“DREAM Big. START Small. ACT Now.”- Robin Sharma, these are some words I have been inspired by for a long time and the Aditya Birla Group is the best example of this wherein from a small cotton trading company it has today become a global leader in almost every sector from cement to retail to telecom and many more. Aditya Birla Group stands today as one of the largest conglomerates of India, with its many spine-tingling stories of success making a long-lasting impact in customer’s life. I have been awestruck by some of the group’s valuable contributions in its quest to provide reasonable but premium quality products and influence society as a whole.
The iconic Bandra-Worli Sea Link in Mumbai built by using high-quality UltraTech Cement always appealed to me strongly. Mumbai as a city because of the pace at which it runs is apt for such a structure, providing further sustainability of this pace concept. I remember seeing its mesmerizing view from the Taj Lands Hotel and Marine Drive at night and looking at it for hours. The supreme safety it offers because of the enhanced quality cement is in itself a bamboozling feature. Its present status as one of Mumbai’s finest icons and amalgamating into the city’s image is completely justified. It both literally and figuratively “bridges” a big gap in every Mumbaikar’s life. Among the list of various materials manufactured and supplied by the Aditya Birla Group is something that is undoubtedly very important for almost every Indian and not just me. It is the copper supplied from “Birla Copper” which is used as one of the materials for construction of the Indian Railways. I have always thought that the Indian Railways helped me to have some memories for a lifetime that I cherish deeply. The other fascinating aspect to me is how because of such a strong basic structure of Railways, India has been able to create a vast network penetrating in almost every other Indian city, town and some cases even the farthest of villages. Getting down on these small stations I always thought about how with determination we have been able to achieve this rare accessibility feat which is almost second to none on the scale. Catering selflessly to the needs of others through such a strategic manufacturing portfolio is remarkable on part of Aditya Birla Group. But, the most important contribution in my life by Aditya Birla is its biggest fashion retail chain Pantaloons. From the highest quality apparel products to a varied range in terms of cost, Pantaloons has redefined a shopper’s experience. My inclination towards the in house “Bare Denim” brand of Pantaloons is because it is one of those products that are strategically and economically priced but provide you with the highest quality and hence the utility. Not to forget the kind of fit and the confidence one gets while wearing these products which ensure that you are never out of style, having a sort of timeless appeal. Furthermore, getting your loyalty recognized is something I have enjoyed even more. Getting those credit points after shopping and getting the messages with special promotional discounts and enthralling offers never fail to put a smile across my face and put me in motion to plan my next visit.
Challenges faced:
Something fascinating and at the same time ironical about life is its inconsistencies. Life can give you a moment of extreme happiness and at the very next moment throw at you a puzzling challenge catching you right off guard. It is the calm and composure in such situations that decides not only the ability to solve the challenge but to make a long-lasting impact by the solution. My biggest challenges in life came from my work experience when I had first joined Reliance Industries Limited as a GET in Jamnagar and I was expected to work as a converted employee. This rather came as a surprise to me initially, but because the project was still in the commissioning phase, I was expected to go beyond my job role and learn the new technologies with little guidance. The working conditions provided further hindrance as we were not even getting proper work stations and I had to find a place in the portacabins to access the software. Prioritizing my job responsibilities and learning a way to communicate with new people every day were something I learned out of these experiences. I became aware that to achieve the goals I had to be appreciative of opinions that were contrary to my own and had to interact effectively with a range of people, right from the high-level management to the contract workers. The unexpected challenges like these are what helped me shape my personality and develop compassion and empathy towards others. Like Aditya Birla which continuously strives to achieve the results with keeping the sanctity of process in mind, I also was successful in doing justice to my responsibilities by not just focusing on the end goal but the journey to achieve it. I think it is imperative that to achieve ambitions one has to have a plan and a vision. Sustainability is very important in the long run but just like organizations we humans need to have some core principles that can help them to navigate out safely from the waves of challenges this fascinating life throws at us.
The practices that Aditya Birla adopts to ensure that the majority of their moves are fully customer-centric and build even higher brand equity not just in India but the whole world with their “Taking India to the world” tagline is motivating for every Indian and it is this principle that should be inculcated in our daily lives to achieve our ambitions.