I lost my father when I was 7. When I think of him, I think of his white Louis Philippe shirt. My parents came from modest means and this was my father's only luxury branded shirt. I have memories of my mother carefully ironing the white shirt for my father to wear to a job interview. He wore that shirt for his promotion party, he wore it when he left for a job opportunity in Dubai, and he is wearing that same white shirt in the last photograph that was taken of him at a corporate event.
My mother, almost overnight, went from homemaker to breadwinner and it was her turn to wear a white Allen Solly shirt. It’s a shirt that she has still kept as a representation of the empowerment she felt when she could provide for my brother and I.
Last month, I bought a Van Heusen white shirt, in preparation for my MBA journey.
Why am I talking about this white shirt? Because those were my first interactions with the Aditya Birla Group (ABG), and because the values that the white shirt stands for are the same values that I associate with the brands of ABG.
Now, as I get ready to take on the professional world, brands like Louis Phillipe, Peter England, Allen Solly and Van Heusen are no longer just mere labels in my wardrobe, they stand for principles that I hope to carry with me for my entire career.
The perfectly ironed, crisp Van Heusen shirt I wore for my MBA interview - it represents aspiration. My aspiration to take on new challenges and dream big, the same way my father donned his pristine Louis Phillippe shirt when he moved to Dubai, and the same way Mr. Aditya Vikram Birla, at the age of 24 dreamt of putting this Indian business on the world map.
The well-worn shirt with wrinkles that I change out of at the end of the day represents hard work, and passion. It represents the promise I made to myself to do my best during my MBA. It stands for the long days and nights my mother worked to fulfill her commitment to provide for my family after the loss of my father. And it represents to me the strong heritage of ABG as Mr. Ghanshyam Das Birla stood up for what he believed in, in his fight for India’s freedom.
When I think of ABG, I think of all the “white shirts”, united across industries and stratas of society, in their goal to make a better future for themselves, their families, their companies and their country. From tiffins, phone conversations, styles, road trips, homes and hearts - ABG group has been a part of my entire life. But for me, it’s not been just a Group whose brand products I use. It has been a part of who I am today, and a part of who I hope to become.
The Plan B - School: How I overcame my challenges and achieved my ambition.
Hard work is a quality that my parents personified and it is what I have tried to imbibe my whole life.
My father was passionate about his job as a chartered account, and I wanted to honor his memory and make him proud by becoming one just like him. It required me to leave home and push myself out of my comfort zone to explore the best opportunities that I could receive. Despite tight deadlines and sleepless nights, I was just focused on my goal - I was not one to shy away from hard work or a challenge.
After months of preparation it was time to write the Chartered Accountancy (CA) final examinations. I put my nose to the grindstone and studied, however despite my best efforts, the results were disappointing. I did not pass. Treating that as a minor bump in the road, I worked on my weaknesses and tried even harder. Again, I did not clear. I’d seen my mother rise up to the challenge when she had to start working suddenly. I had seen her persevere through our toughest days so I knew that like her, I could not give up. I decided to try once more. Unfortunately for me, the third time wasn’t the charm.
When I got my results, I felt like I had hit a wall. I had given it my all but it didn’t seem to be enough. I was plagued with self doubt, and was on the verge of giving up. I had two choices - either try again, or take a risk and change course. I took time to reflect on what I really wanted to do. Where could I apply my skills and strengths, and get bigger and better opportunities? How could I leverage my prior experience as an Article in a big-four CA firm and apply the learning I had put in for my CA exams? And that’s when it hit me - Business School!
I put my CA books aside and prepared for the MBA competitive exams. Initially, switching gears was hard, given the time and energy I had spent on my CA preparation. Slowly and surely, with the passion and preparation, I made it! I got admission into a B-School! TAPMI! What was the highlight of it all? Being in the Banking and Financial Services specialisation, I actually get to put everything I learnt during my CA preparation to good use!