"Make someone smile
whenever you can, you never know how much of a difference you could be making in their life at that moment"
Aditya Birla Group's social work has expanded to 5,000 villages in India, reaching out to more than seven and a half million people every year. The effort put by the group can be best understood by their vision statement, which states "To actively contribute to the social and economic development of the communities in which we operate. In doing so, build a better, sustainable way of life for the weaker sections of society and raise the country's human development index". The group has carried forward the philosophy of Shri G.D. Birla, who believed in, that the wealth one makes is to be put into trusteeship for all the shareholders, which means in the language of CSR, to utilise and invest a part of your profits for the welfare of the society at large. It has implemented the concept of 'sustainable livelihood' has channelised resources to ensure that people have the necessary means to meet their both ends. The same philosophy has been taken a step forward by Mr. Kumar Mangalam Birla by establishing the concept of triple bottom line accountability represented by economic success as organizational culture. He puts it in simple language which very beautifully highlights and gives us a clear vision of the groups thought process towards CSR, when he says, “Our community work is a way of telling the people among whom we operate that We Care”. The group’s primary focus is on maximum development of the area of people in around their plants.
ABG group’s CSR division works with WHO, Australia India Council, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, CII, European Union (EU), Global Compact Network, International Rotary Club, National Skills Development Council, FICCI, NABARD, NACO, CARE, IGNOU, Aide et Action, SEWA, BAIF, MYRADA, Basix, CARD, Art of Living Foundation, Smile Foundation, Maya Foundation, Childline India Foundation and local NGOs. Once, while volunteering for
‘Prerna – National level social event for the differently abled’, we came across one of the NGOs working under the purview of the ABG group. What it provided us was beyond my imagination. Motivation to escalate and take ‘
Prerna’ to the next level was inculcated amongst the volunteers who went for the propagation. The vision and the sense of belongingness ABG group hold for the nation cannot be written, but it built a better individual inside me. Every time we seek contributions, we usually tend to ignore the intangible ones. ABG group has played a vital role in inculcating a sense of responsibility towards the society, not just within me but, for the entire team
‘Prerna’.
Pursuing my ambitions – breaking the stereotype
While I was grappling with semester studies during my third year of engineering, Paramarsh (national level non-technical event), Junoon (cultural event) and membership of the Faculty Student Association (F.S.A) altogether became very hectic and kept me on my toes. Being a part of Core Sponsorship team of Paramarsh, I had to visit many corporate companies frequently. Being an F.S.A member, I had to maintain a link between students and management. I had to select the organising committee of Junoon and provide them with training before the actual work started. Unfortunately, many volunteers left Paramarsh and Junoon, due to lack of time, which eventually increased the burden on me. I stopped using social media, reduced my sleeping hours, stopped going to home on weekends. Fortunately, I performed reasonably in all the three tasks at hand, and the experience made me significantly adaptable.
Eventually, I secured the dream opportunity when I was selected in the Marketing & Proposal department of Larsen & Toubro. My role at L&T had spurred my interest in management. The interaction with international vendors, competitors and the end customer, while working at L&T, has enhanced my interpersonal skills. Despite working for twelve-hour shifts, at times, I succeeded in prioritising my schedule to be able to secure admission in the Institute of eminence managed by one of the most influential educational eco-systems of all time.
One thing I learned from this phase is that many a time in life, we encounter a situation where we need to get involved in multiple essential things. To perform well in all these responsibilities, we need to prioritise them meticulously and sometimes even reduce our comfort level. Also, the feeling of selfless contribution is an essential driver of one’s performance. So it is crucial to find the avant-garde motivator for the same.