The Shopaholic with a big blow... -Srijan Gupta, XIMB

Shopping is therapy. At least some of the people would agree to this. But what do you shop for? The options are endless. But what are your go to stores? Who do you go around with? How do you reach there? The possibilities are again endless.

Well, here is a walk through a shopaholic’s life. But, shopping alone is boring. So, I take out my phone, dial up Bhaskar’s number and select my Idea sim for the call. Why him? Because his mother always sends over these delicious Aloo parathas wrapped in Freshpakk.

Now, to get that dapper look you need for the Saturday night out, Allen Solly and Peter England are my go to stores. With the endless range, you can never miss out on any opportunity. Let’s not forget the likes of Louis Philippe, Ralph Lauren, and Van Heusen. No other brand apart from these come in mind you want to dress to impress.

But for a guy just out of college, casual wear was the first choice. With an endless change in trends and a crunch on money, Pantaloons was always there to the rescue. Be it the basic tee shirts from Ajile or a casual shirt from American Eagle to the denim from Bare. They always have it all covered.

You might be wondering why this emphasis on endless. If you would have noticed, all the brands mentioned above belong to a certain group, The Aditya Birla Group. And, the scope of the Aditya Birla Group is endless. Its subsidiaries are endless. Aditya Birla Capital Ltd., Grasim, Birla Carbon, Aditya Birla Chemicals, Aditya Birla Insulators, Indo Gulf, etc are to name a few.

How come a group with this endless reach is not a part of your ever going endless life?

How you overcame challenges to achieve your ambitions in life so far?

The big blow!

Here is a little background about myself. I live in South Delhi and my parents are postgraduates with good job profiles. So, it is safe to say that things came to me easily because of the environment I grew up in. I never needed to worry about a thing, with pretty much decent academics as well.

Now coming to my college days, in the year 2015. Like every other kid, I had my fair share of hopes and dreams as well before joining my alma mater. Things were going smoothly till now and everything was fun. But, the real hardship was yet to come.

Fast forwarding to my final year of engineering, when we all had to choose between a job and pursuing higher studies. I chose the latter. But since life is uncertain, I meanwhile decided to sit for the placements as well. And then came our first recruiter, with the entrance exams for the prestigious B-Schools just about three months away.

Being my overconfident self, I flunked the aptitude test for the recruitment and knew about the same the moment I stepped out of the hall. This was the blow I not only required but deserved. My preparations for the future started that very day. I needed to fight my overconfidence.

After passing through all the stages of hardship, here I am, in a prestigious B-School. But, I know that the overconfidence can strike back in anytime, and the hardship will never be over. Life will keep on throwing challenges, but it will find a way.

#ABGLP #ABGWOOME #XIMB