As a child, something I loved was getting to stay in different cities and states, make new friends and experience different lifestyles. The onus of this rests on my father who underwent frequent transfers. Back in 2007, my studies were suffering so it was decided that I would be sent to a hostel, as I was a 13-year-old grown up which I thought back then was huge. I was the one who accepted changes with open arms, atleast that is what I have learnt in the past few years. But this time it was different, it was without mom and dad. It was without a home. As a kid who is very close to her father, staying in a hostel was hurtful and upsetting. It was my father who visited me during the weekends. I remember the smell, the feeling, the sudden rush of adrenaline in my body when the hostel warden shouted my name calling me to meet my father. Those Sundays were the best spent. I remember my father dressed in suits of different colour but one brand(Something I never knew until I grew up) It was Van Heusen. His love for the brand made me admire the sense of choice he has. I associate Aditya Birla Group with love, compassion and belongingness. To me ABG is togetherness. The euphoria I experienced, every time I looked at my father during his short yet impactful visits, I remember the feeling when he hugged me. To me ABG means comfort; it is what home means. It has been a symbol of excellence. If that is what we call big, then yes ABG has been a part of one of the fondest memories of my life.
Fast forwarding to 2017, it was the last day of my 100-day long stint. I was surprised by the greetings, unexpected cake cutting ceremony and all the appreciation I received for this much-unappreciated job. I was elated to be experiencing this but more than that the warmth of those moments was unimaginable. It was time I had to depart and then I delivered the few last words of wisdom to the class and then the speech was over a shrill voice of ma'am entered my ears. He questioned “Ma’am, when are you going to come back?" I looked at him smiled and didn't reply because I lacked answers but because I was touched. This is the story of my happy place. This is the story of something I believe made an impact on me and gave me an opportunity to make a difference to society. It was my teaching stint at the Teach India, a C.S.R. initiative by Bennett, Coleman and Company, wherein I had the job to teach students coming from rural and sub-urban areas undergoing technical education from ITI. While they were sound with the technical skills they lacked the basic communication, English proficiency and behaviour skills highly essential to get employed. The students whom I had to teach were of my age or mostly older. The concept was to focus on being a facilitator and not a teacher; To provide them an environment to make mistakes and to learn from each other. That was the day I realized that real happiness comes from helping others, by giving back to society. Helping the underprivileged to find a job for themselves and helping them to buy their own bread is what gave me immense pleasure. It made me happy like nothing else. I had my own challenges in managing classes and travelling for 80 minutes and even the exams. But in the end I was happy each day before sleep I felt at peace and that yes I am really making each day count.