Time is a difficult thing to cease. And when you are a part of a nuclear family with both parents working then it adds on to the difficulty. A typical day of my life would include my parents returning around 9:30 pm or after that, tired and wearied out after all day exertion and no energy left to talk. And the weekends would include my mother covering all the household chores which she missed on the weekdays and my father taking care of other aspects of the house. Because its on both of them to run maintain the daily dynamics for me to live. So, where do I fit in amongst all the hustle? One can find me waiting eagerly every evening for my parents to return , pressing my ears hard against the door trying to hear the honking of their car and trying to tell them how my day went or on the weekdays urging them to sit and spend some time with me amidst their busy schedule while I was there sitting on the corner of the bed with a book. But Time was a difficult thing to cease.
So, one thing I always used to look forward every year was, not to the time of festivities but to the preparations for the same because that included the rare moments when we used to go out as a family. Buying clothes and looking trendy is one of the mandates of festivals in India and Pantaloons, a division of Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd, has always been our one stop solution for “Favourite Fast Fashion Destination”. From the moment we used to enter the store after being greeted by the guard at the gate, we used to find ourselves lost in the huge collection the store had in for us. I remember walking confused through the sectors of different brands and come back to my mother while she was busy in RangManch section looking for a kurti or a dupatta, and drag her to the Anabelle or Forever21 sector to show her a top or a dress I liked, while liking a few more on the way since all of them were so pretty. The store consultant used to help us in trying out each look and somehow then I used to find myself having undivided attention of my mother and of the consultant investing into choosing the right look for me. And amidst all of this my father would patiently wait for his turn to go to the Louis Philippe, AllenSolly, Peter England and other sections to choose one for himself but my mother and I having the girl gene active inside us would take forever to try and select a particular attire. I remember laughing with her with all my heart at the check out counter noticing that as usual we have bought more than we had planned for.
While returning home I had my heart filled and a smile that would not go away from my face while I gazed out of the window thinking of the moments we shared in the store for hours.
The store echoes the laughter and the moments we shared there as a family.
Time is a very difficult thing to cease and Pantaloons helped me to do it and spend time with my family. Thus, Aditya Birla Group has always been important in my life.
An impact I feel I've made in life:
I feel putting a smile of satisfaction on your parent's face is the biggest success one can wish for in his/her life.
In 2018, I remember my mother’s voice cracking over phone after I sent her my picture, clad in an Van Heusen Suit, receiving the gold medal and the certificate from the dignitary in my under graduate college as the Best Student. Her happiness knew no bounds as she was aware of the hard work I had to put in to achieve the award.
I also remember all the faculty members and fellow students congratulating me and my team after we won the trophy of “E-Cell of the Year” award as a part of our college E-Cell in an all India Competition organized by National Entrepreneurship Network of Wadhwani Foundation. Representing our college in Delhi on such a big platform was a huge task in itself. Dressed in the same Van Heusen suit, walking on the stage with "Jai Ho" being played in the background and flares of celebration coming out from both sides of the stage and lifting the trophy in front of Entrepreneurship Cells from all over India and in the presence of Romesh Wadhwani himself and moreover being acknowledged for your efforts on a national platform for creating awareness required in the society today about Entrepreneurship, is a memory that I will cherish my entire life. The sound of everyone clapping and congratulating us in the auditorium made us feel that we could make the impact that we wanted with our hard work and dedication.
Whenever I pick up the suit, my lips curve on its own thinking of the memories attached. And I hope in my journey of IIM Ranchi I get to live such moments again.