Shri Dhirubhai Ambani was always proud of his humble origins. In December 1995, Shri Dhirubhai Ambani visited his hometown Chorwad at the behest of his wife, Smt. Kokilaben Ambani. To celebrate his homecoming, the Ambanis invited the entire village to a grand celebratory feast.
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Reliance was the official sponsor of the 1987 Cricket World Cup jointly held in India and Pakistan. The World Cup was renamed the Reliance Cup. After the final, Shri Dhirubhai Ambani handed over the winner's trophy to Allan Border, captain of the Australian team at Eden Gardens, Calcutta.
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Shri Dhirubhai Ambani booked the Cooperage Football Ground in Colaba to host a mega-AGM event. It was reported in Financial Times as ‘the world’s largest company AGM’ attended by 12,000 Reliance shareholders. 'My investors are my biggest bankers,' Shri Dhirubhai Ambani said, acknowledging the massive crowd.
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In 1980, Shri Dhirubhai Ambani realized that Reliance would need to be self-sufficient in the acquisition of raw material, Polyester Filament Yarn. He won a manufacturing license and commissioned Reliance Patalganga under the supervision of Shri Mukesh Ambani, fresh out of Stanford University. Shri Mukesh Ambani worked tirelessly to ensure the plant was operational within just 18 months.
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In 1977, in order to scale up its operations, funds were needed. Unwilling to face red tape from banks, Reliance reached out to the public. Its first public issue was oversubscribed seven times, to the complete astonishment of trade analysts. Small investors now became the backbone of the company.
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Photo from the early 1980s shows Shri Dhirubhai Ambani and Smt. Kokilaben Ambani with their children, Shri Anil Ambani, Shri Mukesh Ambani, Smt. Dipti Ambani and Smt. Nina Ambani, all are wearing clothes made from Vimal fabric. The family had by then shifted to the 22nd floor of Usha Kiran on Carmichael Road which offered a breathtaking view of Bombay.
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Shri Dhirubhai Ambani always wore trousers made from Vimal fabric and insisted that his children wear Vimal too. A photograph of his two daughters, Dipti and Nina, wearing Vimal dresses held pride of place on his table.
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Initially, Vimal was not readily accepted by traders in Ahmedabad and Bombay who were controlled by long-established textile tycoons. Shri Dhirubhai Ambani decided to bypass the wholesaler and take Vimal directly to the customer. In 1972, Vimal opened its first exclusive showroom at Roxy Theatre, near the Opera House, Bombay.
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Due to lack of space in Bombay, Shri Dhirubhai Ambani scouted in Gujarat, his home state, to find a suitable land for a textile mill. In February 1966, he bought a 10,000 sq. yard plot at Naroda. He also bought the plots of factories around it that were facing business losses. Soon, the textile mill at Naroda spread over 125 acres.
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Printing master Shanbaug, who joined Reliance in its early days and helped set up Reliance Textiles, looks on as Shri Dhirubhai Ambani explains to foreign exporters the mill’s 12-colour automatic roller printing plant, imported from Switzerland.
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