“Hello?” – this was the first word I uttered when I made my first call from my own mobile phone. Don’t we take it for granted these days that we can use our mobile phones anywhere we want to talk to people? But mobile phone penetration in India was a slow process which grew as the telecom industry grew, as the initial telecom companies like Idea had to work hard to bring down the cost of making calls and leverage the positive policy changes of the then government. Yes, my first network provider was Idea who I still use, now in the form of Vodafone-Idea.
As I uttered that first word, my journey with Idea began, which is an essential part of the Aditya Birla Group. The mobile phone industry had just disrupted the market and changed the way people communicate with the Idea of “Walking when you talk”. From the long, dreamy conversations in my teenage days to video-conferencing with my dear ones who are half-a-world away in the present, Idea has always been a Big part of my life. The initial 50 paise/minute schemes attracted me to this brand and their continuous delivery of quality kept me hanging to this brand. When I took trips across the country, the network signal I got still remained undisturbed.
When there was market disruption in the telecom industry, many players closed down. But Idea merged with Vodafone to retain their stiff competition in the market and adapt to any kind of disruption, thus becoming one of the three key players now. The 4G services I got from using Vodafone-Idea have given me reprieve in many a situation. I wish to thank ABG for their provision of quality services in the telecom industry through Idea despite a highly competitive environment and being a crucial part of the mobile phone revolution in the country which changed the country's method of functioning.
Now, how I made an impact in my life, you ask? It was 2011 and my standard 12th had just started. I was an average-scoring kid for quite a part of my life. My Idea of my own ability was extremely low. But things started changing by this time. Having been instructed about the importance of the score in the 12th standard final exams, I had a strong desire to ace the exams. I started working day and night in complete dedication to my purpose. Waking up straight at 4 am every day, abstaining from watching television and studying everything given with heart, I struggled to make my mark in the class exams. Initially, I didn’t find a big difference, to be honest. But then, seeing my endeavors and curiosity in the classroom, my teachers encouraged me to be better by giving me guidance wherever I fell back, giving me an Idea of how good I actually was at my subjects. It was with the help of their moral support that I could rise. Risen from the ashes, renewed in determination, performing my duty without expectations, I topped my class in the quarterly exams. That magical moment of getting the First-ranker’s badge for the first time in my life changed all the misgivings about my own ability. A single Idea had changed my life. I was now completely sure that I have the capacity to be a great student, provided I put in the effort. All through my initial school days, it was the “effort” part that was missing, which made me misjudge my ability. But at that point in my 12th standard, my effort was 100% and I eventually bagged the Proficiency prize in my school for topping the final exams. I am immensely proud of the self-development I achieved through this period in my life, for it lays the foundation to being relentless in my efforts throughout my life – no matter what the odds. Thus, the answer is yes, though an Idea may start small, it can entirely change your life!