Now at 22, I do realize that this not a tragedy but still for a 15-year-old girl who was used to a routine of school from 7 am to 12:30 pm, now had to sit in school from 7 am to 8 pm unwillingly because HSC seemed to be a very big deal in Tamil Nadu. There are no entrance exams to get into colleges. One’s HSC percentage was the entry ticket to colleges. I let even the smallest of the differences affect me. I was tired of it and decided to do something about it.
Unfortunately, it was already too late. I had finished my 12th and still wasn’t sure about what to take up next. I was always interested in administration area, but since I had an eligible cutoff for engineering and also did not have a clarity of thoughts, I succumbed to the convention and took up engineering.
It was during my engineering that I realized, comparing the old and the new was futile and that I should have rather focused all of my energy on building the new. All I had to do was accept the present and broaden my perspective. I could then see that I was offered a plate full of both the good and the bad. It decided to pick the good side and started observing that there were way too many constructive things to focus on.
So, in under graduation I focused on improving myself. I participated in many activities and always tried to keep myself busy. A year later I gave CAT and converted IIM Trichy.