Mumbai- People call this city as “City of dreams” but what people do forget that dreams also include
Nightmares and
coming out of nightmares is a challenge, and accepting this challenge is from where my journey of life began.
Being born in Dongri (Mumbai), which has been generally associated with criminals and mafia warfare, where youngsters are easily drawn towards crime and making money through illegal activities and it is due such activities over a period of time that has highly contributed in shaping a negative perception about this place. Also, people out there have a very closed mentality wherein they try to pull you down or even cut your wings if your dream to fly. The challenge out here was not to get a better life but to survive and stick to your dreams in this chaos.
I still remember my mother saying that one of the best schools in Mumbai rejected me only because of the place from where I came from despite having an amazing interview. Such was the beginning of my journey. In the early part of my life, I was a person who did not have big aspirations, not any will to succeed, primarily because of the environment around me. But it was during my college that I realized how wrong I was and there was an issue that needs to addressed and rectified.
Eventually, things changed, challenges were accepted, dreams began to knit and most importantly believe developed. I became so confident in my abilities that nothing seemed unachievable, dreaming big became a passion and hardship became a habit. But every challenge brings its own sets of failures and success and my journey was no different.
It was during my graduation I also enrolled for CA, and I passed my level 1 & level 2 (Group 1) in my first attempt but was unable to get through the following stages even after several attempts. Failing in examinations was emotionally stressful and it became hard to pick myself up each day believing that I can do it and there were times when I even doubted myself. But whatever hardship I faced I never gave up on my dream. After failing many a time, I picked myself up, dusted myself and started running because giving up was never an option. I did change my path when I decided to switch my field but the dreams never changed.
I decided to do my post-graduation in MBA after switching from CA because I realized that I was a person who was good at marketing and sales and to gain further knowledge about this profession I enrolled for an MBA course. I gave my CAT last year but luck did not favor me as I scored a mere 85 percentile. I was adamant in doing my MBA from a premier B-School so I decided to work harder and perform better in my next attempt. My hard work somewhat paid off as I secured 97.43 percentile in my second attempt. This helped me in getting into one of the fastest-growing institutes in India, #IIM Trichy. It was then I realized that that switching my field was the best decision that I had ever taken in my life because the thing I most wanted to happen is the best thing that never happened.
My dream has always been to be successful and be a role model/facilitator who could lead from the front in changing the lives of the people in the locality as well by making them realize that being ignorant to the opportunity of learning and living in a self-made womb won’t help them in uplifting their life. One thing that I would like to change is also the perception of people towards Dongri. How would I do that, is something that I am also working on but I believe that my vision and my perseverance will lead to some fruitful result.
I would like to inspire people with my journey and how I overcame my challenges. I would like people out there to dream big and believe in themselves.
Big is what Big does #IIMTrichy
Aditya Birla Group has been a pioneer in the business fraternity in India from the very independence of the country. As its tagline for one of its marketing campaigns states “Big in your life”, I would like to acknowledge the fact that not only has Aditya Birla Group has impacted my life but has impacted the lives of many Indians in the world. The vision of ABG Chairman Mr. Kumar Mangalam Birla is filled with a deep commitment towards creating a brand with immense worth based on the solid foundation of impeccable values. And in just two decades ABG has achieved many milestones to emerge as a Multinational conglomerate of statesman stature.
ABG group has multiple brand under its brand stretching from apparel (which include Van Heusen, Louis Philippe, Allen Solly, Peter England and Pantaloons) to Telecommunication (Vodafone Idea), from Hindalco (which helps in recycling 65 billion cans every year) to Ultra Tech Cement (which helps in building stronger bond and bridging impossible distance). ABG has also helped this nation but providing finance to fulfill the dreams of the of many people through Aditya Birla Capital. Not only this but the ABG group understands its responsibility towards the planet and is constantly thriving in producing a product that does the least harm to the planet.
Aditya Birla Group has also tried to be as youthful as possible by understanding the needs and the trends of its customers. The new logo that ABG had designed in 2016 clearly provides proof for that. Keeping the original concept of its logo which places sun radiating criss-cross beams that implicates a symbol of hope, timeless values and boundless optimism of ABG. The new logo not only depicts the same value but also gives a vibrant feeling but by effectively combining its colors it shows the intention of the company by showcasing its youthfulness while staying rooted in its heritage.
Apart from this ABG has also had a huge impact on my life. I still remember the days in the early 21
st century when there was a boom of mobile phones in India. I was excited about getting my first ever mobile phone and was eager to get started. When I got my phone I decided to buy Idea sim card as in those days Idea used to come up with very engaging marketing campaigns such as “Ek Idea jo badlade apki Duniya” and used to very strategically place the brands in the minds of the consumer where the rate of Ad recall was very high. I was not only influenced by their campaign but was also impressed with the connectivity is provided. It connected the remotest places in India and touched the lives of millions of people every single day. It was because of Aditya Birla Group I was able to connect with friends and family effectively which helped in building a strong relationship with them.
Lastly, I would like to conclude that whatever ABG has done has helped the nation in gaining recognition in the world and has also announced the arrival of an Old Legend (India) that was cornered by the heavyweight Nations of the world.