A few days ago, I walked across a usual scene in my hometown. I saw under construction multistoried buildings in my little township for which anything above four floors was a great deal. The buildings stood stout with its columns silhouetted against the sunset. I went ahead to the only mall in my city which boasted of brands like Pantaloons, Allen Solly, Van Heusen, the weekend getaway of every girl in town. These were the brands which clad us during our graduations, and the first outfit when we joined our first job. These were synonymous with “dahi shakkar”, a token of blessing before stepping into the real world. Looking back, I feel a sort of link stretching from the unfinished buildings, the embodiment of strength for dwellers and the excitement that lights up a young girl’s face when she wears these brands. It is one group, which has made its presence felt in every aspect of my life. It is the Aditya Birla Group. I am a civil engineer, and Ultratech cement was used in the structural elements of my very first project. I am a girl who has carefully skimmed through the various textures of fabrics in Pantaloons and Van Heusen for every important occasion of my life. Aditya Birla Group has touched my life time and again and has been a part of my life in one way or the other. For me, Aditya Birla Group is an umbrella of memories. From college graduation to first job, from watching homes built to building multi-storied structures, Aditya Birla Group has always been there with me.

Overcoming Challenges, One Step at a Time

I have always believed that one has to strive unconditionally to achieve what one truly desires. This has been my mantra all my life. I have always stood strong and strived for what I truly believed in. I was always attracted by structures and felt a connect with the tangibility of their existence. This was the reason for my choosing civil engineering during my bachelors. It was very difficult for me to convince people and show them my rationale behind this decision. The four years during my B.Tech was amazing but I still got bombarded by “why civil?” by almost everyone I met. People have a conception of seeing girls as a misfit for construction sites. Nevertheless, after graduation, I joined a reputed firm and worked on a construction site. I was one of the only three girls on a construction site with more than two hundred laborers and employees. The experience was one of a kind and I derived richly from the exposure. Yet, the constant justifications for my decisions remained. I never faltered to elaborate and took pride in them. After some time, I felt the need to expand my horizons and gain knowledge about different domains. Managing preparation for CAT along with handling operations on site was a challenge in itself which I overcame due to persistent effort. I learned to manage time better and value each second. Through all the opportunities I was presented with, I have only become more and more stronger, hardworking and persevering.

Ayesh Kanta Padhi

A tale from a small town