Dhirubhai Birth Anniversary Dhirubhai, who founded the country’s largest business conglomerate, Reliance Industries, was born on this day itself. The story of this business leader, who gave a new direction to the country’s industry, inspires every Indian to do something new and big.
Dhirubhai was born on 28 December 1932. Dhirubhai was the third son of Hirachand Govardhandas Ambani, a school teacher in Chorwad, a small village in Gujarat. Dhirubhai’s family was financially weak, so he started helping the family financially in childhood. Dhirubhai used to sell bhajiya near the hills of Girnar to help the family. Here his income depended on the number of pilgrims.
Today Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) is one of the world’s leading companies. Reliance founder Dhirubhai Ambani has told the world that building a great business does not require advanced degrees or being born into a wealthy family. If there is a passion to do something, a person can reach anywhere. Dhirubhai went to Yemen at the age of 17 to do a job
Dhirubhai With Big Dreams
Dhirubhai had moved to Yemen at the age of 17 to join his elder brother Ramniklal for a job, but Dhirubhai had bigger dreams. He came back to India and started his business journey from Mumbai. When he came to Mumbai in the year 1958, he brought very little money with him. Together they brought the address paper of a Gujarati shopkeeper’s son from Aden living in a chawl in Mumbai so that they could share a room with him. Apart from this, no one knew him in Mumbai.
Dhirubhai Started His First Business With His Small Savings
After reaching Mumbai, Dhirubhai started trying to do some business with his small savings. In search of trade, they also went to Ahmedabad, Baroda, Junagadh, Rajkot, and Jamnagar. He realized that with less capital, he could set up a grocery, clothing, or motor parts store in these places. This shop could have given him a steady income, but it was not what he was looking for. He had to grow fast.
He came back to Mumbai. He housed his wife, son, and himself in a two-room chawl and opened an office with the name Reliance Commercial Corporation and launched himself as a spice trader. His office had a table, two chairs, a writing pad, a pen, an inkpot, a pitcher for drinking water, and some glasses. There was no phone in his office, but he used to pay a doctor near him and use his phone.
After some time, he felt that instead of spices, if he trades yarn, it will be more profitable. He started a garment manufacturing unit in Naroda. From here he never looked back. He worked hard day and night and kept taking Reliance to new heights. Dhirubhai started the business in the year 1959 with only Rs 15,000 and at the time of his death, the gross assets of Reliance Group had reached 60,000 crores. Now Reliance Industries Limited has become an Rs 12 lakh crore company.
