The journey of Birla group with India started around 167 years before when Indian’s fought their first war for independence in 1857. It has been a family like relationship between the Indians and the Birla group since then. The Birla group became synonyms with quality that can be trusted blindly. The ethical practices in business initiated by its founder, Seth Shiv Narayan Birla have always been iterated by his successors by putting highest level of emphasis on living by values and services rather than opportunism. We can say that the Birla group has successfully followed their founder’s vision for around 167 years now.
When we hear the word Aditya Birla Group, whole set of services come in front of us. Ranging from our mobile network service providers to the aluminum foil to pack our lunches, from the clothing to the cement; the presence of Aditya Birla Group is everywhere with us. In fact, Aditya Birla Group has something to provide to every fellow Indians. ABG is clothing suave Indians with its brands like Van Huesen, Ted Baker, Louis Philippe, Simon Carter, Allen Solly, Pantaloons and Peter England. These clothing brands range from a medium price range to high prices which can resonate with every section of the empowered urban middle/higher class of Indians. The Idea network along with a new partnership with the Telecom giant Vodafone is connecting people of each section and every region. The affordable and reliable cement brands of ABG are an obvious choice for the Indians for decades. The common man has generally less understanding of their financial planning and strategies, ABG with its financial services is making money less complicated. Apart from the obvious and omnipresent retail stores of ABG, there are multiple other services like viscose staple fiber, metals, viscose filament yarn, carbon black, chemicals, fertilizers, insulators, financial services, telecom, BPO and IT services which is serving people for decades.
A lot of memories, fresh like yesterday, cross my mind when I pass by any ABG fashion retail store. It reminds of the time when I aspired to enter the sophisticated stores of Louis Philippe one day in Patna with my own hard-earned money. The birthday present of a Peter England shirt from my sister was the biggest and most generous birthday gift I could ever ask for. And how do I forget that lucky Pantaloons’ white shirt and black pant wearing which I cracked my first job interview! Many of the good and not so good news that I received were on the idea number which I picked almost 8 years back. The memories of watching my favorite team winning IPL and EPL on idea internet network are the ones which can never be replaced. When I look back, ABG has been with me in every step that I have walked and every milestone in my life I have crossed has a close relationship with it. Isn't it like a family which is always side by side with you in every thick and thin, motivates you to push yourself for something beyond your reach, supports you when you are down, cheers you for your little but significant achievements and prepares your for your next big ride?
I, as an average Indian when think of ABG, the first word that strikes me is ‘Blind Trust’. The brand that has served my forefathers and has been into my house since decades and centuries becomes an easy choice where I can put my faith. Only if these reasons are not enough, then we have the persona of it’s chairman Mr. Kumar Mangalam Birla whose business practices are a gold standard in the industry. His vision of being not opportunist but serving people is something that is a benchmark for every other conglomerate and new entrepreneur equally. This honesty that is kept every day for around 167 years is something that inspires me to maintain my integrity. The standard ethical practices that ABG follows is like some priceless lesson I learn from my close family members. The kinship that I get, every time I enter an ABG store teaches me the value of human connectivity and the wonders it can do once you try to connect genuinely. To put others before yourself, is a valuable subject in altruism and is a service in literal terms. An idol, companion and a friend in ABG is an inseparable part of me now. Every baby step I walk and every sound of my heart that I listen to when I am hopeless, has imprints of ABG on it for which I want to thank but as they say you don’t need thank your family as they know it already and they are always there for you.