- Why Aditya Birla Group is big in my life?
“What an Idea sir ji!”- remember the infamous tagline of Idea cellular from 2008 which was endorsed by Abhishek Bachchan? How subtly they touched everyone’s heart using their advertisement campaigns and finishing with their punch line “What an Idea sir ji!” Yes, everyone remembers. Apart from using their network back then for constant late night calls with my friends this tagline is one the special things that I remember the most about Idea from my childhood -“What an Idea sir ji!” Even now after the boom of the 4G telecom industries Idea-Vodafone are one of the major players in the Indian market which shows how gritty and market savvy they are.
Recently, during the construction work for the extension of our home the architect who was responsible for the planning & designing, recommended us Ultratech cement. And it just goes on to prove the brand value that is attached with Aditya Birla Group and why it is so popular to all the households who would want to have a dream home for themselves. They had made an impact on my life back then and I really give them credit for it, for making a home for my family.
Also, for me Aditya Birla Group plays a very important role in my MBA life here at XIMB. Heard of Peter England? Yes, right; one of India’s leading menswear brand. They offer apparel products that cater to every fashion need of a MBA student’s life. Especially for me, when I was confused about what to wear for business conclaves, placements and sudden batch meets, Peter England had the answer to all of it. To be honest it was just not Peter England, if I was out of options there I could turn to Van Heusen and Louis Philippe for the same. It is for Aditya Birla Group that I am having a hassle free transition to my MBA life.
The thing about Aditya Birla Group is apart from their presence in the above three industries, they are also present in a wide range of industries ranging from jute and cement to mining and insurance. They are one of the leading conglomerates in the world and constantly ranks in the Fortune 500 companies globally with a net worth of US $44.3 billion. And, as for me, I always wanted to know how diverse can I become and how big a skillset can I have, but was always skeptical of the same and was afraid of failure. And, the one thing about Aditya Birla Group which I feel has struck me the most is their ability to be present in so wide range of businesses and be successful in so many of them. Yes this is how Aditya Birla Group has impacted me in my life and this is how they will always influence me in my everyday life.
- How I overcame challenges in my life?
As a child everyone wants to play, run, basically they want to be outside in the field. Being a chronic asthma patient from my childhood, I had always had to face issues while playing outdoor games. I would always become tired after a short sprint or sometimes even laughing for too long and I would fall down and gasp for air. At 10 years of age I was admitted to the hospital twice in a year so that they could stabilize me using Nebulizers.
As a child it was really hard for me to see my friends playing and me sitting outside the playing ground. Well this also had some positives, I was pretty decent at board games and sketching though. But still playing on the field was always the best and most lucrative thing there was. Till my 12th I never played outdoor games that much but then suddenly everything changed, I went to college and found my passion there; Archery. I still remember the first day I started practicing it I knew from the bottom of my heart that it was the only outdoor sport I could be good at and I gave my all to Archery.
From skipping classes for practice to waking up at 5 AM in the morning and practicing straight till 6 PM evening, I know I tried my best to give everything. Then slowly even though a bit late the efforts started bearing fruits. During my last year of college I got the chance to take part in the first competition and it was a state level event, and I gave it my all but still fell short of the coveted gold medal by 1 point. I was broken and distraught back then but now that I reflect upon those days I feel like whatever I have won, even the silver medal, I deserved it and I was fortunate enough to find Archery, because if I had not, I would still be bad at outdoor sports and I would still be the caged kid sitting in his room while looking at his friend playing in the field from the window. I am grateful for whatever I have, yeah it could be better, always, but what is life without ups and downs? Nothing.