Aditya Birla Group is an Indian multinational conglomerate, headquartered in Worli, Mumbai, India. It has a presence in more than 42 countries. The group deals in viscose staple fiber, metals, cement (largest in India), viscose filament yarn, branded apparel, carbon black, chemicals, fertilizers, insulators, financial services, telecom, BPO and IT services. There are various brands that fall under the Aditya Birla Group, the major ones being Van Heusen, Ted Baker, Forever 21, Aditya Birla Ultratech, Ultratech cement, Pantaloons, Allen Solly, Ralph Lauren and Planet Fashion.
Being an avid shopper, I often buy clothes from Forever 21, which has a huge variety of clothes for both men and women. Forever 21 is an American fast fashion retailer which is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was in 2016 when Forever21 made its debut in India and in a $26 million transaction, Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail (ABFRL) has become its joint venture partner. ABFRL had acquired Forever 21’s exclusive offline and online rights in the country, including its existing store network.
ABG and its subsidiaries also take up many CSR initiatives which are aimed at improvement in various sectors like education, health care and family welfare, social causes, infrastructure development and a sustainable livelihood. Taking an example of Grasim industries limited which is a subsidiary of ABG, the company took up initiatives in healthcare. Around 50,000 villagers were medically checked and were treated for their illness. Numerous Cataract surgeries were performed and people were supplied with spectacles for better eyesight. Few patients who were diagnosed with tuberculosis were given treatment and were cured. The company also provided free ECG facility for rural areas. On the artificial limb fitment medical Camp, more than 150 physically disabled people were supplied with artificial limbs fitment. Apart from healthcare, it also focused on women self-help groups. Tailoring training centers setup by the company, particularly catering to single mothers, scheduled castes, physically challenged and women from weaker sections of the society, has allowed a large number of women a to earn a livelihood for themselves. Stitching machines have been provided at a subsidized rate. More than 211 women self-help groups were formed and more than 2500 were empowered through the scheme.
This article just portrays a fraction of work done by the ABG. The overall impact created by ABG is humungous and is contributing tremendously towards the development of our country.
How I overcame challenges to achieve my ambitions in life so far
Challenges are what knock you down, determination is what makes you get up and walk past those challenges. A major obstacle that I encountered recently was getting into a top B-school in my country. I completed my under graduation studies from Kamala Nehru College, Delhi University in 2016. My keen interest and a good academic score landed me a job into one of the big-four firms, KPMG.
During my tenure at KPMG, I worked as an audit associate, dealing with stringent deadlines and deliverable. The job tested my potential and helped me grow to an extent. Working closely with my managers, I realized that I need to grow further and reach new horizons. It was the time I knew I had to do something for my career, before it starts to impact my future prospects. With great ambitions and a modicum of counseling, I decided to pursue MBA from a prestigious college. I started studying for the entrances and appeared for the examinations in 2017. The reality hit me really hard when I did not make it to any of the good B-schools. It left me in a state of hopelessness and I began to doubt myself.
After a few days of self-analysis, I decided to face every challenge with audacity and break through everything in my way, which stops me from reaching my goal. I gathered all the motivation and started to study for the exams next year, with even higher enthusiasm. Giving in my blood and sweat, I re-appeared for the exam in 2018 and got into NMIMS, Bangalore. The day the results were declared, I took a breath of pride and looked back. It had been a long journey with a lot of sacrifices and struggles and it was the day I realized that failure is what inspires you to unleash the best out of yourself.