When I first heard of the name Peter England, I assumed it to be a clothing brand from the UK. And quite naturally so. It was only a few years later that I realized it was a brand owned by one of the largest conglomerates of India. This was when I started researching about the Aditya Birla Group and was stunned by the variety and diversity that the group offered. But aside from the facts that this group is the third largest Indian private sector conglomerate and that it employs over 1,20,000 people, what really strikes me the most about this company is the way it has expanded and acquired businesses all over the world. The fact that the Aditya Birla Group operates in 35 countries gives you an indication of how far it has come from its inception over a century and a half ago. And that is exactly why Aditya Birla Group is big in my life. It has inspired me to come out of my comfort zone and always look forward, to always aim for goals which are above my reach and never be satisfied with what I have. The Aditya Birla Group has achieved so much since its incorporation and I’m sure it won’t stop here. Like the group, even I have decided never to stop and keep moving, achieving my goals and setting higher goals to achieve them.
I had been preparing for CAT for approximately one and a half years before I appeared for it in November 2017. Since I was studying for my graduation as well, I couldn’t focus much on CAT and ended up getting a low percentile. I decided to take the entrance exam again and made up my mind to work harder than I had previously. But it was 7th August, 2018 that things took a U-turn. 5th August, 2018 was my grandmother’s birthday which coincided with Friendship Day. As my family and I had already celebrated her birthday the day before, I decided to spend this day with my friends. I came home late that night by which time my family had gone to bed. We never really know when it is going to be the last time we are going to talk to someone. The next morning, my mother woke me up and told me that my grandmother was having a heart attack and to go and call a doctor. We admitted her to a hospital but by 7th, her organs had stopped functioning and she passed away. It had affected me in a big way and I began to have sleepless nights, often going to bed at 4 in the morning. But after a month, I made up my mind that the only way my grandmother would have been proud of me was by seeing me succeed. And the first step for that was the CAT exam. I had just under three months to study and prepare for the exam. So, I began working hard for it, studying like I had never studied before, and got 88 percentile in the exam. And the cherry on top of the cake was that i got into T. A. Pai Management Institute, one of the most reputed institutes in the country. And though I do have that regret of not spending that day with my grandmother, I know that she is somewhere up there, feeling proud of what I have achieved.