PART A- Why Aditya Birla Group is big in your life.

Carrying the heavy backpack as I trudged to my school, the thought of the warm food wrapped in the shiny aluminum foil made me smile. The crinkling sound of the foil, when I opened my tiffin, use to make my heart flutter. 13 years down the line, the crinkling sound of the foil still makes my heart flutter, staying away from home isn’t easy and so was the process of shifting from Delhi to Bhubaneswar.

Pursuing MBA was a dream, and even though the journey has just begun, treading on the road to XIMB, was a roller coaster journey in itself. It began with the mail, the Letter of Admission and the long list of what I will need, First and the most important, were clothes!

Shopping isn’t just shopping, it’s a bonding time for me and my mom, that’s one time we are the power mother-daughter duo! Stepping into the Van Heusen store, reminded me of the first time I had come to shop here. I sat in the corner, quietly with my neatly braided hair, watching my mother pick out formals for her upcoming meeting. I was the judge, the mini me felt the power, of liking or disliking what my mother tried. Today, I walk out the trial rooms, a little hesitant, my mother, waiting for me, the tables had turned, life is indeed a circle. Next stop, Forever 21, and my, this place brings out the child in me, loads of shopping and loads of trying, it’s the best shopping experience, me and my mom have! It’s always lined with giggles and laughs, and endless talks with a thousand trips to the trial rooms!

Shopping is the most unplanned thing that me and my mom do, but this year, things changed, and my driving force, was none other than Ralph Lauren. The first Brick and Mortar store of the coveted luxury clothing was here! I scanned through the mall, and reached the store, trust me when I say it, the experience was surreal!

It has been more than a month and today penning down this article about ABG and why it’s big in my life, I realize, life is about the little things, that leave an impression on our minds, a relative memory, like that song which reminds us of a particular person. Over the past 21 odd years of my life, I didn’t even realize how the company has been connected and intertwined with the deepest and fondest memories I have had. ABG is that omnipresent entity in my life that always takes me back to the good old days, to the range of emotions I felt then, be it the joy of shopping at Pantaloons, the utter bliss of posing in the forever 21 dress, or the mix bag of emotions I feel when I see the rush of happiness on a kid’s face when (s)he opens the tiffin, after an arduous day.

PART B- How you overcame challenges to achieve your ambitions in life so far.

‘Life seldom turns out the way you want it to’, I was in 8^thstandard when I read this quote and somehow it has stayed etched in my mind!! 4 years later I understood what it actually meant! I felt my life was on track, but the illusions came crashing down, when things took a turn for the worst!

It took time for me work through things again, I questioned everything and every step I took, and the most important thing I realized, was that I really didn’t know myself, and that is the first thing I did. I worked on connecting with me, understanding the difference between what I want and what I think I want. Its been 4 years since that incident, and one thing is that it has made me is resilient. Since then, I have always faced whatever life has offered me with a strong mind and a stronger heart. I have understood that the harder we work, the higher we climb on the ladder of success.

I have learnt that facing one’s fears and challenges requires something more than just knowledge, it requires the courage! We might not succeed at everything, but what matters is our efforts and our courage to stand up for something. As it was once said, “Do not fear failure, but rather fear not trying”, I have learnt that we should never let fear of failure hold us back from trying, and as Winston Churchill famously said, “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts”!

#XIMB #ABGLPWooMe

Madhurima Kashyap

The little things that make ABG big in my life!- Madhurima Kashyap, XIMB