Since my father served the Indian Navy, I have been exposed to different leaders in his organisation since my childhood. I gained adaptability and became very flexible in adjusting to different cultures. Participating in various adventure camps and sports activities helped me gain skills such as team spirit, leadership and discipline and the exposure I got improved my confidence.
I too belong to the more than 80% of student fraternity in my business school-the engineers. After a glorious and fun filled graduation, I immediately took up the role in the software side in a magnanimous IT firm of India. My initial plan was to work there, get good exposure to the corporate life and then join a good business school to do my post-graduation in the field of management. Well, as my work intensity and the responsibilities started increasing, the initial plan was starting to take a back seat. The constant night-shifts, providing support for the job post work-hours, works on the weekend etc., kept pushing the plan’s execution. Balancing the work, doing justice to that and preparing for the MBA entrance exams wasn’t my cup of tea. There were times, when I had to skip a mock test or leave a test halfway because work came up which required immediate attention. Two years with three attempts had gone in vain and my plan was lacking the motivation that one needs to have to execute it. I was entering the third year of my professional life; the workload and the responsibilities had doubled by then. It was a make or break for me as far as my dream to do an MBA. My entrance exam performances showed a downward trend. But I didn’t give in. I had enrolled myself for a web-based coaching and dedicated whatever time was available for my preparation. I had put my best foot, and after crossing multiple selections rounds, successfully landed in TAPMI. This taught me how to keep oneself focused under any circumstances and efficient prioritisation of available resources.
In the year 2017, I graduated from engineering college and was introduced to the professional world in July 2017. Having secured a job offer from campus-placement, I had no idea of hardships that people sustained to land a job in the corporate industry. My education had prepared me academically, but I lacked in the real-world application of the concepts.
“They said the sky is the limit and I said don’t worry, I’ll fly higher!”
India has always been a land of trade and very few organizations have a history that is linked to both evolution and contribution of the same. Aditya Birla group is one of those pristine organizations that has foresaw and sustained such dynamic changes from the year 1857. With a diverse portfolio in terms of business domains, I would like to particularly share my experiences with the various domains.
Once my father said to me “There is always an opportunity in every calamity”, and this statement resonated with me during the harshest times of my life. My new startup was not doing well, many subjects in college was also in a backlog and the icing on this cake which was about to blast on my face was I had just 6 months to get all this together. With that quote in my head and hope in my heart, I gave it everything. In my startup my team and I started putting more focus on the customer, trying to understand what they want and how do they see this startup adding more value to them. Back in college, I started focusing more on the classes and going after classes with the professors to understand the electronics concepts better. This hectic lifestyle was difficult to cope up with and there were plenty of people to help me with it, so at the end of 6 months I had the results, I had passed my engineering with flying colors and my startup was also doing well with new customers coming in from referrals from our old customers. With this phase of life behind me, I started thinking of doing something big, something that will push the limits of what is possible for me. With that I sold my startup to my friend who worked with me and started applying for Business Schools all around India, this endeavor was going to be a long one as the schools not only had written test but also personal interviews. So to go into battle for my B-school interview I looked forward to the only company I trust “Aditya Birla Group”, the range of Van Heusen was best for the occasion. The realization that I will have that same familiar caring and looking out for you feeling gave me immense confidence in the interview. And with this, I could see that it was a start of a new era, and looking back at how everything turned out and the thought that a calamity can be turned around into an opportunity turned out to be TRUE.
One of the most difficult thing that a person have to do in their life is to face their fears, challenge themselves to become a better person & achieve their ambitions.
Part A - In today’s world of globalization, being surrounded by an enormous number of brands and companies, it is difficult to point out indigenous players in the market. However, Aditya Birla Group is not a name unheard of in Indian households, being the third largest conglomerate in India. Some of the ones closest to me are Idea cellular, Pantaloons and UltraTech cement. To me, each of these names are synonymous to the trust and reliability that resonates with the heart of millions around the world. They make their presence felt in my everyday life in various forms, be it the clothes I wear, my communications, the buildings around me and my finances. Their international presence also significantly contributes to the income of the country. Delving deep into their offerings I realized the massiveness of their presence in my life. Their fashion portfolio caters to a wide variety of segments. Having admired the Bandra-Worli sea link during my past one year at Mumbai cements that trust in me. Ranging from the aluminium in my smartphone, the trains that I travel in to the electricity in my home. Their efforts to uplift the society, providing food, education and medical services to villages working alongside the government as well as uplifting the women in the country and giving them the confidence to earn their own living is a boon to the nation. Getting to know the role ABG plays in my life leaves me with nothing but wonder and makes me realize how big is BIG! It is a source of inspiration to the whole world.
