Gautam Adani: an industrialist from India and the richest man in Asia, gave a speech on Sunday on his entrepreneurial path that has brought his group’s market capitalization to over USD 225 billion over the course of 45 years. Speaking at the Vidya Mandir Trust Palanpur at Gujarat’s 75th anniversary celebrations, Adani, who left formal schooling at the age of 16, expressed remorse over not completing college. The multibillionaire industrialist claimed that while formal schooling quickly broadens one’s knowledge, early experiences made him wise.
Adani, who primarily spoke Gujarati, was reported as stating, “”Reflecting on my life and the different turns it took, I – now – do believe that I would have benefitted if I had finished college. While my early experiences made me wise, I now realize that formal education rapidly expands one’s knowledge,” by PTI.
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“To acquire wisdom, one must experience but to acquire knowledge, one must study,” Gautam Adani
Adani was born and raised in Banaskantha, Gujarat, and then relocated to Ahmedabad to finish his secondary school. He purchased a railway ticket in 1978, hopped on the Gujarat Mail bound for Mumbai, and that was the catalyst for his entrepreneurial path.
When he decided to forgo his education and travel to Mumbai, he was just 16 years old, he said. “In this situation, I frequently hear the question, “Why did you relocate to Mumbai and not work with your family?” The optimism and desire for freedom of a teenage boy are difficult to contain, as many of the children in the crowd would concur. I was only certain that I wanted to try something new and do it alone.”
“I was trained to assort diamonds at Mahendra Brothers by my relative Prakashbhai Desai once I arrived in Mumbai. I soon learned the trade, and after working for Mahendra Brothers for nearly three years, I quit to launch my own diamond dealing firm at Zaveri Bazar “said he. “I can still clearly remember the day I conducted my first trade with a Japanese customer. 10,000 was my commission.”
Adani, 60, began his career as a trader before embarking on a quick diversification drive that saw him grow his empire, which was previously focused on ports and coal mining, to include data centres, cement, airports, and green energy.
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First-generation business owners “usually start with a special advantage”
“The advantage of having nothing to lose. This belief is their strength. In my own mind, this was liberating. I had no legacy to follow – but I had the opportunity to create a legacy.”
“I had nothing to prove to anybody – but had an opportunity to prove to my own self that I could rise. I had nothing to risk by jumping into uncharted waters. I had no expectations to fulfil except those of my own. These beliefs became a part of me,” he exclaimed.
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