“Happiness”. It appears to be a simple word on the face. But has interpretations so vast that no one can define it concretely. If we put the same question in front of different people, everyone will come up with their own answer as to what happiness means to them. For some happiness is doing what they like, for some it is spending their evenings with loved ones and friends and the list goes on. For me happiness is deriving pleasure from the little things. Creating memories that put a smile on my face when I reminisce. I want to thank Aditya Birla Group for giving me many of these fond memories.
I still vividly remember the first time I went to the Van Heusen outlet near my home with my friend Akshay. I was going through different suits for my first interview and after about a dozen suits he commented “Bas suit badiya pehenne se teri shakal nahi badal jaani” which literally translates to “No matter how good the suit is, nothing is going to change the unfortunate looks of your face.” That remark along with the grin on his face is something I will remember perhaps for all my life. A visit to Pantaloons brings back a memory from years ago, when my friend Sandeep maneuvered through the maze of racks to retrieve the two discounted jeans he had ingeniously hidden so that he can go back home and get the money while the jeans were safe. And, who can forget their first car accident. One day in 2009, just a few days after Holi, my mother decided to take the car for a spin and rammed it into a stack of Ultratech cement bags which were brought in for repairing our colony temple. Even now, when we plan a family outing my father jokingly offers the keys to her in case she wants to knock anything else down.
Challenges are like medicines, though they may taste bitter they will certainly make you better
The true merit of happiness can be appreciated only when you have also endured sadness. When it comes to making someone sad, helplessness and under confidence easily take the spot light.
Being someone who had just moved to Delhi, I wasn’t too fluent in Hindi. Hence, I was ridiculed a lot in the class. I had two ways to go – continue speaking and wait for the ridicule to eventually end or to speak less and maintain a safe distance. As a kid, it was easy for me to limit conversation to what was absolutely necessary. Resultantly I became an introvert. But, as you grow up you realize that the same strategy wouldn't work anymore. I tried out various methods to overcome my fear of talking to people. I took up public speaking. I participated in all debates that I came across. I was able to win some of them. But it didn’t bring any massive changes. I realized that it is not possible to overcome fear of swimming by paddling on the shore. So I took the plunge. I took up a sales profile and left for Dubai armed with nothing but a heart full of zeal to overcome my inhibitions and a few sets of Peter England formals. Initially I set my target for number of phone calls per day, which increased every week. Then I started to meet customers and discuss our product with them. Then I moved from talking strictly business to developing relations. I changed from being a person who prefers mail to someone who calls up. I slowly but steadily improved and overcame my fear. It doesn’t mean I still don’t fumble or get stuck, but I have come to realize that so do others and it is ok. There is nothing to fear.
So I would once again like to thank Aditya Birla Group for being such a great partner throughout my journey of finding and appreciating happiness. Because that is what life is all about.