Lesser Known Facts About Indian Business Tycoon Dhirubhai Ambani

Dhirubhai Ambani, the man who took birth in a middle-class family paves his path to become the richest man in Asia. However, his rags-to-riches story was not so easy. From selling fried food to being a petrol attendant, the present-day tycoon has tasted it all. Along with this, Dhirubhai Ambani has many characteristics that most of us are unaware of.

In this post, we are presenting some of the interesting and lesser-known facts about the brilliant business magnate of India, Dhirubhai Ambani.

Lesser-Known Facts About Dhirubhai Ambani

1. Born To A School Teacher

Dhirubhai was born as Dhirajlal in a small town (Chorwad) in Junagadh city, Gujarat. His father was a hardworking teacher in a village school. Dhirubhai often bunked school to watch people selling goods in the street.

2. Entrepreneurship Journey

His entrepreneurship journey began when he started selling chaat-pakoda in Gujarat. He used to sell the chaat-pakoda, bhajias, and fried food to the pilgrims of Mount Girnar.

3. His Education

Today, if you meet any businessman, you will get to know about the heavy qualification he/she did to turn around their lifestyle.

But this wasn’t the case with the biggest business tycoon of India, he was just 10th standard passed.

4. First Foreign Trip

When Dhirubhai Ambani was just 16, he made his first overseas trip to Aden in Yemen, 1955. In Aden, he lived with his brother, Ramniklal.

5. His First Job

In Aden, Dhirubhai got his first job in a transcontinental trading firm as an office clerk and gas attendant. His hard work and dedication got him promoted to a higher position.

Also Read: Satya Nadella- How Did An Electrical Engineer Become Microsoft CEO?

6. His First Salary

During the mid-1950s, Dhirubhai Ambani worked with Antonin Besse for the pay of INR 300. He saved lots of money just to come back home & start his own business in India.

7. Start of an Empire

He started an import/export business of polyester yarn with the money he saved from his job. Later, he founded Reliance Commercial Corporation with his brother named Champaklal Damani.

Ambani used to stay in a small flat along with his wife & kids for years. Eventually, the family moved to a bigger home in South Mumbai.

8. His First Office

Dhirubhai Ambani’s first office was located in Masjid Bunder. His first office had 1 telephone, 3 chairs, and 2 tables arranged in a 350 sq ft room.

9. Name & Renaming

Before the success, the company underwent numerous changes, especially the names. Reliance Commercial Corporation was renamed Reliance Textiles Pvt. Later, it got the name Reliance Industries Limited.

10. Vimal Textiles

RIL enabled Dhirubhai Ambani to have a prominent presence in the textile market as well. He expanded the business in 1968 and builds a brand named “Vimal”

11. RIL to International Platform

With his perseverance and diligence, RIL became an international conglomerate. The company earned the status of 1st Indian private company with an international credit rating in 1996.

12. His Demise

Dhirubhai Ambani suffered from two major strokes. The first stroke occurred in 1986 that made his right limb paralyzed. On the 6th of July 2002, he was ripped off after being in a coma for several weeks.

13. Film on Dhirubhai

A Hindi Film (Guru) was directed by Mani Ratnam to tribute one of the revolutionary businessmen in the history of India. Abhishek Bachchan starred in the role of Dhirubhai Ambani in the film.

Also Read: Rare Facts About Sir M Visvesvaraya (The First Engineer Of India)

14. Highest Civilian Award

The Indian government honored Dhirubhai Ambani posthumously in 2016 with the highest civilian award-Padma Vibhushan.

These were some of the lesser-known facts about Dhirubhai Ambani. The life story of this great business magnate has inspired and influenced millions of life throughout India.