As a 10 year kid, I was never satisfied with what I got. I always wanted something extra. Hence, I started asking my parents for MORE than what I had. Papa, I need more chocolates, maa I need more chips, grandpa I want more ice-cream. The only solution for all my constant nagging was the MORE SUPERMARKET close to our house. The one place where I could always get more of what I wanted at that age. It is still a place where I go to groceries from. It was one supermarket which used to open at 7am in the morning, 15 minutes before I got onto my school bus. It was my nth minute stationary shop, last minute snacks shop and also my parents go-to store to buy me requirements.
Few years down the line, for my 10th grade farewell, I needed a suit. Once again, Papa I need a suit for my farewell. Everyone is wearing one. My first suit, which made me look dashing and handsome, was purchased from VAN HEUSEN at the PANTALOONS store. Two years down the line, my next suit was purchased from LOUIS PHILIPPE for my 12th grade farewell. Formals for my campus placement interviews, PETER ENGLAND. As a kid, my day started with me buying an item from the MORE supermarket to me growing up to be a professional. Aditya Birla group has been a part of my life without me realising that the brands I’m most loyal to belong to a bigger conglomerate named Aditya Birla Group. The conglomerate’s name was flashing right in front of me my whole life but the moment I had realised it was no less than an epiphany, it blew my mind. Aditya Birla Group has been integral part of my life and my family’s. It has been catering to my needs from the age I wanted chocolates to the age where I am working in a company and probably to the age where I build my own dream house with the best cement (ULTRATECH CEMENT). It has been an inseparable part that has helped me indirectly achieve my dreams. When I think “I need something”, ABG says I’ll provide you that. It has been saying that to millions of Indians and have truly been Taking INDIA to the World.
I have graduated from Manipal Institute of Technology in the year 2018 as a Mechanical Engineering Graduate. My stay in Manipal has changed me tremendously. It has changed my perceptions, made me think differently and made me overcome my fears. One such fear was the fear of needles. I have been terrified of needles ever since the day I got my first tetanus shot. It has been my number 1 fear. Overcoming that was not so easy. It was not essential that I had to overcome that fear because I was getting by just fine. But little did I know that overcoming that fear would make me feel a sensation unknown to me my whole life.
Manipal University is one of the biggest universities in India with its diverse range of courses. My first day at Manipal Institute of Technology was on August 1st. Manipal University had organised a Blood donation drive on August 15th, Indian Independence Day. My friends had decided to donate blood and asked me to tag along. I was relatively new and wanted to gel well with my friends, so I decided to tag along with my friends for blood donation drive despite my fear of needles. It was finally my turn to go for the blood check. My heartbeat was raising with each step I took towards the counter for the check-up. As embarrassing as it could have been, I puked as soon as they pricked my ring finger and that was it. I never thought I could donate blood or take an injection but circumstances made me overcome my fear of needles.
Kasturba Medical College is one of the finest hospitals in that region with affordable healthcare. It has one of the best oncology departments. The first time I donated blood was for a kid suffering from bone cancer. I had come across a what's app forwarded message saying that there’s an urgent requirement of O+ blood for a young kid suffering from bone cancer. In that moment I had decided to donate blood for the kid at any cost. Despite having severe nausea, I donated blood for the kid. It wasn’t the overcoming of fear of needles that produced an unknown sensation in me, it was the family members standing outside the blood donation room to thank me for donating blood. I didn’t understand what they told in Konkani (local language) but the tears in their eyes told me the importance of receiving the blood. Since that day I donate blood frequently and I feel very proud of myself for helping those in need.