On my way back home I called her... Hey mom, I did it! Just received an email from TAPMI, I'm officially an MBA student now. Didn't realize that tears of joy were an actual thing up untill that moment.
PART A:
"What you wear is how you present yourself to the world, especially today, when human contacts are so quick. Fashion is instant language." —Miuccia Prada
I come from a defense background. My grandfather served in the Indian Air Force and my father served in the Indian Army. And that is why since childhood I had a strong inclination toward joining forces. Post my schooling, I tried for NDA (Air Force)twice but could not convert the opportunity as I was conference out and medical out in my first and second attempt respectively. I joined an Engineering college but joining forces was always at the back of my head. In my second attempt of NDA, I was medical out on account of underweight and elbow angle. I realized that to get though the SSB (Service Selection Board) process not only I need to work on my interpersonal skills but also I need to attain high standards of physical fitness to match the coveted Officer Like Qualities. In service to this aim I started running in my first year of college and joined the college gym. There were many other defense aspirants in the college, my roommate being one of them. I contacted them and we decided to dedicate our focus towards the preparation for the SSB process apart from the regular engineering. We used to conduct mock interviews and Group discussions among the group and took feedback among the group and from other friends. We used to have the situation reaction test (SRT), word association test (WAT), picture perception and description test (PPDT) practice using timer. We used to analyse each answer and discuss the same in the group seeking improvement. Finally, the day had arrived - Indian Army and the Indian Navy visited the college for the GD-PI rounds in the final year. I performed well in the GD-PI rounds and was called for SSB in Bengaluru. I cleared the UES Navy-Pilot entry SSB. I was also able to successfully clear my aviation medicals. All the hard work and dedication eventually paid off. I joined the Indian Naval Academy for my physical training and Air force Academy for my flying training and donned that white uniform I always dreamt of.
Aditya Birla group, the brand which resonates the Indian minds ever since Indian Independence, even after catering stellar products & services in the domestic market, it has also created impact globally. I cannot count the number of times, I have visited ABG’s Planet fashion stores which has become my one-stop shopping solution.
Before the race that is MBA, before the 16 hour long days, before my interaction with Brands and Brand Managers. There was a brand that was introduced to unintentionally, Abof, the e-commerce arm of ABFRL. A guy on the plus side faces many challenges, be it the embarrassment of not finding clothes that fit to having a set shop for all the needs because they are the only ones who sold my size, I faced them all. Until in 2016 when I was struggling to find clothes my size in Hyderabad 1400 KM away from the store in Delhi that sold my size. It was then when I first tried Abof and it was love at first order. From the perfect packaging to the perfect fit, I was at loss for words to describe the feeling of finding the right match without leaving my apartment and going through the embarrassing shenanigan of trying clothes at the various stores. It’s been 3 years since my first purchase and Abof continues to be my one stop shop for shopping barring the brief period when the website was shut down. When I read about Aditya Birla Group their 5 core values of Integrity, Commitment, Passion, Seamlessness and Speed defined to me what the brand stands for and the experience I had with it. It’s the commitment of the brand to create value for each customer alike that makes Aditya Birla Group stand out and that’s what makes it a big part of my life. #NMIMSMumbai #ABGLPWooMe
Part A: Why Aditya Birla Group is big in your life
Raised in a conservative family, parents working for meagre wages and barely enough money to make ends meet. The description doesn’t sound like that of a person who would be writing this article or would be studying at a premier B-School. However, that is the humble background that I was raised in, a father who was a long time heart patient and a mother who ran a roadside stall to make ends meet that was the description of my parents and all the hard work they put in to make my sister and I the people we are today. It was around the end of second year of my engineering when I lost my father and around the end of the fourth year when I had to make a choice, a choice between leaving my family behind and moving to a new city. Work with the company that I wanted and that could lead to a better future or work in the same city I was raised in and play it safe. The choice was rather tough but I had to make it and that’s how Hyderabad happened in my life. The second situation was around a year ago when I had received the admission shortlist from NMIMS and I had to again make a choice. To leave a secure job with a decent pay and follow my dream or to stay where I was and look after my mother’s deteriorating health. Once again the choice was tough but I had to take the decision and NMIMS happened in my life, it’s been a year since the journey began and my mom is fine and things are taking a turn for the better but my learning from both the situations is the fact that in life there are no safe bets. You need to take the stand and make your choices and work hard to make those choices the right choices, take risks, fall, pick yourself again, dust your clothes and continue to walk forward. #NMIMSMumbai #ABGLPWooMe
