Belonging to an extremely humble background, a corner on the face of the earth where my father struggled every day for a one-time meal of the day and shared a tiny hall with his six other siblings, struggle, I believe has always been part of the growing up process.
Although, I have had the pleasure of living a much comfortable life as compared to that of my father’s, the struggle and privilege of it all and the realisation that it all came from years and years and hard work and patience was never lost on me. You ask me about my challenges? Well, I cannot say that they have been anything mind-blowing, just the ordinary everyday trails every man has to go through in this rigid and competitive world.
In my teenage years, my school, which ideally should be the hub and source of all good memories became a place of fear for me. I came from a very small town in Jharkhand and was suddenly put in the midst of the bustling streets of Kolkata. In my school, I was ridiculed for being “dehati”, “unkempt and untidy”, as a person who could not utter a single sentence of English from her mouth correctly. For someone who was just fifteen and was trying to make sense of this new world, the situation indeed became very overwhelming. It was a battle I fought every day.
I never confessed anything to my parents, for I was ashamed at not being a competent daughter. I kept it all within me. But then again, I realised the importance of self-belief. I used to stay up for hours watching movies with English subtitles until I learned; until I learned to talk in English fluently until I found my lost confidence and until I realised that no matter how much you try people will always their best foot forward when it comes to pushing you down.
Self-acceptance, that is what it taught me. We are not defined by our successes but by the way we face our failures and I failed big time. But then again, I rose, every time because to me the reality of life lies in the hustle. I have learnt a lot about me and will always, always choose to strive because it makes me a better person. A person who is proud of herself.
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Aditya Birla Group. A name which transcends the layers of time and space. An initiative that holds a proud heritage and touches the lives of each individual in an irreplaceable manner.
It all started with the mastermind, Mr. Ghanshyam Das Birla who founded the roots of the Aditya Birla Group back in the 19th century in the beautiful town of Pilani, placed amidst the enchanting Rajasthan desert. With the support of his visions and grit, G.D. Birla set up industries in pivotal industries such as textiles and fibre, cement, aluminium and chemicals. As a close follower and confidant of Mahatma Gandhi, he also played an important part in the Indian freedom struggle. Thus, G.D. Birla emerged as one of the premier industrialists of pre-independence India. His goals and foresight were then shared by his grandson, Mr. Aditya Vikram Birla, the Group’s legendary teacher who took the ABG name to newer and more sustainable heights.
Today, Aditya Birla Group is in the league of Fortune 500. With their major footholds in areas such as the Aditya Birla Capital, Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited, Ultratech Cement Limited, Vodafone Idea Limited, the ABG has accomplished a wide variety of tasks and has set new benchmarks for companies which compete with it in their respective industries. Their brands include names which touch one or the other aspect of an individual’s lives, such as Allen Solly, Van Heusen, Forever 21, Birla Carbon, Pantaloons, Ted Baker and Eternia.
ABG is a conglomerate which has made innovation its core movement. Right from the time of independence to the current times, the brands have evolved to suit the needs and aspirations of its employees, stakeholders and more importantly, its consumers. Right from its CSR philosophies to its revolutions in terms of longevity and networks, ABG has truly emerged to become “the children of liberalization”.
