Competitions | InsideIIM

Challenge Accepted! -Swapnil Basmatkar, MDI Gurgaon

Since my childhood, I had been hearing India was a developing country and that with development a number of things were to change. Brought-up in a middle class background, shopping was a huge thing especially on festive or celebratory occasions. Around 20 years back, the shopping was done differently- there were open markets where consumers would physically go to the market often walking long distances in the midst of commotion trying to find-out what they really looked for but often having to compromise on choice. While I loved the idea of shopping the experience often used to be unpleasant one. On day I decided to visit the newly opened Pantaloons store in my city- and that completely changed the shopping experience for me. I was thrilled to find myself shopping in fully air-conditioned shop with sparkling interiors (a huge thing in those days), skimming through assorted selections of multiple brands while being attended by courteous and professional customer executives. Instead of having to walk long distances in hot and humid weather and asking one shopkeeper after another, it was as-if a crème-de-la-crème selection of fashion was let-out on a tray for me to choose from! This was my first and an everlasting experience with Aditya Birla Group (ABG) - I instantly developed tremendous respect as well as a sense of pride for it was an Indian conglomerate.

Swapnil Basmatkar15 Jul 2019

ABG has always been a companion in my journey - Jay Shah, MDI Gurgaon

Our life seldom unfolds in the way we expect it to and there is hardly much that we can do about it! I learned it the hard way when I joined a start-up after graduation. Passionate about entrepreneurship, I was elated to be selected for one of the most dynamic and buzzing start-ups of that time. So I packed my bags with dreams and excitement and landed at my first job. Soon thereafter, when I was receiving the first paycheck of my life, I got a complimentary shock. The company had laid off close to 100 employees for lack of business growth. 5 of my friends who joined with me were among the ones laid off but I survived. I guess not so happening way to celebrate your first paycheck when your roommate is laid off? What followed were 12 months of gruelling struggle for the company and its employees to get their act together or perish. Future looked bleak and many employees, including myself, were insecure and demotivated.

Jay Shah15 Jul 2019

Aditya Birla Group in my life

Being an omnipresent conglomerate, ABG, like for most of us, has positively impacted my life too. Peter England and Van Heusen have been a part and parcel of our corporate lives for ages. Likewise following my father’s and grandfather’s footsteps, I welcomed Peter England and Van Heusen in my professional life. From Being a part of my undergraduate college company’s placement formals to being as my first suit, ABG has always been my constant partner through all phases of my professional life. Like its tagline ‘build beautiful’, Ultratech cement was a key partner in building my family’s dream home. The trust and reliability attached with its brand, is the main factor that it is a part of millions of houses. Campaigns like ‘What an Idea Sirjee’ and ‘No Idea then Get idea’ attracted me to buy my first Idea sim card 10 years ago, which has continued to be with me till date. The excellent services have helped the brand to sustain itself through the tough periods in the telecom sector. My family also comes as an enthusiastic investor for ABG’s capital. The rich history and legacy of the company has gained our trust and confidence to invest our money in ABG. My family is also an ardent purchaser of clothes from pantaloons. Impressed by its latest fashion within budget they are always the first ones to visit the store. We call it the family store as it is where our three generations of the family shop for ourselves and one another.  

Mehul Jain15 Jul 2019

From a guy who always complains to a Business Professional - Showrya Chakra Narendula, NMIMS Mumbai

Life always used to be simple when one is at school. But once we are out of school there are always expectations, responsibilities and there will be many questions posed in front of you to choose a career path. My life was nothing different. I used to take decisions based upon what my parents expected out of me but not what I wanted. Therefore, I have appeared for competitive exams such as IIT, AIEEE, BITS etc. I emerged as All India chemistry topper in some of the mock exams that these colleges conducted, but in the final JEE exam I could only managed to get EML (Extended Merit List) against my expectations. From then on I started complaining about my life as if I am the only person burdened with problems. After completing my B.Tech, I started working in TCS. During this stint I happened to gain interest towards business models that various companies adopted, marketing stunts adopted by various companies to keep their products on top and success stories of several startups. At the same time I was unable to understand the intricacies behind every strategic move that a company or a business man takes. All the curiosities instilled interest in me to pursue MBA (decision taken on my own)

Showrya Chakra Narendula15 Jul 2019

Challenges I faced

‘Why Aditya Birla Group is big in your life’.

Ch Avinash Kumar15 Jul 2019

ABG - How it helped me on my way - Ayush Garg, MDI Gurgaon

It was a hot summer sunday in a Bangalore when my two friends and I had come to Barbeque Nation after a stressful week at our internship. It had been a week with great deal of work as we were entering into the new quarter of business. Data assimilation had been a huge task and compiling it into excel reports had been almost completed. We were relaxed as the next week work was majorly about creating presentation and presenting them. After the beautiful meal, we went to watch “Black Panther” and returned back home. After working hard for the first three days of the week on presentation and getting them approved it was the night before the day of presentations. My friends and I were having a gala time at a nearby hotel and the conversation went on to playing truth or dare. I was the first one to be on the answering side and I chose “dare”. Taking the advantage of the situation, my friends asked me to interact with one of the girls sitting on the other table and offer her a drink. They got a drink and now it was my turn to go ahead and do my part. I went across the table, thinking how to approach her. I starting by asking –“Do I know you?” she turned towards me and it was an obvious “no”. She seemed to be more of a person who usually doesn’t drink so I was afraid to ask her. I asked a few questions on where she works and told a bit about myself. After roughly 15 minutes of casual conversation, I asked her if she would be interested in a drink and she got stunned. Looking at her gestures, I got afraid and the glass from my hand dropped at spoiled my clothes. She left the place and I came back to my seat. After paying the bill and the amount for broken glass, I came home.

Ayush garg15 Jul 2019

Food-- Fresh, Healthy and Hygienic|Piyush Jain, MDI Gurgaon

Food - Fresh, Healthy and Hygienic

Piyush Jain15 Jul 2019

In Pursuit of Happiness - ABG Story

Aditya Birla Group. A brand that needs no introduction, be it a global or at national level. One of the very few groups that lay the foundation of the economy of the independent India. In my 26 years of existence (dwarfs against the groups 162 years of its existence) it’s hard to imagine any sphere of my life not impacted by the group. Be it be buying a pair of jeans from Pantaloons as a teen to buying formals from Peter England for your articleship. Slowing graduating to Allen Solly after completing CA and finally settling on Louis Philippe or Van Huesen after a few months into the job.(Might be switching back to Peter England for the next two years)

Swapnil Agarwal15 Jul 2019