It is not every day that you come across a conglomerate which is doing it’s every bit to shape the lives of people for a better tomorrow. A company which has changed the meaning of BIG for the modern world.
A company which spans to 34 countries of the world and has a strong workforce of 120,000 employees from 42 different nationalities, yes I am talking about the Aditya Birla Group, which today reaches to almost 7.5 million people in one way or the other.
How much is BIG for the ABG?
• Big is as Massive as 0.1 MMT of Ultra Tech cement used in the construction of Bandra Worli Sea Link.
• Big is also Microscopic; as the Birla Carbon nanoparticles used to make car tyres safer.
• Big for them is also Indispensable:
Grasim Industries being the 4th largest producers of insulators.
• Big is Lifeline:
Birla Copper provides Indian Railway with a majority of its copper requirement.
• Big is Fashion for Everyone;
Pantaloons, Allen Solly, Van Heusen, Peter England are a household name today.
• Big is Elite; for the group today holds huge names like Ted Baker, Hackett London & Ralph Lauren.
• Big is all about Diminishing Distances; Vodafone Idea being the 2nd largest Telecom Operator in the world.
• Lastly and majorly, Big is all about Corporate Responsibility; AB Group being a keen collaborator on schemes like Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan, Swachh Bharat
Abhiyaan etc with the Indian Government.
Aditya Birla Centre for Community Initiatives & Rural Development is them, giving it back to society.
My introduction with the brand first happened in my undergrad college, coming in terms with Idea as my mobile operator. And till today, I have stayed to be a loyal customer of the same (Vodafone idea now). It is amazing to see how one single company has made the world such a small place to be, making it so easy to connect with friends and family across the globe. Who can forget the advertisements that till date are the most relatable with the crowd; Be it, What an Idea Sir Ji or the Idea 4G Dekhte Jao or the majorly popular Walk when you Talk. The company certainly impacted me and numerous other people with its quirky-ness so much so that at a certain point 60 per cent of its customers were from rural areas and the company (after the exit of AT&T and Tata) had alone raised Rs. 2819 cr. and was listed on stock exchanges.
As Frank A. Clark rightly said; If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere and the same has been some part of my journey wherein I had to go hand in hand with certain challenges, one of them majorly being overcoming social fear.
Some day in the month of August 2009, I stood in front of a crowd of around 120 people facing the biggest fear of my life, public speaking. It was that day and today where the major difference in my life happened.
August 2009, owing to my stage fear I was laughed at, ridiculed and rejected. I ended up secluding myself from everyone just to face these insecurities. At the end what I realised was that, These fears are not my enemy, they are here to protect me. I had to just acknowledge them, realise their purpose and let them go.The only thought that drove me was, Regret Stays Forever and this very thought is what made me from a shy backbencher to the head to the co-curricular society in my undergrad. It has been a long journey wherein I went to lead a society with 20k+ members and organise approximately 20+ events over 2 years.
It hasn’t been an easy ride but leaders like Mr. Kumar Mangalam Birla have been an inspiration as someone who took over the Birla empire at an early age of 28 and since then has taken the entire group to an altogether growth trajectory.
Seeing inspirational leaders like these are born emerging leaders like me who take steps to overcome their biggest fears and reach a place where I am en route to and maybe become a business leader in the years yet to come.
