PART A:
The year was 2004, a kid came across a television commercial that wooed him. It was the commercial of rebranded Ultratech Cement-‘The Engineer’s Choice’. Curious, that kid asked his Civil Engineer father, “is this your choice too?” The reply that he got was nothing different from what the commercial claimed. In that year itself our sweet home was being built. I saw the piled-up cement bags- Ultratech Cement bags. The foundation of our future shelter was being built using the branded cement that all engineers trust. So, for me the brand became synonymous with trust. And the brand is now the number 1 cement brand of India, creating impact on every Indian’s life.
Behind the brand is one of the most prestigious business groups of India, the Aditya Birla Group. With such a diverse brand portfolio that the group has, it is almost impossible that you do not use a product made by them in your daily life.
With the growing retail market in India, the first supermarket that came up in our locality was the More store. It was quite a new concept for a small-town boy. Going to the store, browsing through the shelfs containing variety of chocolates and biscuits gave immense pleasure that I still remember vividly. Three years ago, when I joined my first company I had to relocate to hosapete, Karnataka. That was the first time I had to leave the comfort of living in my home and was trying to adjust to a completely new environment. What made me feel like home was the more store that was just across the road. And the more outlet became the savior in many occasions- from going for a sudden ice-cream treat at night to purchasing monthly grocery, it was the one stop shop for everything.
The impact that brands of Aditya Birla Group has on a person’s life can hardly be matched by any other conglomerate. And I am no exception. The way it has influenced my life so far can not be described in a single essay.
PART B:
Life is always a roller coaster ride. Life keeps on throwing challenges and how you encounter them describes who you are.
I learn to talk at a later age than normal. And when I did I faced the problem of stammering. Because of my stammering, my classmates used to make fun of me. For a child it was the biggest form of insult, which lowered the morale. I was losing interest to attend school. But gradually I was overcoming the problem. My parents left no stones unturned to find the remedy. I remember that phase of life as it was the first time I was able to overcome a problem. I learnt the lesson of not giving up.
But life is not easy. Even though I learnt how to speak without stammering, my confidence was low. I was very shy and could not engage in conversations. I faced great difficulty initiating a conversation; even taking part in a conversation was not at all easy for me. As a result, I didn’t have many friends in school. The best way to overcome fear is to face it. So, I started conversing with students from my private tuition batchmates. Gradually I became accustomed and the fear faded away slowly. By the time I finished my graduation I had developed a reputation of having an engaging personality. I can initiate conversations with complete strangers with ease now.
This transformation from being a shy, introvert person to become an ambivert has helped me in many phases of my life. I was a project engineer. My job required me to be communicative and be expressive. When I look back at my life I see the transformation of a stammering kid into a talkative and fun-loving person.
#ABGLPWooMe #NITIEMUMBAI
