“Our values provide us with our roots and they provide us with our wings.”
Mr. Kumar Mangalam Birla Chairman, Aditya Birla Group
A vision becomes a milestone when it adds value to millions of lives every single day. Aditya Birla Group (ABG), one of the largest Indian conglomerates is a legacy of one such vision. Their vision “To be a premium global conglomerate with a clear focus on each of the businesses” clearly highlights their commitment to stand on it. The group has a strong global presence across 35 countries and a workforce comprising of over 120,000 from 42 nationalities. The USD 45 Billion corporation is active in 14 industry sectors ranging from banking, cement, fashion, financial services, metals, mining, retail, telecom, textiles, to name a few.
ABG has been an integral part of my life also. From my formative days of engineering to my MBA, ABG has accentuated its presence into my life by offering me many facilities. Among all those, best one through which my family and I prospered was Aditya Birla Capital Limited (ABCL) which uplifted my family from the rented apartments to our own home. Belonging to a middle-class family, there has been financial constraints in my life but through their adept financial services and the low-interest rate on housing loans my family aggrandized our living standards to a great extent. My younger sister and I always had a dream to decorate our home on auspicious occasions like Diwali, Raksha Bandhan, and Holi. Festivals are an integral part of our culture. Besides this, from offering me a wide range of high-quality groceries, daily needs, home care, and personal care products (More) to keeping my food healthy and hygienic (Freshwrapp and Superwrap), Aditya Birla Group has always been BIG in my life. This was my family’s biggest achievement and what else I could dream of if my parents are happy and together we as a family grows old together. Now my sister can go to school peacefully, my father need not work late nights and my mom can diligently look after us. This is how we grow and smile together. I and my family will be thankful to the ABG as they are a BIG part of our lives. No one’s life is a bed of roses and hard times and challenges are inevitable but with hard work, dedication and an undying spirit today I am part of one of India’s top MBA institutes. As Steve Job rightly said “Sometimes life is going to hit you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith” and we got our ray of hope from ABG.
How did I overcome my biggest challenge and achieved my ambitions in life
The most significant challenge I faced in my life was the struggle to overcome the fear of defeat and to never give up on my dreams. I am fortunate enough that life has provided me with a very supportive and understanding family which eventually developed the faith in me. I cleared the Special Class Railway Apprentice Exam conducted by UPSC when I was class in 12th. I was shortlisted for interview and was among the top 190 eligible candidates for the final selection. But, I was rejected in my interview and apparently, it proved to be the most fruitful experience. Throughout my life, I realized it is not necessary that everything needs to happen right now. I believed that everything happens in perfect timing and is unfolding as it should be. Cultivating this belief or attitude helped me deal more effectively with whatever challenges come in my way. Being a voracious reader, I read books, meditate early morning to attain inner peace. The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change and learn.
