Dhirubhai

Ambani Biography
Dhirubhai Ambani was an Indian entrepreneur who founded
Reliance Industries Limited and made it one the largest private
sector comapnies in India. Know more about his childhood, life,
works and achievements in this biography.
Quick Facts
Also Known As

Dhirubhai Ambani, Gurubhai

Nationality

Indian

Religion

Hinduism

Born on

28 December 1932 AD

Zodiac Sign

Capricorn

Born in

Junagadh

Died on

06 July 2002 AD

Place of death

Mumbai

Siblings

Ramaniklal Ambani

Spouse:

Kokilaben Ambani 1955-2002 (His death)

Children

Mukesh Ambani, Anil Ambani, Nina Kothari,

Deepti Salgaonkar

Founder/CoFounder

Reliance Industries, Reliance Power, Reliance

Capital

Net worth

$5.9 billion

Fiery instinct, futuristic outlook, indomitable will, and a burning

passion was all that Dhirubhai Ambani had when he set out to
work his way for a living in the lanes of Bombay, way back in
1958. From being a spice dealer to a cloth merchant to a textile
producer, it was his overarching ambition, inexhaustible energy
and never-say-die spirit that led him through all the obstacles to
emerge as the business tycoon of India. He established and laid
the foundation for Reliance Industries, which has become one of
the largest conglomerates of India today. It was through his
futuristic vision and strong business acumen that Reliance
Industries created history in the Indian industry, a legacy that
would serve as an inspiration for generations to come!
Dhirubhai Ambanis life is surely the rags to riches story, as he
took one step at a time to become one of the industrial giants of
the country. Fuelled by an aim to Think Big, Think Differently,
Think Fast and Think Ahead his capacities in the
entrepreneurial sector were in stark contrast with his
competitors, as he promised his dealers a deal that was
revolutionary, profit we share, losses are mine. It was through
his zeal, bonhomie and invincible spirit of conquering the
universe that he transformed his men from clay into steel and
helped them attain the pinnacle of success. For more on his life
and profile, read on.
Childhood & Early Life
Dihrubhai Ambani was born in a Modh baniya family to
Hirachand Govardhandas Ambani and Jamanaben in the
village of Chorwad in the district of Junagarh. His father

was employed as a school teacher while his mother was a

homemaker.
Raised in frugal living conditions, right from an early age,
he was aware of the insufficiencies that the family dealt
with due to the meagre income of his father and large
expenses.
While at school at Junagarh, he was elected as the
General Secretary of the Junagarh State Union. He
organized a rally on Indian Independence Day, defying the
rules of the Nawab, head of the state.
Next, he became a part of the Praja Mandal Movement
that organized rallies to bring about constitutional reforms
in the state. T he result was the fleeing of the Nawab to
Pakistan and Junagarh being a part of the Indian Union. It
was his passion and active political involvement that
brought him to the notice of political leaders.
In 1949, a new Socialist party emerged from the Congress
of which he found himself a part of. For the upcoming
municipal elections in Junagarh, he started campaigning
for his favourite candidates, which eventually resulted in
their victory. T hough he was offered a place in the Party,
he declined the offer to walk on road of his true calling.
Leaving aside his political pursuits, he concentrated on
academics and gave his matriculation exams. However,
due to the ill health of his father and impoverished living
condition of the family, he had to give up on his education
and take up a job offered in Aden
Care e r
At Aden, he took up a clerical job at A. Besse & Co, the
largest transcontinental trading firm east of Suez. T he
company dealt with trading all sorts of goods to European,
American, African and Asian companies.
Curious to learn the tricks of the trade, he soon started
working simultaneously for a Gujarati trading firm. It was
there that he learnt accounting, book keeping and

preparing shipping papers and documents. He also

acquired the skill of dealing with banks and insurance
companies.
Soon he took to speculative trading, in all sorts of goods
and made profitable deals, a fact which made his
competitors think of him having a knack for trade. He was
then promoted to the oil filling station at the newly built
harbour. It was therein that thoughts of building a refinery
first shaped his dream.
Meanwhile, Yemeni movement for independence curtailed
opportunities for Indians living in Aden. T hus, he moved
back to India in 1958 and started exploring business
opportunities in Bombay.
Since he could not make large investments, he settled as
a spice trader under the name Reliance Commercial
Corporations. He soon started trading spices, sugar,
jaggery, betel nuts and such to Gulf Emirates. He focused
on low profits, high volumes and rich quality.
Not the one to be contented easily, he soon shifted focus
to yarn trading, which though had high levels of risks
involved, promised richer dividends as well. Starting on a
small scale, he soon made big deals in yarn to the point of
being elected a director of the Bombay Yarn Merchants
Association.
His foresightedness and ability to judge helped him crack
two most hefty deals in the yarn market that earned him
the flush of capital required for the future Reliance
Textiles. Playing on his idea of establishing a
manufacturing unit, he soon realized the same by setting
up a textile mill in Naroda, Ahmedabad in 1966.
Every weekend, he flew from Bombay to Ahmedabad to
check on the progress of the establishment of the factory
and troubleshoot any problems faced by the workers. His
main aim was to produce the best quality nylon in the
quickest way possible and in largest quantities.
He tripled the workforce to fasten the building of the

factory. However, a drop in the valuation of the rupees

globally steepened the project costs. Nevertheless, not
the one to get scared to taking risks, he continued with
the project.
By August 1966, the construction work had finished and
the equipment and machineries were being installed to
meet the September 1 deadline of starting off with the
productions. Meanwhile, he accumulated a workforce of
35 men from Calcutta, Indore and Bombay to work in the
factory. Production started as planned on September 1,
1966 but took a couple of months to stabilize.
By January 1967, his dreams started to realize as the
Naroda factory began producing the finest quality of
Nylon; but the new company had no buyers in the market
as the wholesalers refused to buy fabric from Reliance at
the instance of established big mill owners. .
Not the one to accept defeat, he soon stepped out on the
road and started selling his stock directly to retailers. His
daring attitude and gutsy behaviour impressed all and
soon the market for Vimal, the name of his fabric, grew
and started expanding. In no time, it became the finest,
best-selling fashion fabric of its times
Increased demand led to increased sales and greater
profits. With the excess money, he started expanding his
mill by adding new machineries and better facilities for
workers. Soon the Reliance family grew large and
prosperous with influx of a whole new gamut of fresh and
experienced workers.
By 1972, Reliance became huge and thriving, a stark
contrast to its starting days. T hree years later, it received
a nod of excellence from the World Bank, a fact that
speeded the upgradation and expansion of all plant
operations.
In 1981, his elder son Mukesh joined the business and he
initiated Reliance's backward integration journey from
textiles

into

polyester

fibres

and

further

into

petrochemicals, petroleum refining and going up-stream

into oil and gas exploration and production
In 1983, his younger son, Anil Ambani joined the business
and took over as the chief executive officer at Naroda.
Between 1984 and 1996, the mill experienced a grand
makeover as computerized and high-tech machines
replaced the old traditional ones making Reliance the
grandest composite mill in the country.
Over the period of time, the Reliance industries diversified
into other sector, such as, telecommunications,
information technology, energy, power, retail, textiles,
infrastructure services, capital markets, and logistics.
Major Works
He was the mastermind, the initiator, conceptualizer and
the visualizer behind Reliance Group. Starting off as a
mere yarn dealer, he wrote history by establishing
Reliance Industries at grassroot level and making it the
largest business conglomerate in India.
Dhirubhai revolutionized the way capital market functioned
by drawing large amount of retail investors in a market till
then dominated by financial institutions. He shaped the
'equity culture' in India and generated billions of rupees in
wealth for those who put their trust in his companies.
Reliance was the first Indian company to feature in Forbes
500 list.
Aw ards & Achie v e m e nts
For his excellent business acumen and never-say-die
spirit which made Reliance one of the topmost business
empires in the country and the world, he was conferred
with numerous honors including Deans Medal, Lifetime
Achievement Award for Corporate Excellence and Man of
the Century award. Additionally, he was named Man of
20th Century by the Federation of Indian Chambers of
Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
Posthumously, he was conferred with the ABLF Global

Asian Award at the Asian Business Leadership Forum

Awards.
Pe rsonal Life & Le gacy
He married Kokilaben in 1954. T he couple was blessed
with four children, Anil Ambani, Mukesh Ambani, Nina
Kothari and Deepti Salgaonkar.
A stroke in 1986 somewhat slowed him down and he
handed over the reins of the company to his sons.
He breathed his last on July 6, 2002, after a major stroke.
Triv ia
T his man from an impoverished Guajarati household built
Indias largest
Industries.

private

sector

company,

Reliance