Chasing Success | Anirudh Roy, IIFT
For my post engineering trip, I decided to trek around Ooty with two of my friends. On the way to Ooty, we made an impulsive decision to go explore Coonoor, a tiny village close to Ooty, instead of our original destination. Since no one really spoke Hindi or English very well, we had to use the GPS on our phones to find a spot close to Coonoor, where we stopped the bus and got off. After hiking through a trail for a few hours, we came across a small dirt road in the middle of the forest. All of a sudden, my friend who had the only working phone suddenly lost his balance and fell, breaking his phone in the process. The other two of us hadn’t gotten a chance to charge our phones and power banks, so we were stuck in the middle of nowhere without any directions. We decided to continue in the same direction, but after an hour we still hadn’t seen a single person and were beginning to panic. Due to the high altitude, we lost our breath very quickly, but we kept trying to motivate each other and kept a watch out for any wild animals. Finally, just as the sun was about to set, we came across a bigger road, where we were able to hitch a ride to Coonoor. Looking back, I realized how important my friends had been in a dangerous situation like that, and how essential it is to have a good assortment of people around you, if you want to succeed. This is something I will always keep in mind as I embark upon a new chapter of my life, which is my MBA journey at IIFT.
Anirudh Roy
Giving Up Is Not An Option | Laalam Samkeerth, IIFT
Being slightly overweight with an average Indian height, it was always difficult for me to find a ready-made trouser that would fit me perfectly without making me look old fashioned. But then I found a very unique piece of garment which was available in Van Heusen sport, a brand of ABFRL, it was the range of wrinkle-free trousers in the Leisure Sport segment. They were the perfect blend of comfort with excellent fashion appeal. The trousers fit me perfectly and made me feel great and comfortable about my body. Ever since I have been a regular user of those trousers along with other apparel from Van Heusen. Forever 21, People and American Eagle have been my go-to apparel during special occasions as these brands are fashionable while not compromising on comfort. ABFRL has always delivered products to people looking for power dressing and those who want to make a statement. It has a wide range of brands from affordable to luxury brands which make it accessible to all categories of the society. Aditya Birla group has been visionary since its inception and has been serving all segments of the community not only in clothing but also in various verticals like Ultra Tech cement, Vodafone Idea Limited which is India's largest telecom operator, Hindalco and Novelis in the Aluminium Industry. ABG’s policies always reflect its commitment to the environment. Novelis recycles more than 65 billion used beverage cans each year, turning them back into new beverage cans. Hindalco follows environment-friendly disposal of industrial wastes. As an environmentally conscious person ABG’s practices reflect my own core values.
samkeerth laalam
Stepping stones to confidence | Sachin Sharma, IIFT
Ever since I was a little child, I was an extremely shy person and often got extremely nervous while talking to people. I used to stammer, and it often got so bad that I could not even speak to friends or relatives whom I had known for a long period of time. However, in the eighth grade, I met Mr. Satyaprakash who was my class teacher. After Mr. Satyaprakash saw I used to struggle to stand up and answer basic questions about the class work and how I used to struggle to speak coherently, he decided to help me speak with confidence. After many months of patient and often frustrating practice, I gradually started to speak with a reduced stammer and far more fluently. I also joined my school’s skit and drama group where we used to perform short stories which helped me speak in public as well. Gradually, I started to get better. After a year or so, I passed out of the eighth grade. Yet, I still used to meet Mr. Satyaprakash every week to work on my vocabulary and speech. After so long, I had grown extremely confident and had almost no trouble speaking fluent English. A few years down the line, in eleventh grade, I won an extempore competition held in my school. I was proud of my achievement, and it showed that I had come a long way. Communication is important, and I am glad I was able to remove all such barriers for it has helped me immensely in both my professional and personal life until today.
Sachin Sharma
ADITYA BIRLA GROUP - Touching Lives Forever | Simran Sachi, IIFT
a) There are companies, which provide us with goods and essential products, and then there are companies, which even become a part of our lives and witness our life experiences with us. It’s difficult to pen down how Aditya Birla Group has continuously affected my life in every good way possible. When I opened my eyes to this world, ABG welcomed me and introduced me to its construction, the place I call my home. “The engineer’s choice” has been my parents' choice too. All the memories of my childhood are associated with that house. I thank ABG for nurturing me since then. Throughout school life, my mother’s love kept reaching me, through those delicacies wrapped in the Hindalcos Aluminium foil. Our relationship has been very long and is still going strong. While leaving home for 4 years, for pursuing higher studies, Aditya Birla group came along the train journey with me, so that I don’t feel homesick and introduced me to the new life I have ahead. Birla Copper Limited gave me the confidence to keep dreaming big on my journey to a new place and surrounding. Every girl loves shopping, and I am unapologetic about not waiting for an occasion to shop my heart out. Be it a birthday party, or a wedding at home, ABFRL has made me look my best through its unmatchable apparel. Allen Solly’s formal attire is my lucky interview dress, which has helped me look presentable and crack every selection round with ease. I have been able to portray my confident self wearing them. ABFRL has been my one-stop shopping destination for years now. ABG has helped me communicate the happiest news of my life to my family sitting far away in another city, through the smartphone’s cover glass made by Hindalco Limited. ABG has connected so deeply and closely with my life unknowingly, that, it feels like a void when ABG is not involved.
SIMRAN SACHI
Hardships are part and parcel of life | Binoy Makwana, IIFT
Aditya Birla Group is a multinational conglomerate, operating in 35 countries with 120,000 employees having more than 15 brands. It is headquartered at Mumbai. Peter England, Allen Solly, Vodafone Idea, Ultratech Cement are some of its well-known brands. The brands of ABG that I came across the most is in Fashion retail. I often buy clothes from Pantaloons whenever I want quality products for affordable prices. In my family, Pantaloons is the goto place for Ethnic wear and Kids wear. Trousers from Peter England and Shirts from Allen Solly has become a must to look sharp and professional for any corporate event. Apart from that almost every Indian use Freshwrap aluminium foil in their day to day life. Indians love food and anything that keeps the food warm and tasty needs to be in our good books, Freshwrap fits the bill perfectly. Ultratech Cement is synonymous to making strong and long lasting houses. Its tag line “The engineer’s choice” is the testament to their confidence for delivering quality product. I remember my father insisting on using Ultratech cement for renovation of our house, terming it as a long term investment. “An Idea can change your Life”- nobody can get this phrase out of their head. It gave me an instant connect to the brand and made Idea (Now Vodafone Idea) my preferred telecom brand.
BINOY MAKWANA