Published By: Sayan Paul

Dhirubhai Ambani's Birth Anniversary: The Reliance Founder Had Started His Career By Selling Chaat-Pakodas

In 2016, Dhirubhai Ambani was honored posthumously with the Padma Vibhushan, India's second-highest civilian honor, for his contributions to trade and industry.

You know what's the biggest capital that one could have for a business? No, it's not money - it's ideas. As Dhirubhai Ambani, one of India's greatest businessmen of all time, said, "Think big, think fast, think ahead. Ideas are no one's monopoly." He wasn't born with a silver spoon; in fact, grew up in a very humble family. Yet, he dared to dream big and then worked hard to turn that dream into a reality. With the right vision and strategies, he created a massive empire out of nothing - and today, that empire is reigning supreme in the entire world's business scene.

Born on December 28, 1932, Dhirubhai Ambani founded Reliance Industries in 1958, which is currently the largest public company in India by market capitalization and revenue. While he is no more today, Reliance continues to carry his legacy forward, inspiring countless individuals from across the world.

(Credit: Reliance Group)

Today, on Ambani's 92nd birth anniversary, let's learn an interesting fact about him that not many know.

Dhirubhai Ambani Started His Career By Selling Chaat-Pakodas

Dhirubhai Ambani's father, Hirachand Gordhanbhai Ambani, was a village school teacher in Junagadh district, Gujarat. Growing up in a lower-middle-class family, he didn't have enough resources to continue his studies after 10th standard. Fortunately, he recognized his passion for entrepreneurship at a very early age and hence started doing his own business. And if reports are to be believed, he started his career by selling chaat-pakodas to pilgrims at Mount Girnar in Gujarat.

(Credit: indianhistorypics)

It was a great learning experience for him (which, needless to say, no business school could teach him). He got to learn a lot about consumer behavior, specifically how to cater to the public's tastes. However, obviously, he was meant for bigger things, and so quit that business soon to step into other ventures.

The Various Jobs Ambani Did Before Making It Big

Well, success didn't happen to Ambani overnight. After quitting his chaat-pakodas business, he started working as a petrol attendant and subsequently as a clerk in an oil company. Thereafter, he moved to Aden in Yemen and took up a clerical job at A. Besse & Co., which was one of the largest trans-continental trading firms at that time. His first official salary was Rs. 300.

(Credit: SCALER)

However, within a few years, he returned to India and started a business in partnership with his second cousin, Champaklal Damani.

The Reliance Industries

In 1958, Ambani founded Reliance Industries (known as Reliance Commercial Corporation at that time) as a small firm to trade spices and polyester yarn. With time, he expanded the company's operations in various sectors, especially textiles, making it a leading player in the scene.

In 1996, Reliance became India's first private sector company to be rated by international credit rating agencies. By the early 2000s, it became the largest company in India in terms of finance. Today, its businesses include textiles, energy, petrochemicals, retail, natural gas, entertainment, telecommunications, and mass media.

(Credit: Reliance Group)

On July 6, 2002, Dhirubhai Ambani breathed his last at the age of 69. Atal Bihari Vajpayee, former Prime Minister of India, said after his death, "The country has lost iconic proof of what an ordinary Indian fired by the spirit of enterprise and driven by determination can achieve in his own lifetime."