My first memorable interaction with Aditya Birla Group was back when I didn't know about Aditya Birla Group. It was a simple instance. I was in 7th standard and I saw one of my school seniors carrying his own mobile phone. To the best of my memory, it was simple phone. Something like a Nokia 3310. I went back home and asked my parents for my own mobile phone. NO came the answer. I was too young. I sulked and I whined (I was a very demanding child) and eventually, I got my very own mobile phone. The connection was an Idea connection. I didn't make the choice, I didn't even know what options were available. My parents were using Idea connections and my mom happened to have 2 phone numbers; I got one. This was in 2007. I still have the same phone number 12 years later. For me, this is a very personal thing, as there are very few things that have remained unchanged for 12 years in my life. This experience was followed by many others. Shopping for my first blazer at Van Huesen, for one. I had started working and needed a blazer for an important meeting. I didn't know head or tails of blazer shopping, but I was sure the staff at Van Huesen would be helpful, and they were. A lot of such small yet meaningful experiences have cemented the position of Aditya Birla Group in my life.
My personal victory is a very small one in the bigger picture of things, yet it is something I hold very dear. I had scored decent marks in my 10th board exams and decided to take science (PCM) and become an engineer. Gave an entrance test for a coaching class, got into a good batch, went for a few days and BAM! understood absolutely nothing. Thus started the poorest academic performance of my life which resulted in my dropping from a CGPA of 9.2/10 in 10th standard to a 54% in 12th. I did terribly in all the entrance tests as well. I hid my JEE mains and CET results from my parents. I was petrified. My confidence in myself was shattered and so was my parents' confidence in me. I decided to drop the engineering plan and pursued a BBM degree instead where I did well. All this while, I couldn't help but feel defeated. In my head, BBM was an easier degree, so doing well in that didn't mean anything. Eventually, I decided to give CAT 2016, but as the exam neared, I felt under-prepared and ended up not giving the exam itself. In hindsight, this was out of fear of being disappointed again. Eventually, after working for something, I gave CAT 2018 and other exams. I got shortlisted for interviews. Every interviewer asked me about my 12th results and I gave the most honest answer I could. That was that I didn't understand most of it. Calculus, Physics and Chemistry were beyond me. I was honest and trying to be as open as possible; I wanted to accept the past and move on, but felt that my scores would never let me. Eventually, I was in the GIM interview and the same pattern continued. However, there was a modification. When I said calculus was a problem for me , the interviewer asked me a couple of basic math questions; things you could solve without any formula. I quickly scribbled on a notepad and gave the correct answer, to my own utter disbelief. Cut to 3 months later, and I meet my interviewer in GIM. I thank him for giving me the opportunity to try. He told me that now, it's done. It doesn't matter anymore. Since then, I started believing in myself a lot more and I consider this a personal success story.
