“If you don’t build your dream, someone else will hire you to help them build theirs.” Do you remember this famous quote? Sounds familiar? Well, it was said by none other than Dhirubhai Ambani. It will be the 87th birth anniversary of Dhirubhai Ambani this year on December 28, i.e. Saturday. Dhirubhai Ambani is regarded as one of the greatest Indian entrepreneurs of all times. There are innumerable stories, rumours, speculations etc. when it comes to the life of Dhirubhai Ambani. However, the truth is not far from reality either. A man with no family fortune, no other type of wealth in hand, and no significant savings went on to become one of the biggest business houses in India – such is the story of Dhirubhai Ambani. We, at LatestLY, bring you some of the most interesting facts and trivia about Dhirubhai Ambani on his 87th birth anniversary.

  1. Born, on December 28, 1932, in a Gujarati family, Dhirubhai Ambani had four children – Mukesh Ambani, Anil Ambani, Nina Bhadrashyam Kothari, and Dipti Dattaraj Salgaocar.

  2. Dhirubhai Ambani was only 17 when he migrated to the then British colony of Aden, where his brother was working. He worked at A. Besse & Co. as a clerk at a gas station for a meagre salary of Rs. 300 per month.

  3. After his brief stint in Yemen, Dhirubhai Ambani returned to India with Rs 50,000 and the rest they say is history (Some sources of information say that he had only Rs 500 when he first came to Mumbai).

  4. Dhirubhai Ambani returned to India and began ‘Majin’ in partnership with his second cousin Champaklal Damani. Their business was about importing polyester yarn and export spices to Yemen.

  5. It is a little known fact that the first office of Reliance Commercial Corporation was only 350 sq. ft. room, which only had a telephone, a table, and three chairs. RCC was later incorporated as Reliance Industries on May 08, 1973.

  6. The marketing of the Reliance’s brand was so much so that the franchise retail outlet started selling ‘Only Vimal’ brand of textiles in the 1970s.

  7. In 1977, when the banks refused to finance him, Dhirubhai Ambani went public with Reliance Industries, and the rest they say is history.

  8. Reliance Industries, under the leadership of Dhirubhai Ambani, became the first Indian privately-owned company to be rated by international credit rating agencies such as S&P, Moody’s etc.

  9. Such was the popularity of Dhirubhai Ambani at the time that Reliance held their shareholder meetings in the stadiums to accommodate the large public gathering.

  10. It is a little known fact that Dhirubhai Ambani convinced so many people to become shareholders in Reliance that over 3,50,000 shareholders attended Reliance’s AGM in Cross Maidan, Mumbai.

  11. Not many people know that Dhirubhai Ambani’s first entrepreneurial stint was when he used to sell chaat-pakoda to pilgrims at Mount Girnar in Gujarat.

  12. Dhirubhai Ambani died due to a major stroke (his second one) on July 06, 2002. Not many people know that his first stroke in 1986 had left his right hand paralysed.

Dhirubhai Ambani was a visionary with one the sharpest minds and a fine business acumen which was second to none. He won several awards such as Dean’s Medal by The Wharton School; Man of the Century in 2000 by Chemtech Foundation and Chemical Engineering World; Man of the 20th Century by FICCI; Padma Vibhushan by the Indian government. Dhirubhai Ambani’s postal stamp was released in the year 2002.

We hope you loved knowing the interesting facts and life of Dhirubhai Ambani – the man who epitomised the entrepreneurial spirit – as much as we did it with you. We at LatestLY wish Dhirubhai Ambani’s soul rests in peace, and thank him for his unmatchable contribution in the Indian business sector among others.

Note: The above-mentioned information is sourced from different sources of the Internet. We at LatestLY do not vouch for its authenticity.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 28, 2019 10:53 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).