Anil Ambani's Personality Article
Thomas Jefferson the much-known American statesman once quoted, “Do you want to know who you are? Don’t ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you.” It just seems Anil Ambani, the chairperson of the Reliance Group has been swearing by it, all his life. And perhaps, it was this spirit that led him to maintain his calm demeanour, even as he stares at a life that seems to be infused with debts and its inherent consequences. But when pondered over, it only causes curiosity to surge, that behind the tough exterior of a hard-core business tycoon, what is his personality like? While it has been quite evident that he’s not media-shy, is a social butterfly and as is apparent, is controversy's favourite child; is Anil, on the personal front, just as much of a commoner? A Man of Discipline: Taking after his father, Anil Ambani is a man of discipline. He rises quite early in the morning, is stringent towards his workout regimen where he spends two hours on a treadmill and religiously does a 30-minute yoga before hitting to work. Not only this, as much as he’s compulsive about having his regimen in order, he’s not given into the temptations of alcohol, smoking and sticks to his strict vegetarian diet. Once a Marathon Runner, Always a Marathon Runner: Once a forerunner in the business universe, Anil Ambani continued to participate in the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon ever since it started in the year 2004. He once told a news daily, “It makes me smile to hear others calling out, ‘Come on, run faster. He’s three times your age.’ It’s a good feeling. It spurs me on.” It is because of his this competitive spirit that makes the entire thought of it completely gratifying. And obviously, he doesn’t do it for the money part of it. It’s the element of competitiveness in the marathons that gets him going. He says, “It’s got nothing to do with the competition but a state of the mind. I feel a sense of purpose, of achievement and pride in completing the race.” There was a time when he weighed 105 kgs and he realized that he couldn’t walk one kilometer in an hour the way he used to earlier. And it somehow reminded him of how his father had once told him that nearly any kind of luxury can be bought with money, except health. Ergo, he should be doing anything that makes him feel good about himself. And hence, he started running. In fact, he once said, “Running does something to my mind… Some of my brightest business ideas come to me when I’m running.” Resilience is the Key: In an interview to another daily, Anil Ambani recounted how he came in face-to-face with the CBI for the first time during the 2G case. He said, “I never had the privilege of meeting CBI officials or visiting the corridors of the CBI. But then, there I was, being interrogated for eight hours at a stretch.”
He not only cooperated with the interrogation and the court hearings but also turned his charm on during the questioning. That’s where his resilience reflected completely and he showed immense strength during the episode. He said, “The things that I have suffered, I do not want to go through them again. And no one else should go through such kind of suffering. Today, I have a better appreciation of life.”
Grounded But Not Losing Ground: Anil Ambani, may appear to be hard-core, but deep down he’s grounded to his roots and hence, his exhilaration about life remains intact. On being asked once if he feels he got a fair deal after the family settlement, he replied, “I did exactly what my mother wanted and had she told me to walk out with just the clothes I was wearing, I would have touched her feet and would have done that.” He further adds, “Please remember that my father was an operator at the gas station from Yemen Aden when he started off his career and came with just Rs. 500 to India from there in his pocket.” For someone, whose outright inspiration is his father, Mr. Dhirubhai Ambani, will never lose ground. He feels his father and his strict fitness regimen have been the biggest sources of his acumen to focus incessantly, to meditate, and to dream realistically. Evidently, his conviction, his resilience and his approach of being headstrong and levelheaded has made him what he is today. Anil Ambani may be just one of us, but his discipline is extraordinary which the youth of today need to take heed from and integrate in life for getting on in the long run.