Part A
Aditya Birla Group is an Indian multinational conglomerate, headquartered in Worli, Mumbai, India. It operates in 35 countries with more than 120,000 employees worldwide The group was founded by Seth Shiv Narayan Birla in 1857. The group has interests in viscose staple fiber, metals, cement, viscose filament yarn, branded apparel, carbon black, chemicals, fertilizers, insulators, financial services, telecom, BPO, and IT services. The group had a revenue of approximately US$44.3 billion in the year 2018. It is the third-largest Indian private sector conglomerate behind Tata Group with revenue of just over US$100 billion and RIL with revenue of US$74 billion. Below is an excerpt of how ABG products influenced my life for the better.
“So, are you ready for your final two questions?” the interviewer asked.
“Yes, Sir!!!” replied a nervous me.
“Ok, can you tell me the key ingredients of concrete?”
By this time, the collar of my new Peter England shirt was drenched in sweat even though the air-conditioner was pumping out streams of cold air just above our heads. My mind was lost in its own utopian world where I could picture my father handing me an elegant white shirt and asking me to wear it to the interview next morning and sense the feeling of pride in his eyes that I had got a call from the very first core company that had visited our campus.
“So, can you answer the question?” snapped the interviewer suddenly as I woke up from my daydream.
“Yes Sir, concrete is made up of coarse aggregate such as stone or gravel, fine aggregate such as sand, water, and cement as a binding agent” I finally managed to reply.
“Correct, now can you tell me which company is the largest manufacturer of cement in India?” he shot back immediately.
I was not prepared for this question which came out of the blue. I was well versed with my design codes and civil engineering subjects but not with this general knowledge stuff. My mind again went back to the time my father had saved enough money to shift our family from our rented home to a newly-built house of our own. The inquisitiveness in his face when he asked the civil engineer about the soil testing reports, the dimensions of the rooms, the choice of concrete used, etc. It all came back to me. It all made sense to me, for now, I could answer all his questions. My mind suddenly pictured the many yellow bags that lay all around the floor, on the day of the concreting of our roof. Was that it? Was that the answer to this question?
“Ultratech……..” I replied hesitantly, praying that it be true.
My interviewer gave me a stern look. “And why do you think that’s the correct answer?”
“Because it’s the engineer’s choice” my reflexes took the better of me.
He finally gave out a smile.
I dialed my father’s number as soon as I got out of the interview room. I suddenly had an urge to look into my watch which surprised me by showing that it had been only twenty agonizing minutes that I was inside, of what felt like an eternity. What added to my disdain was that I wasn't getting any cellular coverage inside the premises.
Suddenly I got a callback. The caller ID showed "baba".
“So, how did it go?” my father asked as soon as I picked it up.
“Thank you, baba... It was great…” I replied with joy. “But how did you get network coverage?”
“Don’t forget that you have a Idea connection too.” I could picture a smile developing around his face. “An idea can change your life!” he continued.
“Yes baba, it did” I said.
Part B
“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving”
– Albert Einstein.
My CAT preparation days taught me one of the most essential truths of life. Life is all about maintaining balance. It was during the months of July-August when my preparations were in full swing getting ready for the exam. I used to work in a design consultancy firm responsible for providing design calculation reports and drawings to clients belonging to the steel sector to meet their engineering needs. I had completed two years in office and although my designation remained the same, my responsibilities and expectations we're quadrupled. I was under the able guidance of a senior colleague who had been more like a friend and less of a boss to me. Our project squad had been handed over a completely new project authorized by Tata Steel at their Kalinganar Plant Office. What was most challenging that all design reports and Autocad drawings we're to be submitted in a 3D format which was a completely new development in our office. Our drafting and engineering team not only had to learn the new software but also prepare drawings and designs with high accuracy and limited time. It was a challenging project that tested our knowledge, patience, and determination. And all of this I had to manage along with my preparations for the CAT exam. My working hours increased exponentially during the first few weeks wherein we had to begin everything from scratch. There were days when I reached home drowsy and exhausted, with not an ounce of energy left within me to solve another Arun Sharma quant problem. I tried to wake up early to make up for the lost time but my body behaved otherwise. It was getting increasingly difficult for me to reserve even two hours of the entire day for my exam preparation. With the exam, day drawing near and the decreasing percentiles in my mocks, I was gradually beginning to have an overpowering feeling to quit my job and concentrate solely on my studies. This became more evident when my senior colleague who had guided me through thick and thin, suddenly fell sick of chickenpox during the final few weeks of our project submission timeline. I had to make up for his absence and was assigned to lead the team of draughtsmen and engineers to work in tandem, make sure there are no interdisciplinary clashes while executing and designing a particular structure and ensure the quality of deliverables within the stipulated time provided to us. Although I was learning at blazing speed about leadership and team management roles, deep down I was being overcome by a daunting feeling of restlessness and anxiety. The LRDI problems seemed to be conjuring their own charm over me and I was unable to see through their magic. The Verbal comprehensions and para jumbles seemed Greek to me and my tussle with the Quant problems were on a losing streak. Each day I had to battle an internal dilemma to choose between my studies or my office. But suddenly there was a silver lining.
It was a Friday night when I was returning home after completing the list of deliverables for that week at the office. It had been a hectic week and our team leader had decided to throw a party to congratulate our success and progress so far. I was slightly drunk and making my way to my house. The lane that connects my house to the main road also houses my grandfather's hardware shop where my father used to sit now after his death. I never really understood why father decided not to close that shop even when he was earning a decent living with his bank job. At first, I thought that it was emotion and nostalgia, but that day I realized something else. It was all about maintaining the balance. Even when there was only a handful of customers that were interested to buy hardware on a chilly November evening, he made sure to open the shop premises after a tiring day at the office. And he had been balancing this for the last twenty years. All of a sudden the drowsiness from the beer evaporated. From that night and the next nights forward, I made it a point to sit with my books and mocks no matter whatever the day might have been. And I continued with this perseverance for a complete month before the judgment day. The results were hugely gratifying. Life had taught me to move on whatever the odds. It is very important that we maintain the balance for that teaches us the path between holding on and letting go and makes us wise to choose the better of the two.
#VGSoM#IIT Kharagpur #ABGLPWooMe