Dhirajlal Hirachand Ambani (better known as Dhirubhai), son of a school teacher in a remote village in rural Gujarat, chose to build his own spectacular dream by hiring as well as using some of the country’s most shrewd and influential minds.
But make no mistake, however shrewd or well-connected his hires or partners were, they were just bit players in the blockbuster of a megastar who dared to dream on a scale unimaginable before in Indian industry
Shri Dhiru Bhai Ambani built India's largest private sector company. Created an equity cult in the Indian capital market. Reliance is the first Indian company to feature in Forbes 500 list Dhirubhai Ambani was the most enterprising Indian entrepreneur.
His life journey is reminiscent of the rags to riches story. He is remembered as the one who rewrote Indian corporate history and built a truly global corporate group. Dhirubhai Ambani alias Dhirajlal Hirachand Ambani was born on December 28, 1932, at Chorwad, Gujarat, into a Modh family.
His father was a school teacher. Dhirubhai Ambani started his entrepreneurial career by selling "bhajias" to pilgrims in Mount Girnar over the weekends. After doing his matriculation at the age of 16, Dhirubhai moved to Aden, Yemen. He worked there as a gas-station attendant, and as a clerk in an oil company. He returned to India in 1958 with Rs 50,000 and set up a textile trading company.
Assisted by his two sons, Mukesh and Anil, Dhiru Bhai Ambani built India's largest private sector company, Reliance India Limited, from a scratch. Over time his business has diversified into a core specialisation in petrochemicals with additional interests in telecommunications, information technology, energy, power, retail, textiles, infrastructure services, capital markets, and logistics.
Dhirubhai Ambani is credited with shaping India's equity culture, attracting millions of retail investors in a market till then dominated by financial institutions. Dhirubhai revolutionised capital markets. From nothing, he generated billions of rupees in wealth for those who put their trust in his companies.
His efforts helped create an 'equity cult' in the Indian capital market. With innovative instruments like the convertible debenture, Reliance quickly became a favorite of the stock market in the 1980s.
In 1992, Reliance became the first Indian company to raise money in global markets, its high credit-taking in international markets limited only by India's sovereign rating. Reliance also became the first Indian company to feature in Forbes 500 list.
Dhirubhai Ambani was named the Indian Entrepreneur of the 20th Century by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). A poll conducted by The Times of India in 2000 voted him "greatest creator of wealth in the century".
*He was fond of quotable quotes, one of these being: “If you don’t build your dream, someone else will hire you to help them build theirs”.*
Dhirubhai Ambani died on July 6, 2002, at Mumbai. There can be no better example of someone walking his talk so convincingly.
Department of Post Issued a commemorative postage stamp on industrialist and founder of the Reliance Group of Industries, Shri Dhirubhai Ambani in Mumbai.
Issued Date :28.12.2002
Denomination: 500 Paisa
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