A. Why Aditya Birla Group is big in everyone’s life?
I never realized the impact of the Aditya Birla group, until only recently. Before joining SJMSOM, I had been to the Pre-MBA Social 2018 event organized by Inside IIM where people from the ABG Leadership Program came to share their experience of pursuing an MBA and their life at ABG. It was at this event, where I came to know of the big part which ABG plays in our everyday life.
The brand portfolio of the group is so vast that it covers products from everyday kitchen items (Aluminium foils) to the network services that keeps us connected to the world (Vodafone-Idea), from the copper wires to the cement that goes into the making of our houses. Such is the impact of ABG that many of the products are known by their brand names and not the product itself.
Sure, their products have made a huge impact on all our lives. But, not enough has been said about the social impact of their CSR activities which has impacted many in our society.
In India, the ABG group runs 56 schools where more than 18000 children from the underprivileged segment of the society receive free education. It operates 20 hospitals where over 500,000 patients get subsidized medical care. It has helped create 300 model villages in rural India and supported 4500 Self Help Groups (SHG) which empowered more than 45000 women.
Their presence in such various industries and a large scale has helped them create a huge social impact, which has indirectly affected the lives of many including my own. It has left a mark in India and the world, improving the lives of the many people it has touched.
B: Overcoming challenges
Problems, obstacles, challenges, adversities all are part and parcel of everyone’s life. Most of them come when you least expect them. Striking you dumbfounded, and leaving you searching for answers.
In those moments when one feels lost, our attitude and ability to think clearly is what makes us face those challenges and go past them; not without it leaving certain scars (experience).
In my graduation, I was a part of the team which had to design, fabricate and manufacture a formula type racing vehicle to participate in a national level competition SAE Supra 2016. As a team, we worked hard and toiled every day in the workshop after college for 2 years. As the competition date approached, we were confident of putting in a good performance.
But, only 3 days before the start, we had a major accident which led to an ineffective braking system which made it almost impossible to even compete at the competition. Everyone was disappointed, as all the long hours of hard work and sacrifices were wasted due to a freakish accident. As the person who was directly involved with the braking system, the responsibility was on us to deliver.
And we did it! We found out a solution which got us beyond the line, and we ended up performing remarkably well. We won the award for having the best fuel efficient car.
I can say that it was patience, the mental stability to think of a solution in such a pressure situation and a ‘Never say die’ attitude (inherited in me from my favorite club Manchester United) was what made the difference. And in hindsight, all these traits have gone on to become the core of my personality.