Life has an unusual way of surprising us. Doesn’t it? From the day we are born, we are dependent on our parents for even the basic necessities, and needless to say, they always prioritize us. Being from a conservative family, future career scope of female members was generally overlooked stating some reasons that never made sense to neither my parents nor me.
My father always dreamt of providing me with the finest education in his best capacity and not further pursuing his profession that is of being a cab driver. Educating me and mainly not letting it get influenced based on the environment around me was the major concern for my parents and hence we migrated to a new place. I always dreamt of becoming a professional like the passengers that used to travel in my father’s cab- with so much calm and poise. That working on a laptop, reckless fingers making the sound of keyboard always fascinated me. I decided to surprise him on Diwali. I took him to a Pantaloons store and asked him to choose whatever he wants. Apparently, he ended up buying an attire for me saying “Beta jo bhi acha lage, le lena apne liye”. That Diwali was undoubtedly a special one for us.
Aditya Birla Group has been shaping our home, being a cause for happiness in one or another way throughout our journey. From bringing us bliss in those new clothes on a Diwali Puja to getting breakfast wrapped up in Freshwrapp on a late morning just to escape being scold. These little moments added up to innumerable smiles in our life.
I started watching “Suits-an American drama series” post my 10th standard examinations, which fueled my dream of being decked up in a blazer, attending board meetings and probably go for every path pertaining to business.
I began researching and delving deeper into getting into a good college. During my final year of graduation, I appeared for Common Aptitude Test (CAT). The score wasn’t enough to get into a good Business School. My parents were highly supportive during that low phase of “me not believing myself”. Despite of me failing at my first CAT attempt, I still saw that pride in my father’s eyes, I was scared enough to not see that again, but fortunately I did. That sense of pride of my father, not being dependent on my success or failure made me realize if I start to believe in myself, I will surely be able to accomplish the dream that I have been watching since the age when I was not even fully aware of what management is all about.
I was prepared to re-appear for my MBA entrances. Working on myself for the last one year, planted confidence inside me, enough to say, “I will make it-whatever be the scenario”. The exams went really well and results were awaited. In the meantime, my mother was diagnosed with a life-threatening disease. The treatment cost was not something that we were able to cover up. We came to know about Aditya Birla Health Insurance from our connections. That was the time when Aditya Birla Group really proved to be savior for us. Amidst all the bricks falling down, I appeared for my interview process at Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), and managed to clear it. On the day of Induction at the campus, both my parents came to see me off. I am still perplexed about the tears they had- of pride, or pf having made it till here as a “Family”.
Now here I am, in my Van Heusen suit, content in this journey of my “Suit dream” and also proudly working towards “Papa, jo bhi acha lage, le lena apne liye.”
