When we think of India, the first thoughts that come to our mind is of the Indian economy and the many things associated with it –the level of industrialization the country has attained, the sectors of economy including services and their contribution to GDP, the debate on private sector versus public sector, adoption of technology, role of information technology and a host of other thoughts. The end result of such a cloud of thoughts sweeping our minds is a question:

What is the standard of living of people in India and how do we improve it?

This was perhaps a question Ghanshyam Das Birla had in his mind in the early 20^th century when he established his jute trading company in 1911. While on the one hand the country had a spate of political leaders fighting for independence, here was a visionary young man who went on a spate of business acquisitions in a country ruled by British – jute mill, cotton mill, sugar mill, the iconic Hindustan Times newspaper, Hindustan Motors factory to manufacture the legendary Ambassador car, - all before India’s independence in 1947. And a lot more post-independence, including Grasim and Hindalco – despite the huge thrust successive governments gave to the public sector in India’s industrialization roadmap.

Given the above backdrop, the impact GD Birla has had on the Indian economy, pre and post-1947, is not difficult to imagine. In one word, it can be called BIG – though the word itself is too small to describe the gigantic contribution of the Birla Group to the Indian economy, despite the huge constraints India’s rigid economic and industrial policies have placed on private entrepreneurs.

Over the many decades, the Birlas have branched out into many groups, based on the family hierarchy – the Aditya Birla Group being the largest, most successful and most visible of them all.

The Aditya Birla Group is today a US$ 44.3billion corporation, operating in 14 sectors, owning nearly 50 brands, operating in 35 countries and employing over 120,000 people and is the 3^rdlargest Indian conglomerate, behind the Tatas and Ambanis. Their products span a wide range of industries – manufacturing and services, including aluminium, cement manufacturing, viscose staple fibre, carbon black, chemicals, copper, financial services, telecom, branded apparels, fertilizers, viscose staple yarn and insulators – products that touch the lives of Indians every day, right in our homes or elsewhere.

The Aditya Birla Group’s products and brands have been a part of our lives in ways we may not even have realized. They have surely been a part of my life right through my childhood into the present day. Back then, it used to be Hindalco’s Freshwrapp aluminum foil keeping my food fresh every day throughout school and college. Idea Cellular was the other big service, which kept me connected with my near and dear ones when I got my first mobile phone and for years after that. Clothing has been the other major area wherein Aditya Birla Group has played a major role – be it my formals from Allen Solly and Van Heusen, or casual clothes from Pantaloons, People and Forever 21, where I found my most favourite clothes. Aditya Birla Group has always been a part of my life, in small ways and big, and I am sure will always continue to be.

My Big Challenge

It was in May 2018 that my big challenge in life arose. I had secured admission into IIMU, and I was keen on taking it up, but I could not, since my parents were not comfortable with the idea of sending me that far away from home in Bangalore. I was at a crossroads, having finished my B.Sc and not knowing in which direction to move.

I was not keen on taking up the kind of jobs that came my way - being a non-engineering fresher in India does not easily attract attractive jobs. They were mostly the BPO kind – technical support and whatnot, which I simply could not bear the thought of, after completing a B.Sc in Economics, Mathematics and Statistics.

After a lot of discussions and debates with teachers, friends, and family, I finally decided to take up a two-year postgraduate course in Big Data Analytics. A semester into the course and I realized that it was leading me on to a narrow path which involved plenty of coding, which I did not enjoy. I realized that I wanted to be on a career path which involved more of interaction with people than machines and machine learning. Four months into the course, I took a major decision – to drop out of it. It wasn’t an easy decision, considering that I’d be back to square one.

So I prepared for about a month and took the CAT with the hope of getting into an IIM that my parents would accept wholeheartedly. Two days before the test, my dear grandfather, to whom I was deeply, emotionally attached, passed away. I managed to go and take the test, although in a state of mental and emotional turmoil. I thought I hadn’t done well enough to get any calls, my self-confidence took a hit and I was back again, to not knowing where I was headed in life.

I decided to work with my father till the CAT results were announced, but after two months, took up an internship, because I felt I needed to know what the work environment outside would be like. I was a week into the internship when the interview calls started coming in. I figured this was my shot at pursuing the MBA dream, so I decided to quit the internship and prepared with full focus for the interviews, and here I am today, at IIM Trichy, living out my MBA dream.

The entire phase was a major psychological challenge for me - my confidence took a hit, there was a persistent feeling that I would fall behind my peers, and dealing with expectations – my own and others’, all of which required me to consult a psychologist for a brief period. However, this challenging phase of my life taught me big lessons about confidence and perseverance - lessons to carry with me for a lifetime.

NanditaR

Aditya Birla Group– Big in Every Indian’s Life #IIMTrichy