Aditya Birla Group is one of the largest Indian conglomerates with its presence in multiple countries across the globe. At the same time, it also has expanded into many cities and towns of India with its plethora of products and brands. It is no surprise then than it has touched millions of Indians and I am one of them. I get reminded of a fond memory whenever I hear of Aditya Birla group.
A few years ago, when I got my first salary, I was feeling ecstatic and was thinking of various items to spend it on. I had long wanted to buy something for my father who had been extremely supportive in all my life decisions.
I was at my home which was a modest town and had simple marketplaces. But fortunately, a new Pantaloons store had come up and everyone was talking about it. I decided to check it out myself and so visited it one evening.
Needless to say, it brought a breath of fresh air to an otherwise just decent market with its plush ambience and well-trained staff. The items on sale were also top quality. As I was browsing through the merchandise, I had the idea of buying a couple of shirts for my father. I could imagine the happiness he would have when I’d gift him those shirts with my first salary.
I carefully looked at the colors he liked and chose two shirts. Since it was Pantaloons, I was assured of quality. The price tags also didn’t seem to burn holes in my pocket.
When I got back and presented them to my father, it was sheer delight to look at his surprise and happiness. My mother too had this look of surprise and joy on her face.
I will always cherish that moment.
Challenges are inevitable in everyone’s lives. I have had my own fair share. I welcome challenges because I believe they have the potential for personal and professional growth associated with them. And when I find myself facing an unexpected challenge, the potential is even higher.
I recently had such an occasion when I was visiting Kedarnath. When I was returning back from the temple, I reached a place known as Sonprayag which is a halting spot for pilgrims. It was late night and temperature was chilly. On top of that, it also began to rain. It was peak season and the place was overcrowded. Being a small town, Sonprayag didn’t have enough accommodation facilities for everyone.
I was travelling with my friend who desperately needed some rest while no hotels had vacant rooms. After looking at several options, we realized that there was no hope for us in the town. Spending the night under the open sky with the bitter cold and rain was also not an option. Then someone told us that there is another town nearby called Sitapur which usually has less pilgrims and more number of hotels and therefore may be able to offer us something. But the problem was that it was more than a kilometer away and there was no transport option available. Travelling on foot was not an attractive option as we were extremely tired and the night was cold and wet. Finally, after weighing the situation, we decided to walk!
By the time we reached Sitapur, we were dead tired. But luckily, we found a hotel in which we could spend the night. As we crashed into our beds, I felt happy that we decided to walk and not stay back at Sonprayag.