Dhirubhai Ambani Age, Death, Wife, Children, Family, Biography & More

Bio
Full Name	Dhirajlal Hirachand Ambani
Nickname	Dhirubhai
Profession	Indian Businessman
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)	in centimeters- 168 cm in meters- 1.68 m in Feet Inches- 5’ 6”
Weight (approx.)	in Kilograms- 80 kg in Pounds- 176 lbs
Eye Colour	Black
Hair Colour	Salt and Pepper
Personal Life
Date of Birth	28 December 1932
Place of Birth	Chorvad, Gujarat, India
Date of Death	6 July 2002
Place of Death	Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Cause of Death	Stroke
Age (at the time of death)	69 Years
Zodiac sign/Sun sign	Capricorn
Nationality	Indian
Hometown	Mumbai, India
School	Bahadur Kanji High School, Junagadh, Gujarat
College	N/A
Educational Qualifications	10th standard
Awards/Achievements	• In 1998, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania awarded him "Dean's Medal." • In 2000, FICCI named him the "Man of 20th Century." • In 2016, Government of India awarded him Padma Vibhushan (posthumously).
Family	Father- Hirachand Gordhanbhai Ambani (school teacher) Mother- Jamnaben Brother- Ramaniklal Ambani, Natwarlal Sisters- Trilochana Ben, Jasumatiben
Religion	Hinduism
Caste	Vaishya (Gujarati Modh Bania)
Controversies	He was often criticized for manipulating bureaucrats, media houses and politicians.
Favourite Colour	White
Girls, Affairs and More
Marital Status	Married
Marriage Date	Year 1955
Wife	Kokilaben Ambani
Children	Sons- Mukesh Ambani, Anil Ambani Daughters- Nina Kothari, Dipti Salgaocar
Money Factor
Net Worth (approx.)	$2.9 billion (as in 2002) ₹18000 crore

Some Lesser Known Facts About Dhirubhai Ambani

• Did Dhirubhai Ambani smoke?: No

• Did Dhirubhai Ambani drink alcohol?: No

• He was born in a Modh Family to Jamnaben and Hirachand Gordhanbhai at Chorwad in Junagadh city and was the 2nd son of his parents.

• His father was a school teacher.

• He started his entrepreneurial career by selling chaat-pakoda to pilgrims in Mount Girnar.

• He left his studies after the 10th standard.

• At the age of 16 in the year 1955, he moved to Aden, Yemen to join his elder brother- Ramniklal who was working there at that time.

• His 1st job in Aden was that of a gas-station-attendant.

• While in Aden, he also worked with A. Besse & Co (Antonin Besse) for a salary of 300 INRs.

• When he came back to Mumbai from Aden in the year 1957, he had only 500 INRs in his pocket.

• In 1960, he co-founded a company- Reliance Commercial Corporation with his brother- Champaklal Damani. The main business of Reliance Commercial Corporation was to export spices and to import polyester yarn. 

• He set up his 1st office at the Narsinathan Street in Masjid Bunder, Mumbai. It was a 350 square feet room with a telephone, 2 tables and 3 chairs. 

• In 1965, the partnership of Dhirubhai and Champaklal Damani was ended and Dhirubhai decided to continue the polyester business of the firm.

• In 1966, he renamed the company as Reliance Textiles Industries Pvt. Limited and established a synthetic fabric mill at Naroda in Gujarat in the same year.

• In 1968, Dhirubhai expanded the company’s business to textiles with a brand name- Vimal. 

• He issued his company’s 1st Initial Public Offering in 1977 which was over-subscribed by 7 times.

• In 1985, he renamed the company from Reliance Textiles Industries Pvt. Limited to Reliance Industries Limited. 

• In 1986, he suffered a stroke, which had paralyzed his right hand. He handed over the control of Reliance to his sons Mukesh and Anil Ambani in the same year.

• In 1991-92, he commissioned Hazira Petrochemical Plant in Surat district of Gujarat. 

• In 1996, Reliance Industries became India’s 1st private sector company to be rated by International Credit Rating Agencies.

• In 1998, an unauthorized biography of Dhirubhai Ambani with the title- The Polyester Prince was published by Hamish McDonald but he couldn’t sell the book in India because of the legal threat by the Ambanis. 

• On 24 June 2002, he suffered a major stroke and was admitted to the Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai.

• After being in a coma for more than a week, he died on 6 July 2002.

• A Hindi film- Guru was released on 12 January 2007, which was based on the life of Dhirubhai Ambani.