Aditya Birla Group. A brand that needs no introduction, be it a global or at national level. One of the very few groups that lay the foundation of the economy of the independent India. In my 26 years of existence (dwarfs against the groups 162 years of its existence) it’s hard to imagine any sphere of my life not impacted by the group. Be it be buying a pair of jeans from Pantaloons as a teen to buying formals from Peter England for your articleship. Slowing graduating to Allen Solly after completing CA and finally settling on Louis Philippe or Van Huesen after a few months into the job.(Might be switching back to Peter England for the next two years)
It’s not only the apparels, starting my first phone with Idea to studying and working in innumerable structures build using UltraTech Cement or Hindalco products. ABG may have impacted my life in many other indirect ways, but their most influential attribute in my life, more than any of their products, has been (without doubt) their leader Mr. Kumar Mangalam Birla. Helming the empire at the age of 28 and taking the company from $3.3Billions to $41Billions in just two decades. I might be drawn to his story more than any other because he is also a chartered accountant (I mean, who among us would imagine about doing CA when you an heir to billion-dollar empire) but he has always been my answer to why MBA after CA? (Mr. Birla did MBA from London School of Business after CA). He is an inspiration and a role model like none other who exemplify the fact that hard work and determination has no substitution.
Belonging to middle class family from a tier two city like Lucknow, I had stereotypical childhood. Studies was always top priority in life and you can have anything you ask for if (and big if) it had a remote chance of increasing your efficiency in studying. Other things, you better forget about it. Being an average student, no matter how hard I fought internally against it, I was always inclined towards numbers. Being a son of a chartered accountant I followed the natural path and became a chartered accountant. Just so I could complete the cliché of CA being no fun and only study and work, I completed Company Secretary and Cost Accountancy(CMA) simultaneously and became a triple qualified professional at the age of 22.
However, I still wasn’t happy. Everybody wanted me to follow the natural path of taking over my father’s practice and settle in a few years in the place I grew in (If it wasn’t clear till now, I am a Marwadi). But I knew biggest obstacle to that perfect life was none other than me. I caught bug of “the grass is greener on other side”. How could I settle without seeing life in the big cities of India, never having to witness the male bonding and stories of a hostel life. Never having lived independently, I determined to prove it to myself that I can function out of my comfort zone.
After much effort I shifted to Maximum city “Mumbai”, the city of dreams. For the first time I faced real difficulties. I realized how people live in such a fast city. From living in a tiny apartment to braving the crowd of Mumbai local to enjoying the night with entire workforce at the office because the city is flooded and no one can go home. I realized I was happy and I had stories of my own from the great city. But like any human came the question, what next? I knew I couldn’t go back home, I knew I couldn’t stay in the phase where I am because I knew soon it would fade away and I would face my biggest obstacle, myself.
With this thought in mind, I gave CAT and joined one of the premier B-Schools of India hoping to gratify myself and fulfill my remaining desires with this phase of life, culminate to having a perfect launchpad for next phase of life, in this pursuit of happiness.
