Why Aditya Birla Group Is Big in Your Life?
When it comes to impacting people’s lives, there are only a handful of companies that have done it on a scale Aditya Birla Group has managed to do for the past 160 years or so. Being this ubiquitous, ABG has managed to have a profound impact on my life so far, a sentiment I’m sure I share with the billion plus Indians.
The first fifteen years of my life involved extensive traveling to far-flung towns and villages. Away from the glitz and glam of city life and my only point of contact with the group was through their ads. Or so I thought. It wasn’t until I was well versed with the world around me, that I realized the breadth of the group I was dealing with here. The countless schools and homes I spent a better part of my life in, were built with their cement, the clothes I wore were theirs, the foils my mom used to pack my lunch in were made by them. I have had an Idea sim for the last 10 years or so since I got my own phone, something that has helped me stay in touch with my friends and family without a break. As I grew older and had money to spend on clothes & accessories, the first shop I took to was Pantaloons. It slowly became my go-to place for buying stylish, affordable & quality items. I bought my first suit from Louis Philippe. I have worn it to all my interviews since, from the time I landed my first job, to the time I gave my last B-school interview. Forever 21 is my go-to destination for shopping for my near and dear ones. The trust I place in this brand today is immeasurable and it has only grown in strength over the years.
No article can do justice to the impact they have had on my life or the lives of the countless Indians that occupy this holy land. The linkages are way too many to recount in a single sitting. There might be countless other instances I might be missing considering how huge the group is, with its arms in fashion, metals, finance, telecom, etc. One thing though is sure, ABG has influenced the lives of most, if not all of us Indians through their work. Here’s to hoping that long may that continue.
How Have You Made an Impact?
It was a cold spring evening sometime in May 2017, I was sipping my daily dose of evening tea and chilling with my dog when my phone lit up. I had just been selected for by one of the most reputed B-Schools in India to join their prestigious MBA programme. I had already put in my papers at the company I was working in knowing my future lied somewhere else, the where part of the equation was still up in the air. At that time, I was utterly confused. My heart ached for IAS, mainly because of my father’s dream to see me as one, but my brain kind of knew I was meant for the MBA life. With the acceptance letter in my hand, it was tempting to join the B-school, but I knew if I didn’t pursue UPSC now, it was never happening. After what seemed like an eternity, I decided to leave the comfort of the security of the offer in hand and decided to take the plunge into the unknown.
I thought I had done my research. I had talked to enough people about UPSC, I knew what to study & I knew the astronomical odds I was up against. Despite the million calculations, I had missed out on one very particular detail. The exam was still a year off. Motivation and discipline, probably the two most important aspects you need to make the cut, would be in short supply for the next few months. Its impact is something I realized a bit late and by the time I did, I knew I was already out of the race. Already in isolation, cut-off from my friends and family, I slipped into depression. I started doubting myself, something I had never imagined myself doing. But that’s the thing about being at your lowest point, not knowing where your future lies, the philosopher in you starts stirring things up. First came the nihilist, he told me to just let everything go, everything is a mirage anyway. Then came the hedonist, he said, “Nothing in the world matters, so why not party your way through it”. After countless nights juggling both, I had heard enough to know I didn’t belong with either of them.
It was the same spring evening again, but things were different this time around. The uncertainty was the same, but the comfort rugs had been swept off my feet. No job, no offers and an exam in a month’s time I knew I was going to bomb hard. I had already let my parents know about my situation and they couldn’t have been more supportive even if they tried. After 24 years of knowing every next step I was going to take, it was a bit strange to not have a clue about the next step. A clean slate is what they call it and I had one on my hand. Strangely enough, the thought moved a few gears in my head. For the very first time in my life, I had a choice to make which was going to be truly mine. I realized that IAS was just a job at the end of the day, and a job could never be your dream. Your dreams are supposed to be greater than that. With that thought, I delved deeper into the thick head of mine. I realized I wanted to make a difference to the society & the pursuit of IAS was just a means of fulfilling that. It was time to put on my thinking cap back again, to figure out what might satiate that need. Ideas came flying left, right & center, and almost all the realistic ones involved setting up an NGO or being part of one. But I didn’t know the ABCs of running or managing a team, let alone an organization. I knew what my next step had to be. I had to join a B-school, know the in and outs of an organization, how to run one or even better, build it from scratch. All pieces started falling in line after that. I aced the exam, joined a better B-school than the one I had dropped 2 years ago and a month in, things are looking up again. I haven’t made an impact yet, not by a long shot. But there’s a long way to go, and I have taken the first step towards making a difference.