If someone asks you today, “How has your life been so far, right from your birth till this very moment you’re here reading this piece”? Do you have an answer to the question? Are you caught off-guard? Do you feel pleased or heartening or do you feel an unwelcoming sting pondering over distressing moments driving you to snub it off? I have been asking this question myself a lot lately and every time I do, I respond with a different answer. And clearly, anyone or everyone would answer it differently depending on the individual’s state of mind. At this moment, as I’m writing this piece, pondering over the burning question, I’m glad to say I’ve never been more grateful for every course of action my life has taken so far.
It was a typical Delhi summer morning . I woke up in a haste , fully realizing that I better not screw up my big day by being late . Wrapped my breakfast in Freshwrapp and left for my IIFT interview . I reached the auditorium on time . While waiting for my turn , I was staring at the Ultratech wall in front of me , its clean surface acting like a canvas for my thoughts , thinking about how far I have come to get this opportunity . Feeling confident in my shiny new Van Heusen suit , I sat before the panel . The interview lasted for about 30 minutes , after which I had my breakfast which was still freshly wrapped in Freshwrapp . I got back to my Undergraduate college as next up was the most anticipated event of the day . It was the University Football Final . A plethora of people including students , teachers all dressed in their new Pantaloons and Forever 21 attires were gleefully cheering for both the finalists . There was nervousness in both the camps but the crowd did a great job in creating a atmosphere with great fervor .The final was a nerve wrecking affair which we managed to win on penalties . After the normal post-match celebrations , everyone got back home and was supposed to report at a formal dinner party . Riding the metro we could see big hoardings of Aditya Birla everywhere . Everyone looked great in their suits be it , Allen Solly , Van Heusen or Planet Fashion . The get together was a great end to a successful day which was a result of integrity , commitment , passion , seamlessness and speed .
A swing over a Pomelo tree - being a millennial, this is what comes to my mind when I look back to Childhood days. My routine, then, was sorted with a kindergarten for two hours and fun for the rest whole day! Unlike most people, I remember almost everything of my childhood right from kindergarten. And Aditya Birla group is a part of my life from then on. My sister and I had made our cemented footprints, when our home was going through a renovation. We were badly rebuked by the Head of The House, My mother! Now, those footprints account as one of the most cherished memories and Ultra Tech Cement is in its background. As I grew up, my needs and demands, dreams changed. Recess memories of early school are another set of vibrantly clear days of my life. We used to play Stone-Paper-Scissor and share Parantha. Being an organized person, I was meticulous about the packaging of my Parantha, always wrapped in FreshWrap. Time Flies and with appearance of colorful teenage, colorful Rangmanch Kurtis became my basic need. Be it a birthday gift or gift of any festival, I used to stock up my cupboard with Rangmanch Kurties. Leaving teenage and College I embarked on another stepping stone, MBA! And today I groom myself with the help of Allen Solly! And whatever be my age, picking an extra chocolate from More shop is always a bonus point. So the Aditya Birla Group has been a consistent companion in my life. The Company has greatly contributed to India. For over 50 years now, the Aditya Birla Group has engaged in impactful, welfare-driven activities in India and even globally. It has reached to 7.5 million people and helped those vulnerable section of the society through programs like, 'Making a Difference’, Sustainable Livelihood Programs.
While I was walking down a lane, my eyes went up, looking at a stack of achievements of the Aditya Birla Group: my hat slipped off my head. I bent down to pick up my hat only to realize that the lane was “beautifully” made of Ultra Tech cement. You are more of an emotion than a brand. You have created a sense of reliability and gratification in my life, which is not limited to only my generation. I remember my father gifted me a white Peter England shirt for my first job interview as no doubt it was the “beginning of new things” for me. I still remember my early high school days, when I used to save pocket money to buy a Louis Philippe only to brag my “upper crest” to my school mates. Being in IIFT- far from my home, Agra; Vodafone- Idea makes sure my parents connect to me whenever they miss me. You have filled my life with a cornucopia of novelty and pride. Your journey, right from 1857 especially after 1947 – when it caught the pace – has laid the avenue for many entrepreneurial knights like me. US $44.3 billion – which is one of the greatest numbers in the world- is overshadowed by the CSR activities via which you have uplifted the under-served sections of the society. Besides all these achievements, the best part is that “the sun is still rising”, which means that your impact is set to be bigger and better on us.
As the great poet William Ellery Channning rightly said," The home is the chief school of human virtues." My family used to live in a rented apartment for a long period of time. It is fine living in a rented space but nothing in the world beats the comfort of living in one's own home. After 38 years of working in a gruelling government commercial bank and being near the retirement age, my father decided to construct our own dream abode. We already owned a piece of land in the suburbs of Swarnjayantipuram, Ghaziabad. It was a beautiful piece of land facing the lush green City Park of Swarnjayantipuram, Ghaziabad. Our family decided to construct our own sweet abode there. We decided to get an architect on board for making a basic layout design of our home keeping in mind our needs. Then came the time to start the construction of our home. Cement is the most important building material as it holds the structure together. While deciding which cement to use I started to recollect the famous advertisement of UltraTech Cement- The Engineer's Choice with a tagline Bade Iraado Me Jaan Daal De and immediately connected with it. We also asked advice from an engineer about our choice of using UltraTech Cement and he whole heartedly recommended it and explained about the UltraTech binding particles which gives immense strength to the construction. Slowly and steadily as the construction started and went on in full swing, our dream home started taking shape and it was everything we could have imagined for. Two months back the construction of our dream abode was completed. We are eagerly waiting to shift into our new dream home and had our home inauguration few days back. All thanks to Aditya Birla Group.
The stressful and busy lives we are leading, many times spending long hours in corporate settings is putting a toll on many of us. No wonder people are growingly interested in going back to the old days when our grandmas used to grow and process and preserve their own foods, and our grandpas spent their days carving and doing their own woodwork.I can remember the days of my childhood I had spent with my granny in a small village near the bank of ‘Mahanadi’ river “Harbhanga” in Boudh district of Odisha . I had came to know that the previous year it was one of the worst year in harvesting in decades . There was very less amount of harvesting of rice due to unplanned farming and below average monsoon . But that year they looked very excited and hopeful .Reason ??A visit by team of ICAR Calcutta and their feedback of that the land is more than best for high rice production . And as per their instruction the farmers all went for the kick .Before that those farmers didn’t us any of the fertilizers as of no knowledge and more than that it was not available there . But thanks to the God ,a new shop named “suna dokana”(mean “golden shop” in local language) was there solding out some yellow colored fertilisers headed “balwan” .And that year it was not less than a green revolution fo my village .Being from a farming family there is no happimness in the world than seeing greenery everywhere in a poor aspirational village . Thank you “balidan” and also the “golden shop” .Hope you will expand those golden shop throughout the Indian villages to provide the golden yellow bags to produce the golds in the soil.
Ever since a person starts his/her life, he’s faced by both pleasing and hard circumstances. And while it is important to live the good moments, it is equally important to overcome the bad days that test a person’s survival capabilities. There have been various instances where I have overcome challenges but I would like to highlight some recent ones the most. I was working with a firm and at the same time preparing for an entrance exam. I had gotten a new project around September because of which I was clocking more than 10 hours in office and this was supposedly the most important time for me as my entrance exam was due in two months. Despite this, I used to manage my time and was able to take out at least 2-3 hours for studies, then be it at the cost of sacrificing my sleep only. I made sure that I manage both the things and eventually did well in both. There was another incident which happened back in 2006 when I had decided to learn Taekwondo. Being the only girl in the class, there were times when I felt uncomfortable and weak compared to others, however with my determination and hard work, I overcame that as well and ended up not only completing that course, but bagging a Black Belt in it. These were just two incidents out of the plenty of others where I have shown determination and courage despite the odds to successfully achieve something that I thought was tough but very much a part of the larger dream that I wanted to achieve and I can proudly say that ABG has been a part of most of them in some way or the other. Operating in 35 countries with over 120,000 employees worldwide and having a legacy as old as 162 years, I think it would be true to every extent to say that I have been a small part of Aditya Birla’s group journey and have contributed to this brand to at least some extent if not more. I remember how back in school, my mother used to wake up at 5 in the morning, cook food for me, pack it carefully, only telling me to eat it before it gets cold. I remember the excitement I had while ironing my formals and keeping them ready a day before some important event. I remember the sense of happiness I get while drooling over the memories of my comforting and memory enriching house when I am away from my family in a completely different city all by myself. Though the instances have been different, ABG has been a companion in all of them. Through its brands like FreshWrapp, Allen Solly, Van Heusen, Peter England, Pantaloons, UltraTech Cement, Aditya Birla UtlraTech etc., Aditya Birla has not only established itself in various sectors and contributed considerably to the growth of this country, but have also left its mark in every individual’s life in some way or the other.
