Why Aditya Birla Group Is Big In My Life?
I vividly remember my first job interview during my graduation. The fact that it was a chilly January night gave no respite from the sweat on my eyebrows. The tensions in the hall soared high as the candidates, with their fingers crossed, waited for their turn; the ‘tryst with destiny’. It would be apt to say that we were all together but alone. Here we sat, aloof from the world. I had been sitting since the morning and had barely had anything to eat. Without my phone, the ones closest to me, my parents, were disconnected from me. Low on nutrition and emotional support, it was getting tougher to focus on the task at hand, the impending interview. Running on fumes, fidgeting with my sleeve, my fingers ran over the characteristic embossed “V”.
The mind looks for gateways into the past to cope with the present. For me, this gateway was the Van Heusen logo on my shirt at that juncture. The fine embroidery took me back to the bustling street of Jodhpur with the imposing, yet welcoming Van Heusen store. My father and I had come out in the search of a fitting formal suit for me. I had Van Heusen in my mind, however, my father was a bit apprehensive, unaware of the Aditya Birla Group connection. When I told him about the link, his demeanour changed completely. I smiled; here was a man who had given both his sons in the hands of a Birla family run college. I wondered about the trust that a family can command over innumerable hearts.
Entering the store, we were warmly greeted by the staff who understood our needs in no time. When I emerged from the trial room donning the suit, the flicker in my father’s eyes bore testimony as to how the suit complemented my personality. The suit was destined to accompany me to my first job, I reflected.
I was jolted back to the present with my name being announced for the interview. But this present was different from the one I had departed from. With the same flicker in my eyes as my father’s, I confidently rose to enter the interview room.
Did I tell you that I remember my first job interview during my graduation vividly? That’s because it was also my last.
How Did I Make An Impact?
Most of my formative years were spent in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. Being home to the South Western Air Command, it is routine to witness fighter jets roaring in the clear sunny skies of Jodhpur, it being the Sun City of India. Every time a jet passed my house, my brother and I would rush to the balcony, just to catch a glimpse of the metal bird. Hours of argument would ensue to ascertain the identity of the aircraft, which gradually mellowed as both of us got well-versed in identifying the fighters. This, however, did not curb our enthusiasm and our drawing books were full of drawings of aircraft and their weaponry. I was sure that I wanted to soar in the skies and manoeuvre military aircraft. It was my dream job.
Fast forward to my college final year. I qualified for the Air Force Selection Board in Mysore after clearing the written exam. I went for the Selection Board and spent five days in the Air Force Station there, being evaluated every moment. At the end of it, I was recommended by the board. I was on cloud nine. I was another step closer to my dream. I was supposed to appear at the Institute of Air Medicine for my medical fitness examination. But there, I was rejected on the grounds of having metal plates in my hand, which were from a bone fracture accident.
You dream of something. You reinforce that dream with the choices you make in life. Your parents, your role models inspire you, having had been in similar situations earlier. But here you are, helpless in the hands of fate. What do you do?
I was shattered. I was in tears when I called up my father to apprise him of the situation. He calmly listened to me and quoted the following words of Reinhold Niebuhr, which I am going to carry to my grave:
“Lord, grant me the strength to accept the things I cannot change,
the courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.”
My father always wanted to become a medical practitioner. He had achieved the necessary qualification to enrol into a course for medicine, but the financial condition of his family demanded a bread earner immediately. He had to kill his aspirations, change his course and pursue a diploma in Civil Engineering. Being the brilliant student he was, and still is, he was among the top 10 in the most populous state of India. There has been no looking back on his end since then.
He inspired me to focus on the journey ahead, to let go of what was not in my hands. This was a moment of truth for me. I did not know what lay ahead, or even what I wanted to do post this failure. But my father’s guidance helped me chalk out a plan for my future. His words motivate me to give my best to whatever I lay my hands on.
As a result, I am a student of one of the top B-schools in India today. Everything I am today, I owe it to him and the words that he said on that fateful day.
