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Dhirubhai H. Ambani, the Founder Chairman of Reliance Group, is credited to have brought

about the equity cult in India in the late seventies. He is regarded as an icon for enterprise in

India. A man far ahead of his times, he epitomized the dauntless entrepreneurial spirit 'dare to

dream and learn to excel'. He dared to dream on a scale unimaginable before in Indian

industry.

The life journey of the most enterprising Indian entrepreneur is reminiscent of the rags to

riches story. He is remembered as the one who rewrote Indian corporate history and built a

truly global corporate group. His life and achievements prove that backed by confidence,

courage and conviction, man can achieve the impossible.

Dhirubhai Ambani alias Dhirajlal Hirachand Ambani was born on December 28, 1932, at

Chorwad, Gujarat, into a Modh family. His father was a school teacher. Dhirubhai Ambani

started his entrepreneurial career by selling bhajias to pilgrims in Mount Girnar over the

weekends. He moved to Aden, Yemen after completing his matriculation at the age of 16. He

worked there as a gas-station attendant, and as a clerk in an oil company. He returned to India

in 1958 with Rs 50,000 and set up a textile trading company.

He started his first textile mill at Naroda, near Ahmedabad in 1966 and started the brand

'Vimal'. He built India's largest private sector company, Reliance India Limited, from a

scratch. Over time he diversified his business into a core specialization in petrochemicals

with additional interests in telecommunications, information technology, energy, power,

retail, textiles, infrastructure services, capital markets, and logistics.

Dhirubhai Ambani is credited with revolutionizing capital markets in India by attracting

millions of retail investors in a market till then dominated by financial institutions. From

nothing, he generated billions of rupees in wealth for those who put their trust in his

companies. Due to his efforts and with the help of innovative instruments like the convertible

debenture, Reliance quickly became a favorite of the stock market in the 1980s. In 1992,

Reliance became the first Indian company to raise money in global markets. Reliance also

became the first Indian company to feature in Forbes 500 list.

From a humble beginning, he went on to create an enviable business empire within a span of

just 25 years. Under Dhirubhai Ambani's outstanding visionary leadership, the Reliance

Group emerged as the largest business conglomerate in India, and carved out a distinct place

for itself in the global pantheon of corporate giants. The Group's track record of consistent

growth is unparalleled in Indian industry and perhaps internationally too. Today, the Group's

turnover represents nearly 3 per cent of India's GDP. The Reliance Group is a livingtestimony to Dhirubhai's indomitable will, single-minded dedication and an unrelenting

commitment to his goals.

Besides being firmly rooted in traditional Indian values, Dhirubhai was also the

quintessentially modern man, the man of the new millennium. This was clearly reflected in

his passion for mega-sized projects, the most advanced technology and the highest level of

productivity. The corporate philosophy he followed was short, simple and succinct: "Think

big. Think differently. Think fast. Think ahead. Aim for the best". He inspired the Reliance

team to do better than the bestnot only in India but in the world.

The number of revolutionary precedents set by Shri Dhirubhai Ambani is legion. His uniquevision redefined the potential of the Indian corporate sector as he challenged conventional

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wisdom in several areas. He was probably the first Indian businessman to recognize the

strategic significance of investors, discover the vast untapped potential of the capital markets

and channelize the same for the growth and development of industry. He was supremely

confident that finance would never be a constraint in executing his projects because, as he

said proudly, Indian investors would provide him with the necessary resources. And the

investors never let him down.

Dhirubhai Ambani succeeded in creating an investor base of historic proportions for the

Reliance Group. He was able to create an unbreakable bond of implicit trust between him and

his shareholders, who placed their savings in his care. He worked with unflinching sincerity

to get them the best returns. Thereby, he brought happiness and prosperity into the homes of

millions of investors. For him, his people were his most important asset. He scouted around

for the best and most talented professionals, nurtured them and continuously propelled them

to aim for still higher goals.

Dhirubhai visualized the growth of Reliance as an integral part of his grand vision for India.

He was convinced that India could become an economic superpower within a short period oftime and wanted Reliance to play an important role in realizing this goal. His actions were

inspiration for others. Whatever he did became a standard for others to follow. His sterling

leadership qualities, remarkable foresight, uncompromising pursuit of excellence, humility,

prodigious capacity to motivate and trust people will continue to guide and inspire future

generations.

Truly, men like Dhirubhai Ambani are rare. They come gifted with the power and the vision

to change the destiny of nations, to alter the course of corporate history. They are the empire

builders, the stuff that legends are made of. Some of his notable quotes are: "Our dreams

have to be bigger. Our ambitions higher. Our commitment deeper. And our efforts greater.

This is my dream for Reliance and for India."; "You do not require an invitation to make

profits."; "Meeting the deadlines is not good enough, beating the deadlines is my

expectation."; and "Don't give up, courage is my conviction."

Dhirubhai Ambani won many words and accolades during his life. He was named the Indian

Entrepreneur of the 20th Century by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and

Industry (FICCI). In June 1998, he was awarded the Dean's Medal by The Wharton School,

University of Pennsylvania, for setting an outstanding example of leadership. A poll

conducted by The Times of India in 2000 voted him "greatest creator of wealth in the

century".

In November 2000, he was conferred the 'Man of the Century' award by Chemtech

Foundation and Chemical Engineering World for his contribution to the growth and

development of the chemical industry in India. He was lauded for his dynamic, pioneering

and innovative genius. His success story fired the imagination of the younger generation of

Indian entrepreneurs, business leaders and progressive companies. He was an icon for them, a

role model to be emulated.

Dhirubhai Ambani died on July 6, 2002 at Mumbai after suffering a brain stroke. His legacy

is being carried on by his sons Mukesh and Anil.