It’s never easy to come from a small town and dream big, is It? Most of the small-town people do face the problem of lack of exposure and opportunities some time or the other. But does that stop us from dreaming big? Well, you might say that’s a subjective question for some are demotivated by lack of opportunities while others are excited by the difficulties and challenges. I am Sumit Kumar from MDI Gurgaon who falls in the second category and this is my story of inspiration from Aditya Birla Group in a Step closer to my dreams.
Let’s cut to 1857 where it all started in a small place in Rajasthan know as ‘Pilani’ in the desert of Rajasthan where the great visionary Seth Shiv Narayan Birla started trading in cotton and foundation of the House of Birla was laid. Through generations Birla grew rapidly under the able leaderships of Seth Shiv Narayan Birla who was followed by Mr. Ghanshyamdas Birla, one of the most prominent pre-independence industrialists, a saint like guy donning the hat of an industrialist and pursuing business goals through expansion of the group in chemical, cement and aluminum industries besides textile and fiber. His vision was inculcated by Mr. Aditya Vikram Birla, Group’s legendary leader, who worked day and night to put ABG and India on the Global Map by making his company world’s largest Viscose stable fiber producer, largest refiner of Palm oil, third largest producer of insulators and sixth largest producer of carbon black. Under the stewardship of current chairman Mr. Kumar Mangalam Birla, the group is now a 44.3-billion-dollar behemoth with 14 verticals and operations in 34 countries. Now don’t get me wrong. Of course, I have used an ABG product and of course it has played an important part in my life till now. But as the concept of Marketing Myopia puts it, focusing too much on the product makes us lose our focus on the vison on which organization is based.
Coming from a small town of Patna, I always had the dream to do something which positively affects the life of my countrymen, which makes their life easier and which helps India become a developed nation. Of course, there would be difficulties, for there is always going to be another mountain and I always would want to make it move, but the what resonates with me most is the vision of late Shri Aditya Vikram Birla of taking India to the globe. Not belittling the products and their impact in our day to day life, its always the vision which drives an organization and paraphrasing Mr. Kumar Mangalam Birla, ‘Great businesses are never built on quicksands of opportunism. For us, leadership lies at heart of knowing what we stand for.’ The vision has inspired me to push myself to attain greater heights and in challenging situations. It motivates me when I am in tricky situation by suggesting me to keep the bigger picture at center of my decision-making procedure. Till now it has brought me to MDI Gurgaon to hone my business acumen and develop leadership qualities. I am sure that it would act as a guiding light in my life and if I am able to plan and act according to this idea…………... then only sky is the limit.
