Mukesh holds a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering from the University of Mumbai. He joined Stanford for an MBA but dropped out after the first year to help his father Dhirubhai Ambani build Patalganga petrochemical plant.
A deeply religious person, Mukesh grew up in a joint family in Mumbai. They led an ordinary life while Dhirubhai worked hard to build the textile business. Mukesh took keen interest in studies and extracurricular activities. His father gave him the freedom to do what he liked to do the most, which according to him was a great blessing. He treasures the valuable moments he spent with his father who shaped his personality. He follows his father's principles of commitment, dedication and hard work. Dhirubhai's influence on him was profound and he still practises the principles with his children Akash, Isha and Anant. He believed there was a great future in chemical engineering and pursued it earnestly.
"One was the fundamental belief that we will invest in businesses of the future and will invest in talent. We clearly saw that from oil to fabric was a value chain of opportunity and it will remain so for future decades," says Mukesh in an interview to MoneyLife.
For him, India is a land of great opportunity where one can explore new vistas and create successful businesses. He stuck by his father's diktat 'invest in businesses of the future'. He always believed in `thinking big'.
Image: Reliance Industries chief Mukesh Ambani speaks at the Vibrant Gujarat Global Investment Summit in Ahmedabad recently.
Photograph: Sam Panthaky/AFP/Getty Images
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