It was the summer of 2005. Whole India was engulfed in the heat wave and my hometown, which is a small town in the western part of Odisha, was not to be spared. Mercury soared like anything else. Amidst the blistering heat, there came a moment of exuberance for me when my father brought home a new Nokia 2600 with an idea sim inside it. For me at that time, the enthralling happiness of talking to my friends and relatives over a mobile phone could only be beaten by seeing Roger Federer holding aloft a Wimbledon trophy. That was the very first time that I received the joy of being a part of the family "ADITYA BIRLA GROUP."
Fast forward to 2019 when I received an interview call letter from the IIMs. The sheer happiness of having been selected for the next round propelled me to the gate of PANTALOONS of my local area in Pune. For the very first time in my life, I was going to wear a suit and once again as I had done several times in my life, I decided to rely upon PETER ENGLAND, and it did not disappoint a bit. Every time I wore it, I felt proud and matured.
Aditya Birla Group has been an indispensable part of my childhood as well as my adulthood. I can remember spending countless hours just looking at the sheer number of packets of Ultratech Cement in the store room when our own house was being built. After 13 long years, I can still feel the touch of reliability and authenticity in the sturdy wall of our bedroom. The giant plant of Hindalco in Hirakud, Odisha, where I spent four years for my under graduation course, always left me awestruck. It was one of the largest plants in my area, and it gave employment to a large chunk of the local population. There was a coolness about having an Aditya Birla Group plant in your locality since the area got a lot of recognition because of that.
My Story:
"If your first instinct is to run away from failures, then perhaps you're doing it the wrong way!". This was Mr. Kumar Mangalam Birla's mantra to deal with failures. From chasing the dream of being an IIT graduate and then settling for a Tier-II college to getting a less than a fancied job after graduation, I have had my fair share of failures in life. But I was determined to make amends by doing my MBA from a top institute. I landed in Infosys through my college placement process. My journey there started with a grueling five-month training program in Mysore, and it did not let me appear for CAT 2016. Then I was posted in Pune office of Infosys. The rigor and demand of my project did not allow me to study and prepare properly for CAT 2017, which I was a massive setback for me. Then came 2018, and this time around, my eyes were set for CAT 2018, and I was determined to make it through. I started dedicating a few hours after my office time for my CAT preparation regularly.
At last, my hard work paid off. After almost eight long months of preparation, I managed to land myself in a reputed MBA institute, and the saga of failure seemed to have finally halted. It gave me immense satisfaction that I pulled it off despite the obstacles that came in my way. My story drew great inspiration from Mr. Birla, and hopefully, this can pave the way for creating more beautiful stories in future.
