Aditya Birla Group operates in 35 countries as an Indian multinational conglomerate. Each step we take we see them deep rooted in our lives, from Idea Vodafone limited helping us connect with our loved ones to Ultratech cement realizing our dreams of better and safe homes.
Life has its ups and downs and almost all of us feel challenged at some point in our lives. I have faced multiple challenges in my life. At many crucial junctions I lost hope and felt like giving up. However lifting ourselves up from those situations and overcoming our fears is what shapes us and makes us stronger. I have encountered challenges in the personal as well as professional context. One of the most challenging situations I faced was during my internship with PricewaterhouseCoopers Pvt. Ltd.. I was given training for a project from the perspective of my responsibilities and project outcomes. However the biggest challenge I faced was handling an entire client location and representing the company single-handedly. I had no prior experience of interacting with a client. On many occasions I felt intimidated and scared. I felt that any mistake I make could lead to us losing a valuable client. Also I had to be extremely professional and crisp in all my communications. On a particular day I had to present the work I had done during the month to my client. Prior to this I had help of my seniors, professors and parents in whatever I had done. I was nervous and felt like giving up. I called my project manager and shared my feelings with him. He told me that he had complete faith in me and considered me responsible enough which is why he had assigned me an entire client location. His words encouraged me and instilled a sense of confidence. I presented my analysis which was appreciated by our client. This internship helped me grow as an individual and I have started believing in myself since then. I have had very few moments since then where I have doubted my ability to achieve something. Another situation where I felt challenged was while giving management entrance tests. I have always been hardworking and diligent. I used to prepare for these tests with full determination. During 2017, I was giving a lot of mock tests and getting exceptional scores. However on the day of the exams, the pressure was getting to me. I could not score as much as I used to in the mock exams. The fact that a single exam was governing my entire preparation and future career prospects was making me feel scared. That year I could not score as much as I wanted to. Also I wanted to target only the top B-schools. I did not mind working or doing an internship that year and giving them again the next year. However I knew that no matter how much I prepare I would not be able to do well if I cannot deal with the pressure of the final test. I knew that I had my basics in place and all I needed was to be composed on the day of the exam. To overcome this problem I used to talk to my mentors and parents about it. I also used to give a few tests thinking it was the final one. During 2018, I was able to score really well in most of these tests. In some of the exams I scored above 99 percentile. I knew that from now on I just need to believe in myself and work hard. I realised that I could achieve anything I aspire for by sincere effort and determination. I would like to end by a famous quote by Molière that might inspire all those who feel challenged at any point in their life: “The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it.”
"Aditya Birla Group" big in my life
Aditya Birla Group is one of India's largest conglomerates offering innovative products and services and reaching out to millions globally. Its vision is to be a premium global conglomerate with a clear focus on each of the businesses which they are trying to achieve by delivering superior values to their customers, shareholders, employees, and society at large.
When looking around and looking through the years, I find that Aditya Birla as a group has had its presence in varied aspects of my life. I remember buying my Idea mobile phone sim card that I have been using for the past three years. It has not only catered to my communication but data needs as well. As I always aimed to enter the corporate world, I was sure of coming to Mumbai and working in the financial services field. As I started working, I realised that most financial services firms have their offices in Worli, Mumbai. My daily travel involved passing through the Bandra-Worli sea link, to which, Aditya Birla has contributed through Ultratech Cement Ltd. The biggest presence it has had, has been in the apparel segment. All my office wardrobe needs get fulfilled by brands like Allen Solly and Van Heusen. I look at these brands from Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd. as one stop shops for comfortable and elegant workwear. My family is into investment consultancy and hence I have, over my growing years, closely seen my father working with the Birla Sun Life insurance employees as he was working as an insurance agent. In my first year of MBA at NMIMS, Mumbai, I got a chance to interview Mr. Ajay Srinivasan, the CEO of Aditya Birla Capital Limited which was a very good experience and it helped me develop a different kind of perspective of looking at the corporate world. This describes the pervasiveness of the group in my life.
