Part A
Having spent two years of my life in the town of Pilani where the roots of the Aditya Birla Group lies, I can say its presence in my life is massive. Looking at the history of the place, it was just a small town with a little name but today Pilani is acknowledged worldwide as the ‘City of Education and a Centre of Excellence' in the field of education.
Birla Balika Vidyapeeth, an all-girls residential school in Pilani, has changed my life in many ways. I feel quite privileged to have been schooled here where traditional values blend with progressive pedagogy. It was the vision of Dr. G.D. Birla to have a school for girls’ education, and being a part of that vision and legacy makes me feel empowered. I had some of the best experiences of my life in and because of BBVP, Pilani. The school has its unique distinction with its myriad co-curricular activities especially the NCC Band, which till date has a 60 year long legacy of marching on Rajpath in the Republic Day Parade. I too was a part of this prestigious band in 2014 where I played side drum. I even had an opportunity to give a band display performance in front of Mr. B.K. Birla and Mrs. Sarla Birla at Birla House in 2015. Looking in the hindsight, it has all been there because of the Birla Group.
Pilani also boasts of Shardapeeth, a majestic white marble temple dedicated to Saraswati, the Goddess of learning. Visiting the temple on the occasion of Basant Panchami and other days always filled me with positivity and calmness. The architectural harmony and beautiful flower decoration amidst lush green lawns are a sight to behold. Pilani was a beautiful journey and experience for me which helped in shaping my personality and enhanced my learnings.
PartB
Since the early days in school, I participated in various co-curricular and extra-curricular events. It cultivated in me an attitude of learning and improving by trying and experiencing. But while growing up, I also started feeling anxious at times when something was challenging or I was under-prepared. So it happened that in inter-school participation for competition outside my hometown, for which I had prepared well, I got nervous and right after my presentation I fainted. It was very challenging for me to accept that failure for quite a time as I felt ashamed, though my teachers and friends supported me. On top of that, I was such a big self-critic of mine that I would feel under confident and demotivated all the time. But with time, I learned not to get affected by others' performance. It is important not to ‘fear' the strengths of others, but to take it positively and learn from it. So, I continued my participation in various events with great enthusiasm in the future.
Another major challenge of my life that I overcame to reach in my dream B-school, IIFT Delhi, was fear of uncertainty and pressure. Preparing for entrance exam again after forfeiting a decent admission offer, taking a drop year and staying away from family was just not easy. I kept myself positive and motivated all the time. Just before starting my preparations I wrote a motivational article for myself expressing my views and feelings over the meaning of success and failure, and how achievement can be different for different people. It was titled as ‘Finding our new best’ and got published in the Infinitheism magazine in May 2018. This small achievement boosted me like anything.
With different challenges in life, I have learned that it’s one’s willingness to learn and quest to continuously emerge better that defines the purpose of life. Having faith in myself helped me achieve my ambitions in life.