Aditya Birla Group has been instrumental in impacting the life of millions of people around the world, including my community and me.
Hailing from a modest family with both my parents actively involved in social work, I had my first encounter with the India’s No1 cement brand when it was used to set up public toilets in rural areas by my mother’s NGO, ‘Unnayan’. Unnayan has been working for a decade to provide safe drinking water and prevent open defecation, thus improve basic hygiene of the tribals in Mayurbhanj. Mayurbhanj is one of the most backward areas of the state with people earning barely enough to scape through. The affordability and reliability of Ultratech cement was the key to choose the brand over other. The brand is not only used to build toilets for the economically down trodden but also to set up small hatchery for budding tribal women entrepreneur. The hatchery structure and other structures need to weather resilient as Odisha is a cyclone prone state.
The toilets which were set up 8-10 years ago are still functional and in proper condition. The villages are yet to receive toilets promised by the government so they are dependent on the Public Toilets set up by ‘Unnayan’ with the help of Ultratech Cement. Ultratech cement has been the source of livelihood for some and for some other it has prevented them from contracting deadly diseases. Thus ABG has in many ways transformed the lives of the economically backward women in one of the most backward district of Odisha.
Biggest challenge and how you over came it?
Challenges, hardships and failures are great teachers and like everyone else, I have had my share of it. My biggest challenge, rather my best life lesson, came in the form of bullying.
The incident took place in my 6th Standard when I had just moved to Rishi Valley School. My inability to converse with my class mates fluently in English coupled with the insecurity of a small town kid made me an easy target for them and they would invent new ways to physically and mentally bully me. The bullying came in various forms from mocking my accent to beating me up in hostel. For a 13 year old kid who had left the premises of his house for the first time, life was unbearable. Running away seemed like the only option at my disposal but I knew from within that if I didn’t stand up to this soon I will never be able to stand up for myself, let alone the poorer section of society.
Almost a year of being bullied and being undermined as a capable individual, strengthened my resolve to earn a name for myself. In Rishi Valley, football was the most respected sport and to prove myself I had to be the best. It took hardwork and long hours, eventually I started becoming better at the game. Subsequently I earned a name for myself as an all-rounder, who was made the captain of the Junior football team, as an artist and all this with good grades. And I have never looked back.