DHIRAJLAL HIRACHAND AMBANI

INDEX

I.

THE STARTING

II.

THE LEADER

III.

STRATEGY AND VISION

a.

DHIRUBHAISM(1-5)

IV.

CHALLENGES AND DIFFICULTIES a. b. . TUSSLE WITH NUSLI WADIA THE INDIAN EXPRESS ARTICLES DHIRUBHAI AND V.P.SINGH

V.

CONTRIBUTIONS a. b. . COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT HEALTHCARE INITIATIVES EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVES

VI.

AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS

THE STARTING
Few men in history have made as dramatic a contribution to their countrys economic fortunes as did the founder of Reliance, Sh. Dhirubhai H Ambani. Fewer still have left behind a legacy that is more enduring and timeless. As with all great pioneers, there is more than one uni ue way of describing the true genius of Dhirubhai! "he corporate visionary, the unmatched strategist, the proud patriot, the leader of men, the architect of #ndias capital mar$ets, the champion of shareholder interest. "he second son of a school teacher, Dhirubhai was born in %&'( in the village of )horwad in *u+arat in circumstances that can best be described as modest. Driven by hardship and want, he had to drop out of school early. #n %&,&, at the age of %-, he went to Aden .now /emen0 in search of opportunity, and wor$ed as a dispatch cler$ for A. 1esse 2 )o. A couple of years later, the company became a distributor for Shell products and Dhirubhai was promoted to manage the companys oil3 filling station at the port of Aden. #t was here that he dreamed of setting up and owning a refinery, which he later realised with his petrochemicals venture. #n %&4(, Dhirubhai returned to #ndia and started the Reliance )ommercial )orporation with a capital of Rs.%5,666.66. "he primary business of Reliance )ommercial )orporation was to import polyester yarn and e7port spices. "he business was setup in partnership with )hampa$lal Damani, his second cousin, who used to be with him in Aden, /emen. "he first office of the Reliance )ommercial )orporation was set up at the 8arsinathan Street in 9as+id 1under. #t was a '56 S . Ft. room with a telephone, one table and three chairs. #nitially, they had two assistants to help them with their business. #n %&45, )hampa$lal Damani and Dhirubhai Ambani ended their partnership and Dhirubhai started on his own. #t is believed that both had different temperaments and a different ta$e on how to conduct business. :hile 9r. Damani was a cautious trader and did not believe in building yarn inventories, Dhirubhai was a $nown ris$ ta$er and he considered that building inventories, anticipating a price rise, and ma$ing profits through that was good for growth. During this period, Dhirubhai and his family used to stay in one bedroom apartment at the ;aihind <state in 1huleshwar, 9umbai. #n %&4=, he moved to an upmar$et apartment at Altamount Road in South 9umbai. Ambani>s net worth was estimated at about Rs.% million by late %&46s.

Sensing a good opportunity in the te7tile business, Dhirubhai started his first te7tile mill at 8aroda, in Ahmedabad in the year %&44. "e7tiles were manufactured using polyester fibre yarn. Dhirubhai started the brand "Vimal", which was named after his elder brother Ramani$lal Ambani>s son, ?imal Ambani. <7tensive mar$eting of the brand @?imal@ in the interiors of #ndia made it a household name. Franchise retail outlets were started and they used to sell @only ?imal@ brand of te7tiles. #n the year %&-5, a "echnical team from the :orld 1an$ visited the Reliance "e7tiles> 9anufacturing unit. "his unit has the rare distinction of being certified as "excellent even by developed country standards" during that period. Dhirubhai Ambani is credited with starting the e uity cult in #ndia. 9ore than 5=,666 investors from various parts of #ndia subscribed to Reliance>s #AB in %&-Bver time, Dhirubhai diversified his business with the core specialisation being in petrochemicals and additional interests in telecommunications, information technology, energy, power, retail, te7tiles, infrastructure services, capital mar$ets, and logistics. "he company as a whole was described by the 11) as @a business empire with an estimated annual turnover of C%(bn, and an =5,6663strong wor$force@.

THE LEADER
:hat do you call a man who hates to loseD A winnerD "hat is too easy, too glib, and buries the story. All Dhira+lal Hirachand Ambani ever wanted to be is the biggest there ever is, the best there ever was. He wanted a piece of the action E preferably all of it. #f others wouldnt let him in, he would create his own turf and own it all. Ambani is actually a businessman, but his career is so e7traordinary that he is more than +ust a businessman, more than even an industrialist.He is a fol$ hero to millions of #ndians, even those who are not businessmen, or do not aspire to a business career.And that is why Dhirubhai Ambani is so special, +ust as 9ahatma *andhi was something more than a politician and #ndira *andhi was more than a prime minister. "hese people are not born every day. # ran$ Dhirubhai along with the *andhis, because all of them moved the entire country in a certain direction. :ithout the 9ahatma, we would still be under the 1ritish. :ithout #ndira, the country would have been torn apart into uasi independent fiefdoms, the $ind we had before the 1ritishers arrived here. And without Dhirubhai, we would not have learnt how to thin$ big, not in terms of a small factory here and there, but in terms of giant plants, as big as anywhere in the world and as modern as they come. Dhirubhai taught #ndia to thin$ big, because, as he used to say, ours is a big country and if we do not thin$ big, we shall never be able to attain our potential. #t is not easy to thin$ big in #ndia. :e are so worried about the ne7t meal that there is no time for anything else. For the last thousand years we have not thought big at all, though the 9arathas under Shiva+i did try. :e can thin$ only of the ne7t meal, the ne7t pay che ue, the ne7t +ob, the ne7t election. :e can never thin$ of the day after tomorrow, let alone the year after tomorrow, or the generation after the ne7t. :e are so poor that everything tends to be short3term, small and trifling, and almost always temporary and short3lived. As a yarn merchant, he used to go from one dealer to another and also to purchase agents of the big te7tile companies in 9umbai, most of whom have now shut up shop or gone ban$rupt. Ambani still remembers them and calls them his sheths. 1ut how is it that Dhirubhai went on to chemicals from te7tiles, and from there to petrochemicals and then to oil e7plorationD Ambani rarely tal$ed about money, though that was supposed to be his forte. He was $nown in the mar$et as a financial wiFard. He raised Rs.-,566 crore in all for his business, huge amount even for a man li$e Ambani. "atas too$ nearly a hundred years to achieve what they did. Dhirubhai, twice as big, too$ +ust about ,6 years to do what he has done. "he Ambanis are now nearly twice as big as "atas and growing also at twice their rate. :here did Dhirubhai learn to thin$ bigD He did not learn anything from his business contemporaries because there was nothing to learn. # thin$ he was born thin$ing big. #t was second nature to him, otherwise how could a man in a %6 ft by %6 ft office haw$ing yarn end up as the owner of a huge petrochemical plant and an e ually huge oil refineryD He was a restless soul who simply had to do what he did, because that was his

compulsion. <verything else came afterwards, as it does when you $now what you are going to do, though not how you are going to do it.#f the first half of the (6th century belonged to "atas, the second half belonged to Dhirubhai Ambani and if he lives long enough, the first half of the (%st century will also belong to him. Dhirubhai Ambani is indeed a man of two centuriesG #f you ta$e a piece of ordinary glass, hold it over some shredded paper and let sunlight shine through, all you will have is a bright pile of paper. 1ut if you ta$e a magnifying glass and focus the same sunlight on the paper, you can start a fire. :inners focus, mastering the ability to accomplish. And Shri Dhirubhai was the master of masts. "his is the first lesson we learn from him! be focussed on whatever you plan to do till you achieve it. He had the same missionary Feal, the same focus in him, right from Reliances first public issue till the time he built the mammoth ;amnagar refinery. He was always open3 minded. He was hungry for new ideas and never discounted any idea or person. <ven years before his death he loo$ed for new ideas for mar$eting in this new information age. "his was the second lesson we learn from him! always be open3minded, because when you have an open mind you assimilate more, become solution3oriented and ma$e more progress in life. He always taught us that nothing is impossible in this world. Bnce you conceive an idea and bac$ it up with strong belief, you can definitely succeed. HInrealistic goals was a term missing from his dictionary. Right from te7tiles to refinery to drilling for oil, he found nothing impossible. "I am deaf to the word "no" #n the seventies, his te7tile unit got recognition as one of the worlds most modern te7tile mills, matching or even surpassing developed nations stringent standards. :hen the te7tile industry was passing through adverse times, he developed yarn3processing and went on to become a giant in the global synthetic te7tiles industry. He repeated the performance in petrochemicals, too. :e learn yet another lesson from him! always loo$ for ways to convert a crisis into an opportunity and thin$ ahead of time. He was enthusiastic, bubbling with e7citement, eager for something new to do. He e7uded optimism and was a source of positive energy . He believed enthusiasm is the fuel of life, it helps you to get where youre going. "hat was the fourth lesson we learn from him. He was a big dreamer. He always believed that he was worthy of his dream. He said you will become the person you believe yourself to be. He ceaselessly inspired us to thin$ big and ma$e our dream the purpose of life. :hen you are propped up by strong self3belief and single3minded determination to chase and achieve your dream, you become absolutely unstoppable, was his mantra. "his was the best lesson we learn from him.

STRATEGY AND VISION

Dhirubhai Ambani was no ordinary leader. He was a man who gave management a whole new JismK. "here is a new JismK that #ve been meaning to add to the vast world of words for uite a while now. 1ecause, without e7aggeration, its a word for which no synonym can do full +ustice! JDhirubhaismK.

Dhirubhaism No 1: "he silent benefactor. "his was another of his remar$able traits. :hen he helped someone, he never ever breathed a word about it to anyone else. "here have been none among us who havent $nown his $indness, yet he never went around broadcasting it. He never used charity as a platform to gain publicity. Sometimes, he would even go to the e7tent of not letting the recipient $now who the donor was. Such was the e7tent of his generosity. J<7pect the une7pectedK +ust might have been coined for him. Dhirubhaism No 2: Dream big but dream with your eyes open. His phenomenal achievement showed #ndia that limitations were only in the mind. And that nothing was truly unattainable for those who dreamed big. :henever # tried to point out to him that a tas$ seemed too big to be accomplished, he would reply! K 8o is no answerGK 8ot only did he dream big, he taught all of us to do so too. Dhirubhai was indeed a man of many parts, as is evident. # am sure there are many people who display some of the traits mentioned above, in their wor$ing styles as well, but Dhirubhai was one of those rare people who demonstrated all of them, all the time. And thats what made him such a phenomenal team builder and achiever. /es, we all need JDhirubhaismsK in our lives to remind us that if it was possible for one person to be all this and more, we too can. And li$e him, go on to achieve the impossible too. Dhirubhaism No 3: Change your orbit, onstantly! "o understand this statement, let me e7plain Dhirubhais Jorbit theory.K He would often e7plain that we are all born into an orbit. #t is up to us to progress to the ne7t. :e could choose to live and die in the orbit that we are born in. 1ut that would be a criminal waste of potential. :hen we push ourselves into the ne7t orbit, we benefit not only ourselves but everyone connected with us. However, when you change orbits, you will create friction. "he good news is that your enemies from your previous orbit will never be able to reach you in your new one. 1y the time resentment builds up in your new orbit, you should move to the ne7t level. And so on. )hanging orbits is the $ey to our progress as a nation.

Dhirubhaism No ": ideas are no ones monopoly33Shri Dhirubhai Ambani was not +ust firmly rooted in traditional #ndian values, but was also the uintessentially modern man, the man of the new millennium. "his was clearly reflected in his passion for mega3siFed pro+ects, the most advanced technology and the highest level of productivity. "he corporate philosophy he followed was short, simple and succinct 3 @"hin$ big. "hin$ differently. "hin$ fast. "hin$ ahead. Aim for the best@.He inspired the Reliance team to do better than the best 3 not only in #ndia but in the world. Dhirubhaism #: 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. "hese highly motivated people comprise the core of what he named! @"he Reliance Family@. Shri Dhirubhai Ambani visualised the growth of Reliance as an integral part of his grand vision for #ndia. He was convinced that #ndia could become an economic superpower within a short period of time and wanted Reliance to play an important role in realising this goal. "he 1hagavad *ita states, @"he actions of a great man are an inspiration for others. :hatever he does, becomes a standard for others to follow.@ "his certainly applies to Shri Dhirubhai Ambani.

CHALLENGES AND DIFFICULTIES

$ diamond is merely a lum% of oal that did well under e&treme %ressure' (o imagine how brilliant a human being an be by sustainin %ressures of life' )ife*s hallenges are not su%%osed to %araly+e you, they*re su%%osed to unleash your inner strength , hel% you dis o-er who you are'

#n %&=(, Reliance #ndustries came up against a rights issue regarding partly convertible debentures. #t was rumored that company was ma$ing all efforts to ensure that their stoc$ prices did not slide an inch. Sensing an opportunity, a bear cartel which was a group of stoc$ bro$ers from )alcutta started to short sell the shares of Reliance. "o counter this, a group of stoc$ bro$ers till recently referred to as @Friends of Reliance@ started to buy the short sold shares of Reliance #ndustries on the 1ombay Stoc$ <7change. "he 1ear )artel was acting on the belief that the 1ulls would be short of cash to complete the transactions and would be ready for settlement under the "Badla" trading system prevalent in 1ombay Stoc$ <7change during those days. "he bulls $ept on buying and a price of Rs. %5( per share was maintained till the day of settlement. Bn the day of settlement, the 1ear )artel was ta$en abac$ when the 1ulls demanded a physical delivery of shares. "o complete the transaction, the much needed cash was provided to the stoc$ bro$ers who had bought shares of Reliance, by none other than Dhirubhai Ambani. #n the case of non3settlement, the 1ulls demanded an "Unbadla" .a penalty sum0 of Rs. '5 per share. :ith this, the demand increased and the shares of Reliance shot above %=6 rupees in minutes. "he settlement caused an enormous uproar in the mar$et and Dhirubhai Ambani was the un uestioned $ing of the stoc$ mar$ets. He proved to his detractors +ust how dangerous it was to play with Reliance. "he situation was getting completely out of control. "o find a solution to this situation, the 1ombay Stoc$ <7change was closed for three business days. Authorities from the 1ombay Stoc$ <7change intervened in the matter and brought down the @Inbadla@ rate to Rs. ( with a stipulation that the 1ear )artel had to deliver the shares within the ne7t few days. "he 1ear )artel bought shares of Reliance from the mar$et at higher price levels and it was also learnt that Dhirubhai Ambani himself supplied those shares to the 1ear )artel and earned a healthy profit out of "he 1ear )artel>s adventure. After this incident, many uestions were raised by his detractors and the press. 8ot many people were able to understand as to how a yarn trader till a few years ago was able to get in such a huge amount of cash flow during a crisis period. "he answer to this was provided by the then finance minister, Aranab 9u$her+ee in the parliament. He informed the house that a

8on3Resident #ndian had invested up to Rs. ((6 9illion in Reliance during %&=(3='. "hese investments were routed through many companies li$e )rocodile, Lota and Fiasco. "hese companies were primarily registered in #sle of 9an. "he interesting factor was that all the promoters or owners of these companies had a common surname Shah. An investigation by the Reserve 1an$ of #ndia in the incident did not find any unethical or illegal acts or transactions committed by Reliance or its promoters. Despite his almost 9idas "ouch, Ambani has been $nown to have fle7ible values and an unethical strea$ running through him. His biographer himself has cited some instances of his unethical behavior when he was +ust an ordinary employee at a petrol pump in Dubai. He has been accused of having manipulated government policies to suit his own needs, and has been $nown to be a $ing3ma$er in government elections . Although most media sources tend to spea$ out about business3politics ne7us, the Ambani house has always en+oyed more protection and shelter from the media storms that sweep across the country.

.ussle with Nusli /adia

8usli :adia of 1ombay Dyeing was, at one point in time, the biggest competitor of Dhirubhai and Reliance #ndustries. 1oth 8usli :adia and Dhirubhai were $nown for their influence in the political circles and their ability to get the most difficult licenses approved during the times of pre3liberaliFed economy. During the ;anata Aarty rule between %&-- 3 %&-&, 8usli :adia obtained the permission to build a 46,666 tonnes per annum Di3methyl terephthalate .D9"0 plant. 1efore the letter of intent was converted into a licence, many hurdles came in the way. Finally, in %&=%, 8usli :adia was granted the license for the plant. "his incident acted as a catalyst between the two parties and the competition too$ an ugly turn.

.he Indian 0&%ress $rti les At one point in time, Ramnath *oen$a was a friend of Dhirubhai Ambani. Ramnath *oen$a was also considered to be close to 8usli :adia. Bn many occasions, Ramnath *oen$a tried to intervene between the two warring factions and bring an end to the enmity. *oen$a and Ambani became rivals mainly because Ambani>s corrupt business practices and his illegal actions that lead to *oen$a not getting a fair share in the company. Later on, Ramnath *oen$a chose to support 8usli :adia. At one point of time, Ramnath *oen$a is believed to have said @8usli is an <nglishman. He cannot handle Ambani. # am a bania. # $now how to finish him@.... Ramnath *oen$a, the patriarch of "he #ndian <7press *roup. "his file photograph of 9r. *oen$a was ta$en in his penthouse at the <7press "owers, 8ariman Aoint, 1ombay Ramnath *oen$a, the patriarch of "he #ndian <7press *roup. "his file photograph of 9r. *oen$a was ta$en in his penthouse at the <7press "owers, 8ariman Aoint, 1ombay

As days passed by, "he #ndian <7press, a broadsheet daily published by him, carried a series of articles against Reliance #ndustries and Dhirubhai in which they claimed that Dhirubhai was using unfair trade practices to ma7imise the profits. Ramnath *oen$a did not use his staff at the #ndian <7press to investigate the case but assigned his close confidante, advisor and chartered accountant S. *urumurthy for this tas$. Apart from S. *urumurthy, another +ournalist 9anec$ Davar who was not on the rolls of #ndian <7press started contributing stories. ;amnadas 9oor+ani, a businessman opposed to the Ambanis was also a part of this campaign.1oth Ambani and *oen$a were e ually criticiFed and admired by sections of the society. Aeople criticiFed *oen$a that he was using a national newspaper for the cause of a personal enmity. )ritics believed that there were many other businessman in the country who were using more unfair and unethical practices but *oen$a chose to target only Ambani and not the others. )ritics also admired *oen$a for his ability to run these articles without any help from his regular staff. Dhirubhai Ambani was also getting more recognition and admiration, in the meantime. A section of the public started to appreciate Dhirubhai>s business sense and his ability to tame the system according to his wishes. "he end to this tussle came only after Dhirubhai Ambani suffered a stro$e. :hile Dhirubhai Ambani was recovering in San Diego, his sons 9u$esh Ambani and Anil Ambani managed the affairs. "he #ndian <7press had turned the guns against Reliance and was directly blaming the government for not doing enough to penaliFe Reliance #ndustries. "he battle between :adia 3 *oen$a and the Ambanis too$ a new direction and became a national crisis. *urumurthy and another +ournalist, 9ulgao$ar consorted with Aresident *iani Mail Singh and ghost3wrote a hostile letter to the Arime 9inister on his behalf. "he #ndian <7press published a draft of the Aresidents letter as a scoop, not realiFing that Mail Singh had made changes to the letter before sending it to Ra+iv *andhi. Ambani had won the battle at this point. 8ow, while the tussle was directly between the Arime 9inister Ra+iv *andhi and Ramnath *oen$a, Ambani made a uiet e7it. "he government then raided the <7press guest house in Delhis Sunder 8agar and found the original draft with corrections in 9ulgao$ars handwriting. 1y %&==3=&, Ra+ivs government retaliated with a series of prosecutions against the #ndian <7press. <ven then, *oen$a retained his iconic stature because, to many people, he seemed to be replaying his heroic defiance during the <mergency regime. Dhirubhai and V'1'(ingh #t was widely $nown that Dhirubhai didn>t en+oy a cordial relation with ?ishwanath Aratap Singh, who succeeded Ra+iv *andhi as the Arime 9inister of #ndia. #n 9ay %&=5, he suddenly removed the import of Aurified "erephthalic Acid from the Bpen *eneral License category. As a raw material this was very important to manufacture polyester filament yarn. "his made it very difficult for Reliance to carry on operations. Reliance was able to secure, from various financial institutions, letters of credit that would allow it to import almost one full years re uirement of A"A on the eve of the issuance of the government notification, changing the category under which A"A could be imported. #n %&&6, the government3owned financial institutions li$e the Life #nsurance )orporation of #ndia and the *eneral #nsurance )orporation stonewalled attempts by the Reliance group to ac uire managerial control over Larsen 2 "oubro. Sensing defeat, the Ambanis resigned from the board of the company. Dhirubhai, who had become L2">s chairman in April %&=&, had to uit his post to ma$e way for D. 8. *hosh, former chairman of the State 1an$ of #ndia.

C!"#$%b&#%!"'--He is a true philanthropist, not a preacher or a reformer. His corporate philosophy and brand of management were initially ridiculed by his competitors. Dhirubhai saw beyond the ban$s and financial institutions to the real source of fundsNthe retail investor. "hus, his corporate ob+ectives were simple! better company results and benefits for his shareholders. Dhirubhai Ambani is credited with shaping #ndia>s e uity culture, attracting millions of retail investors in a mar$et till then dominated by financial institutions. Dhirubhai revolutionised capital mar$ets. From nothing, he generated billions of rupees in wealth for those who put their trust in his companies. His efforts helped create an >e uity cult> in the #ndian capital mar$et. :ith innovative instruments li$e the convertible debenture, Reliance uic$ly became a favorite of the stoc$ mar$et in the %&=6s. #n %&&(, Reliance became the first #ndian company to raise money in global mar$ets, its high credit3ta$ing in international mar$ets limited only by #ndia>s sovereign rating. Reliance also became the first #ndian company to feature in Forbes 566 list. Dhirubhai Ambani was named the #ndian <ntrepreneur of the (6th )entury by the Federation of #ndian )hambers of )ommerce and #ndustry .F#))#0. A poll conducted by "he "imes of #ndia in (666 voted him @greatest creator of wealth in the century@. .he world, they say, ste%s aside for the man who 2nows where he is going Community De-elo%ment Reliance runs its own schools at its manufacturing sites, which provide high uality education to the children of employees, and also to the children living in nearby areas. "hese schools are all e uipped with modern amenities li$e well3stoc$ed libraries, computers, laboratories, sports facilities and playgrounds. "ransportation facility is provided to all students, thus enabling those living in nearby villages to attend school every day. Some of the important initiatives launched by Reliance include! Reliance, in association with the 9unicipal )orporation of *reater 9umbai, launched the Secondary Schools )omputerisation Aro+ect to facilitate computer education for 5% municipal secondary schools of 9umbai. "he pro+ect covers about 4=,666 students studying from fifth to tenth standard. )omputer laboratories are being created in each of these schools. <ach computer lab will have %5 multimedia computers connected on a networ$. "he lab will also be e uipped with a printer, scanner, software applications and educational multimedia content for various syllabus sub+ects, including 9aths and Science.

"he pro+ect aims to benefit not only the students, but also the teachers and their schools. :hile the students will gain the s$ills needed to be productive and successful citiFens in the new $nowledge era, the teachers will benefit by learning new s$ills that will further their professional development. "he schools will benefit by ac uiring the resource, s$ills and self3 sufficiency to carry this pro+ect forward on their own. ;amnagar town faces acute drin$ing water shortages. #n order to mitigate the problems of people, Reliance supplies drin$ing water from its state3of3the3art seawater desalination plant during summer periods of shortages. Drin$ing water was supplied for the third successive year in the summer of (66(. Dwar$a, a religious destination near ;amnagar, has been a centre of attraction not only for pilgrims of the country but also for archaeologists, historians and tourists from all over the world. Reliance too$ up much3needed renovation and overall development wor$ in Dwar$a by +oining hands with various organisationsO offices of the *overnment of *u+arat. "he DAF has recently established a sanatorium at )horwad, *u+arat, for the use of patients needing change of climate and recuperation.

Reliance also carried out community services wor$ in villages ad+oining its ;amnagar and HaFira comple7es, to improve the uality of life of the people. Some of the activities at ;amnagar included supply of fodderP organisation of blood donation camps, regular health chec$3up camps and mobile dispensary servicesP reconstruction of temples and assistance to several voluntary organisations to carry out cultural and social festivals O functions, etc. "he community services carried out at HaFira included donations to the Surat 9unicipal )orporation and District )ollectorate for e3governance programmes, awards to motivate meritorious students, donations of computers and library boo$s to various schools, donations of tricycles to handicapped students, organisation of inter3village O inter3school sports and cultural competitions, mobile health van services, organisation of health camps and initiatives to provide self3employment opportunities for women. DAF and Sampradaan 3 the #ndian )entre for Ahilanthropy, organised the second national conference of )haritable Foundations in #ndia. "he ob+ective was to networ$ charitable foundations for professional e7change of views, e7periences and to e7plore ways for collaboration. "he conference on the theme @Aromoting *ood *overnance! #nternal and <7ternal@ was well3attended by about '5 8*Bs from all over #ndia. A platform to display the art and craft produced by underprivileged children from Aseema .an 8*B devoted to their welfare0 was provided along with the annual Harmony <7hibition organised by the te7tile division of Reliance #ndustries Limited. 3ealth are Initiati-es Sir Hur$isondas 8urrotumdas Hospital and Research )entre .H8H2R)0, 9umbai "he DAF has +oined the management of Sir Hur$isondas 8urottumdas Hospital and Research )entre .H8H2R)0 and Sir Hur$isondas 8urottumdas 9edical Research Society .H89RS0,

based in 9umbai. H8H2R) is one of the oldest hospitals in the city, having been established in %&(5. H89RS is a (=3year3old institution involved in clinical research. Bver the ne7t few years, DAF plans to ma$e substantial contributions for converting this hospital into a patient3focused and not3for3profit, world class, state3of3the3art centre of e7cellence in the field of healthcare. "his institution will serve as a $nowledge domain for healthcare activities and become a hub for a wider healthcare networ$. #t is also proposed to ma$e this a centre of e7cellence for clinical research and medical education. H8H2R) currently offers tertiary level healthcare facilities including super3specialties li$e cardiology, cardio3thoracic surgery, neurology and neuro3surgery, oncology, urology, nephrology and gastroenterology. #t has on board (66 consultants across various specialisations. "he total staff strength is about %,666, including paramedical and other support staff. H8H2R) also provides free and subsidised outpatient and inpatient treatment for the poor. H8H2R) is recognised for its post3graduate program, leading to post3graduate diplomas in various specialties awarded by the )ollege of Ahysicians 2 Surgeons, 9umbai and the 8ational 1oard of <7aminations, 8ew Delhi. H8H2R) is also recognised by 9umbai Iniversity for its 9.Sc. and Ah.D. in biochemistry, applied biology, and microbiology. "he hospital also runs a nursing school. Since its inception, H89RS has completed %66 clinical O scientific research pro+ects, including many multi3disciplinary ones. Bver %56 research papers have also been presented at various national and international conferences based on its research pro+ects. "hese research pro+ects are selected carefully with an aim to underta$e community3based studies that are relevant to society. Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Lodhivali, District Raigad "his =(3bed state3of3the3art hospital caters to an industrial and rural population in the Raigad district of 9aharashtra. #t provides for free outpatient and subsidised inpatient treatment for the needy and poor patients as well as for senior citiFens. #t also provides free treatment to trauma victims of highway accidents. "he hospital, the only such comprehensive health care institution in the region, has been in e7istence for about four years and has proved its worth by saving numerous lives of victims of vehicular and industrial accidents. 0du ational Initiati-es Dhirubhai Ambani #nstitute of #nformation and )ommunication "echnology .DA3##)"0 "he Dhirubhai Ambani Foundation .DAF0 has established the Dhirubhai Ambani #nstitute of #nformation and )ommunication "echnology .DA3##)"0 at *andhinagar in the western #ndian state of *u+arat. "he institute was flagged off in August (66%, when (,4 students were admitted through an all3#ndia entrance e7am for a four3year undergraduate programme in #nformation and )ommunication "echnology. Aostgraduate programmes were added from academic year (66(36' onwards. #n the coming years, the institute will also offer a wide range of training

and research programmes and continuing education programmes for wor$ing e7ecutives as well as practicing professionals. A number of new facilities have been created including additional floors for teaching, research laboratories, lecture theatres, a sports comple7, a cultural centre and food courts. Hostel accommodation for students is being created on the campus. "he Resource )entre .Library0 is also under construction. "ruly, men li$e Shri Dhirubhai Ambani are rare. "hey come gifted with the power and the vision to change the destiny of nations, to alter the course of corporate history. "hey are the empire builders, the stuff that legends are made of. "he legend called Shri Dhirubhai Ambani will never die.His spirit will live on forever.

A(a$)' a") $* !+"%#%!"'

8ovember (666 Q )onferred >4an of the Century5 award by )hemtech Foundation and )hemical <ngineering :orld in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the growth and development of the chemical industry in #ndia (666, %&&= and %&&4 Q Featured among >1ower #6 7 the most %owerful %eo%le in $sia by Asiawee$ magaFine. ;une %&&= 3 Dean5s 4edal by "he :harton School, Iniversity of 1ennsyl-ania, for setting an outstanding e7ample of leadership. Dhirubhai Ambani has the rare distinction of being the first #ndian to get :harton School Dean>s 9edal R%=S August (66% Q "he <conomic "imes Award for )orporate <7cellence for )ifetime $ hie-ement Dhirubhai Ambani was named the 4an of 26th Century by the Federation of #ndian )hambers of )ommerce and #ndustry .F#))#0. A poll conducted by "he "imes of #ndia in (666 voted Him "8reatest Creator of /ealth In .he Centuries"' 3e is the true son of India5