Dhirubhai Ambani Biography 
One of the biggest business men in the history of the world, Dhirubhai Ambani was born on 28th December 1932 in a small village in Gujarat. He had 4 other siblings’ two brothers and two sisters. On the weekends he used to sell potato fries in the local fair to earn extra income which he gave his mother. His father was not keeping well and to support the family additional income was needed. Thus, after his matriculation examination his father requested him to start working, to which he relented, yet agreed later. He soon left for Bombay and boarded a ship to Aden which was a leading oil trading port and worked as a clerk. He then joined a Gujarati company and agreed to work for free so that he could learn business practices like accounting, book keeping etc. the nights were spent reading voraciously.
He had now saved enough money to start something of his own and instead of going to London to do something there he came back to India, in the interim he was blessed with a son Mukesh D Ambani. In India he set up RELIANCE COMMERCIAL CORPORATION that imported polyester and exported spices to Yemen. A total risk taker by heart he then started RELIANCE TEXTILES in Ahmedabad, branded by the name Vimal which made cloth from imported polyester yarn. He then had an IPO in 1977.
After a row of controversies between the Reserve bank of India and Reliance, in 1982 Ambani set up a plant to manufacture polyester filament yarn. He later diversified into chemicals, plastic, power etc. He has always been surrounded by controversies, despite the Midas touch the major one being a tussle with Nusli Wadia of Bombay dyeing, his biggest competitor at that time. Another major tussle was between him and Ramnath Goenka of the Indian Express which printed articles on the mal practices and unethical business practices in Reliance. This war only ended after Dhirubhai suffered a stroke and was recovering in San Diego.
He then suffered his second stroke on June 24, 2002 and went into coma. He later passed away on July 6, 2002.
Published: N/A
Updated: October 16, 2018
