I remember the very first time I walked into a Pantaloons showroom. I was 13 years old and the final exam of 7th Standard had just ended. I was so excited to go to a real shopping mall for the first time. I had only seen malls on TV screen. Being native to a small town of Halisahar in West Bengal, my shopping spree ended at the local market mostly. The year was 2010 and Flipkart, Amazon and other e-commerce sites were sci-fi concepts.

Putting on my favorite pair of jeans, my parents and I reached the Baranagar showroom changing three different modes of transport. As we entered, we were mesmerized. So many clothes and shoes and bags and what not of so many brands like Allen Solly, Van Heusen, Forever 21, Biba, Louis Philippe and all, spread across four floors. The top two were for men; the ground and the first belong to women.

I started going through them in awe. All the latest styles of tops, ethnic wears, short skirts, long skirts, ripped denims, funky denim and leather jackets, boots and stilettos, dresses and shorts.

Another thing that made me bubble up with joy was the availability of most clothes in my size. Being on the larger side of the clothing scale it was difficult to find clothes that were cool and funky and yet would fit me. But Pantaloons, well, it welcomed me, with arms wide open.

We spent the whole day there; shopping, roaming around, clicking pictures on the old Nokia handset, my father owned. My mom bought her first long skirt from Biba that day. And nine years later, I bought my first suit from Allen Solly as I interviewed for the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade.

So, that was how Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail group made a 13-year-old girl's birthday special and memorable years ago and have been a part of her everyday life ever since.

The Aditya Birla Group with its core values of Integrity, Commitment, Passion, Seamlessness and Speed is providing us 'with our wings' as said by Mr. Kumar Mangalam Birla, the Chairman of ABG group.

The curve of my life has it's more than fair share of ups and downs. I have seen the zenith as well as have stood at the bottom of the pit. There have been many instances, I have let down the people who loved me the most and put their faith on me.

'To err is human’, they say. I am as 'human' as one can be.

So, I was one of the top 20 students in West Bengal after our Secondary and Higher Secondary results were out. Excited, confident and hoping to live life 'King Size' I entered the prestigious institute of St. Xavier's. But then I started feeling like a fish out of water. With no new friends and battling an onslaught of depression, anxiety and loneliness all by myself I was unable to cope up with my studies. Angry on the world, misbehaving with the people who love me and care for me the most I decided to give it up all. My grades went down the pipe. I started spending my days confined to my bed not bothering to wake up even to brush my teeth in the morning. To escape the hell, the real world had become for me, I indulged myself into the world of Cinema. Afraid to feel any real emotion I started responding to only scripted ones; all while remaining stuck in my own personal hell of darkness.

Then one fine day I realized I have messed up big time and I won't be able to graduate in three years. That was the final nail in my coffin. I shared this unbelievable news with my parents who had little clue what their daughter was going through; not because they were bad or inattentive towards me but I was way too good at faking normalcy. But as they learnt like all the other times, I have been in trouble they came to rescue their beloved daughter, save her from herself. And they succeeded. I have completed my graduation although with poor grades but I cracked the entrance and cleared the interview round and made my way through the amazing B-school, Indian Institute of Foreign Trade.

After I came here everyone welcomed me with open arms, be it my classmates some of who are way elder to me but still treat me as their equal in all possible ways or the seniors who are strict on the surface but never forget to scold us if we skip a meal or the teachers who teach us not only the tools and interpretation of Financial Statements, or the 4P's of marketing but also how to tackle real life difficult situations , deal with people and adjust, adapt and grow every day, steadily.

We humans are individual as well as social animals. We often grow together, learning from the people encompassing us. I can now say that I am learning, adapting and growing. And I hope to bring this same enthusiasm and dedication and creativity to my workplace, given the opportunity.

Avishikta Biswas

PANTALOONS, DEPRESSION AND MBA...