Gautam Adani Celebrates His 60th Birthday This Year

Gautam Adàni, who turns 60 years old this year, has made remarkable economic achievements in the country.

Gautam Adàni- a name taken by almost all the Indians. As a billionaire, entrepreneur and industrialist from India, his life story has been inspiring for all budding entrepreneurs as he has given so many insights throughout his journey and managed to overcome so many obstacles.

A luminous star in the economic sector is the second wealthiest of the business tycoons. Though many of them have inherited businesses from their ancestors, Adani was not one of them. Starting from block one, he built his own empire and became the ruler of it.

Gujarat is a land of businessmen, and one such businessman was given to the nation. He was born into a Gujarati Jain family with seven siblings, did not take over his father's textile business, and had the devotion to create something of his own.

A College Dropout?

The business had always been in his blood, and he had exhibited entrepreneur traits since a young age. He had dropped out of college after his 2nd year to start his own career as he wanted to support his economically weak family.

In the initial stage, he started working as a diamond sorter at Mahindra Brothers in Mumbai. Over the course of 2-3 years, he acquired the intricacies of how a business is run and how to stand out in the market. To take the first shot, he set up a diamond brokerage.

Later, his brother, Mahasukh Adani, called him back to Gujarat to help him at the plastic factory. Soon he joined the team and was involved in importing polyvinyl chloride (PVC). At this point, he established his global presence in international trade.

Success over three decades

Till May 2022, Adani had a turnover of USD 106 billion and was the world's sixth-richest person, as per the leading business magazine.

Adani built up his dynasty in 1988 and set up Adani enterprises for the export and import trading business. As quick as a flash in 1994, Adani Enterprises became the biggest coal trader and coal mining contractor in the country. Aftermarket liberalisation policies, which were implemented after the 1990s, helped him to win the authorisation to set up Mundra Port in 1995 in Gujarat. Adani knew the dresses for success, as in contemporary times, Mundra is India's largest commercial port by volume, which handles around one-fourth of the cargo movement in the country.

Adani Wilmar has partnered with Wilmar of Singapore, and the joint venture had a headcount of Rs. 54,212 crore in FY22. He crashed Hindustan Unilever and became India's biggest FMCG company. In 2001, Adani Group entered again into the city gas distribution business.

In 2009, Adani tried its hands on bourses, which is now the largest private thermal power producer in India. Adding more feathers to his hat, the group took over the Carmichael coal mine in Australia.

Adani has always been on the crest of a wave. India's largest integrated solar sales and module manufacturer was laid down by Adani Solar in 2017. Reliance has always been in throat-cutting competition with Adani Group, but in 2018, it took over Reliance Infrastructure’s Mumbai energy distribution business. 

Adani Group entered the airport business in 2020 after winning a bid to manage six Airports Authority of India airports. The second-largest private port, Krishnapatnam Port, was also acquired. Later, it took over Mumbai International airport and Navi Mumbai International airport from the GVK group. 

Trapped in Toil

Adani was also trapped in the Mumbai 26/11 attack, one of the most deadly terror attacks in India. After being confronted, he managed to escape, becoming one of the survivors of the attack. In 1998, he was kidnapped and asked for USD 1.5 million.

In 2022, it is reported that the company is burdened with 2.21 lakh crore.

Adani as Philanthropist

On his 60th birthday, Adani Group pledged to donate Rs. 60,000 crore in order to address societal issues. His contribution will be used for the development of healthcare, education and skill development.

Every year, the group spends 2 per cent of its total profit on various corporate social responsibility activities. The group has engaged around 18 states and 2,250 villages and towns, trying to reach up to 5,00,000 families. In 2021-22, the company spent 1.13 crore on other charitable activities.