THE ONE AND ONLY DHIRUBHAI AMBANI

I have long been an admirer of Dhirubhai Ambani, who I believe is a source of inspiration for the current and the future generations, about how a common man’s dreams and his efforts to realise the dream with perseverance and hard work can bring results, not just for himself and his family, the company but also for his nation and the entire world. When the tribute by Parimal Nathwani, ‘The One and Only...Dhirubhai Ambani’, was published by Navbharat publications, I very keenly picked up the book and decided to read to gain more insights into this one man who the sowed seeds and showed the path for the mega empire that Reliance is today.

I was not disappointed. The book on Dhirubhai Ambani is not just a tribute to the man by Parimal Nathwani, but it is a testament to the love Nathwani has for Dhirubhai Ambani. The book is a treasure to read and keep for many reasons. The prelude where there are insights by Mukesh Ambani for a father and as he writes, for ‘a trusted colleague’, who moulded him and to whom he is very close in ideals and execution; by the then Chief Minister and our Prime Minister now Shri Narendra Modi and also for the wonderful collection of rare photographs which give us a peek into the man that Dhirubhai Ambani was and the legacy that he leaves behind, which is beyond anyone can envisage. The one thing which will remain with the reader is the simple, childlike, innocent smile of Dhirubhai Ambani, how he shines through like a beacon of hope and trust.

The book is a collection of memoirs and musings of Parimal Nathwani as he remembers Dhirubhai through the years that he has been alone without his mentor, guide and friend on the two important days, the day Dhirubhai Ambani was bornDecember 28 and the day he left for the heavenly abode on July 6.

What is good for India is good for Reliance-this was the firm conviction of Dhirubhai Ambani, and is what has been carried forward by Mukesh Ambani.

Mukesh Ambani reminisces how his father Dhirubhai Ambani used to say, “Between my past, present and future, there is one common factor – the relationship and trust!” This factor is the foundation of growth at Reliance says Mukesh Ambani, he appreciates Parimal Nathwani for the effort that the latter has put in to bring this enormous fund of memories of Dhirubhai together and actually imparted a new life to them in the form of this highly readable book. Very truly he says that there has been so much that has been written and spoken about Dhirubhai Ambani, but definitely, ‘The one and only Dhirubhai Ambani’ by Parimal Nathwani is a unique book because no other author has had such close and numerous interactions with Dhirubhai Ambani as with the Ambani and the Reliance families. So, this is an authentic perspective on Dhirubhai Ambani’s life, his business vision, his matchless work culture, his philanthropic, convictions and above all his deep love for India and also his equally deep faith in India’s potential.

One can very clearly see that Mukesh and Nita Ambani are deeply immersed in the conviction of Dhirubhai Ambani, who was a philanthropist by heart, as Parimal Nathwani has written, those who knew him closely knew that Dhirubhai simultaneously lived a parallel life of a real philanthropist. The amount of charity he did would never be known; as one thing is certain that he, and for that matter each member of the Ambani family believed in Kabir‘s adage, Neki Kar aur kuwaen mein daal, Do deeds of charity and forget!

Mukesh Ambani pays a beautiful tribute to his father, Dhirubhai Ambani, as he writes being my father, Dhirubhai was, and will forever be a source of inspiration for me, whatever Reliance is today and will become tomorrow is because of his immortal spirit. We have now institutionalised his influence in Reliance‘s internal structures and in management principles. However, Dhirubhai Ambani does not belong solely to Reliance anymore. He is a global business icon. The world outside will surely benefit from knowing about and being inspired by the life of this unparalleled Karmayogi. Hence Parimal bhai‘s book is a very useful and distinctive addition to the bibliography on the one and only Dhirubhai.

Through the reminiscences, one can clearly see that Parimal Nathwani still misses Dhirubhai deeply, time and again he refers to the fateful meeting planned for the day of June 26, 2002 when he was to meet Dhirubhai, but the meeting was postponed through a personal telephone call by Dhirubhai himself to 5 pm, but the final call which came was that he had suffered a severe stroke and was hospitalised. On July 6, 2002 Dhirubhai Ambani, left for the heavenly abode.

PM Narendra Modi’s tribute to Dhirubhai Ambani, which is translated from transcription of tributes in Gujarati paid by the then Chief Minister Shri Narendra Bhai in a prayer meeting is one of the highlights of the book and one point brought forth by PM Modi makes a huge impact and gives hope to millions of youth of this nation and the world. “Dhirubhai’s life can be evaluated in many ways, many people can evaluate it in different ways. What is the difference between business acumen and formal education? It’s Dhirubhai. Despite not having any formal degree is life was so successful that anyone would wish to follow his footsteps.”

Truly, Dhirubhai Ambani showed to the world how a common man can work and succeed on a larger canvas. He showed how one can turn the destiny in his favour by his commitment to his purpose, sheer hard work and uncompromising zeal to translate the dreams into reality as Piramal Nathwani, writes Dhiru Bhai was Dhirubhai, only Dhiru Bhai.

As one reads the book, one realises that Dhiru Bhai was a man far far ahead of his time. Parimal Nathwani remembers how Dhirubhai talked of expanding Reliance‘s refining capacity on the very day of the commissioning of the Jamnagar refinery, and at that moment, Dhirubhai drew a roadmap for agro-forestry fruit orchards, drip irrigation etc on a massive scale and today Jamnagar‘s green belt which is embedded with fruit orchards, in fact the largest mango orchard with more than one lakh mango trees, horticulture and floriculture activities, drip irrigation and other modern agroforestry techniques is actually what other industries are striving to do today that how an industry can enrich their environment and provide an impetus to agro-economy.

Today, when mobile phones are available to one and all and in fact daily lives revolve around it, many people will probably not remember how the entire mobile revolution was started and what an important and crucial role Reliance played in it. Parimal Nathwani, in the chapter titled, An Indian Superman of the Business World, shares that the one more unique thing about Dhirubhai was to focus a common man in his planning and when mobile calls were as costly as Rs 7 or Rs 8 per minute and many will remember that at one point, customer was required to pay even for the incoming calls. Dhirubhai had proposed at Rs.40 paise per minute charge for his Reliance India Mobile. Dhirubhai believed that if a man can communicate at the cost of a postcard, then only it could be called the success of any communication advancement.

Parimal Nathwani remembers how Dhirubhai actually planned for 60,000 km of OFC network across the country to build his communication network and this dream of Dhirubhai has been brought true by Mukesh Ambani and as a tribute to Dhirubhai, 110 cities were linked in one go Reliance phones when they were launched.

Dhirubhai Ambani also totally transformed the traditional focus on Indian Society from ‘smal scale’ to minimum economies of scale. With his deep economic insight and wizardry Dhirubhai foresaw the opening of the economy and the need to make Indian industry capable of competing globally.

Parimal Nathwani also answers the question that was asked to him and is probably in the minds of many, “Had Dhirubhai been among us, what would have been his stand in present RIL and RNRL controversy”, in the chapter ‘Dhirubhai Ambani: Emotions and Reason”. Nathwani clearly states, “ Shri Mukeshbhai Ambani has followed in the footsteps of his father and he is also logical, rational and determined. He also has his mother.”

For Parimal Nathwani, who has known and loved Dhirubhai as a dear friend and guide and also who was loved in return by Dhirubhai, time has stood still after the loss of his friend but one can easily sense the contentment and happiness Nathwani feels in the huge unprecedented and immense success of Reliance Industries, in the realisation of every dream of Dhurubhai Ambani with Mukesh Ambani at the helm of Reliance.

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL

ANITA HADA THE WRITER IS EDITOR AT FIRST INDIA