Dhirubhai Ambani

Some Lesser Known Facts About Dhirubhai Ambani

• Did Dhirubhai Ambani smoke?: No

• Did Dhirubhai Ambani drink alcohol?: No

• He was born in a Modh Family to Jamnaben and Hirachand Gordhanbhai at Chorwad in Junagadh city and was the 2nd son of his parents.

• His father was a school teacher.

• He started his entrepreneurial career by selling chaat-pakoda to pilgrims in Mount Girnar.

• He left his studies after the 10th standard.

• At the age of 16 in the year 1955, he moved to Aden, Yemen to join his elder brother- Ramniklal who was working there at that time.

• His 1st job in Aden was that of a gas-station-attendant.

• While in Aden, he also worked with A. Besse & Co (Antonin Besse) for a salary of 300 INRs.

• When he came back to Mumbai from Aden in the year 1957, he had only 500 INRs in his pocket.

• In 1960, he co-founded a company- Reliance Commercial Corporation with his brother- Champaklal Damani. The main business of Reliance Commercial Corporation was to export spices and to import polyester yarn. 

• He set up his 1st office at the Narsinathan Street in Masjid Bunder, Mumbai. It was a 350 square feet room with a telephone, 2 tables and 3 chairs. 

• In 1965, the partnership of Dhirubhai and Champaklal Damani was ended and Dhirubhai decided to continue the polyester business of the firm.

• In 1966, he renamed the company as Reliance Textiles Industries Pvt. Limited and established a synthetic fabric mill at Naroda in Gujarat in the same year.

• In 1968, Dhirubhai expanded the company’s business to textiles with a brand name- Vimal. 

• He issued his company’s 1st Initial Public Offering in 1977 which was over-subscribed by 7 times.

• In 1985, he renamed the company from Reliance Textiles Industries Pvt. Limited to Reliance Industries Limited. 

• In 1986, he suffered a stroke, which had paralyzed his right hand. He handed over the control of Reliance to his sons Mukesh and Anil Ambani in the same year.

• In 1991-92, he commissioned Hazira Petrochemical Plant in Surat district of Gujarat. 

• In 1996, Reliance Industries became India’s 1st private sector company to be rated by International Credit Rating Agencies.

• In 1998, an unauthorized biography of Dhirubhai Ambani with the title- The Polyester Prince was published by Hamish McDonald but he couldn’t sell the book in India because of the legal threat by the Ambanis. 

• On 24 June 2002, he suffered a major stroke and was admitted to the Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai.

• After being in a coma for more than a week, he died on 6 July 2002.

• A Hindi film- Guru was released on 12 January 2007, which was based on the life of Dhirubhai Ambani.