“He came, He saw, He conquered” is one quote that aptly describes Dhirubhai Ambani and the way he introduced renaissance in Indian business industry. A man with a simple fortune of 25,000 turned out to be one of the richest men in the world. A man, who loved waving to aircrafts during his childhood days, bought his private jet. A man who did multiple jobs to earn a living transformed himself into owner of a conglomerate and we all known him- Dhirubhai Ambani.
Today, being the 80th birth anniversary of Dhiribhai Ambani, there is grand celebrations across RIL (Reliance Industries Limited), headed by Mukesh Ambani wherein a number of contests, competitions, and camps have been held, throughout the week for employees.
Honored with the ‘Man of Century’ award by the Chemtech Foundation and Chemical Engineering, he has been a role model for everybody and anybody who wishes to make it big, in India. His ‘rags to riches’ story, manifesting extraordinary success achieved by a man with an ordinary background , has inspired scores of common people to believe in themselves.
When accepting the ‘Man of the century’ award, he stated, “While friends called me a doer, I took pride in being a dreamer.” From being the son of a school teacher in Gujarat who failed to pass his exams in the first attempt, earning his living by selling snacks during weekends , he is reckoned as the founder of India’s first Fortune Global 500 company. He believed in his dreams and made others believe in it too. His determination and confidence had a magnetic effect pulling the otherwise reluctant middle class to invest in his company, even in his first public issue. Often known as a restless soul, his risk taking appetite has proved to be the fuel for his business. It was this unwavering attitude that paved for his company being ahead of the government in the race, when it possessed a 27- million tonne capacity plant in four year’s time whereas the government had four oil giants with a capacity of 85 million tonne in a 40 years span.
Known for his backward integration strategy that is deemed as one of the most competent one, in present times, he pegged on it, repeatedly, to expand his company that revolved around polyester to other sectors including plastics, oil, refineries, gas, and telecommunication.
Dhirubhai Ambani, founder of India’s largest empire and a man, passionate about dreams with a zest for challenges will always be remembered as one of the greatest entrepreneurs the world has ever seen.