Dhirubhai Ambani's story has been told and retold many times in books, newspapers and films. Yet the life of the late Dhirubhai Ambani has now been narrated by the person who knew him the best: his wife, Kokilaben.
Kokilaben, 75, the Ambani family matriarch, launched her memoirs paying tribute to her legendary husband on Tuesday at a ceremony that saw her two sons, Anil and Mukesh, share a dais after a very long time. The memoirs have been published in English and Gujarati. The English version is titled Dhirubhai Ambani: The Man I Knew, and the Gujarati edition is named Dhirubhai Ambani: Maara Jeevan Sathi.
Having lived and learned with Dhirubhai for close to half a century, Kokilaben is uniquely placed to tell the story of his life and his meteoric rise in business as well as personal life. Here, in her own words, Kokilaben describes her life with Dhirubhai and her belief in a man who was born to be a legend in his own lifetime.
Kokilaben writes: "During all those years, I had never seen him in a miserable or a desperate state of mind. That does not mean he never faced difficulties. But when engulfed by difficulty, he used to resolve it with courage and imagination."
Dhirubhai began his journey in extremely trying circumstances to blossom into one of the greatest success stories in the annals of Indian industry, and all this while Kokilaben was the fount of his inspiration and support.
The memoirs depict the life of Dhirubhai Ambani, beginning with his childhood in the village of Chorwad to his early youth in the 1950s as a migrant worker in Aden, then a British Colony, to his later years as one of India's great industrial visionaries.
Kokilaben had long wanted to compile a book on Dhirubhai. She was assisted by daughter Dipti (Ambani) Salgaocar, who worked with her mother in conceptualising and putting the 300-page tome together. It comprises rare pictures of places and people associated with Dhirubhai as well as intimate personal anecdotes of his life and work.
Kokilaben's insights into their life together draw upon reminiscences, and information about their early years and through it one man's determination, resolve and struggle to reach the very pinnacle of success. In his private life too, Dhirubhai fulfilled every role and responsibility with aplomb. He was a caring husband, a loving father, an indulgent grandfather and a loyal friend. He devoted a great deal of time and energy to his children's learning and to the development of their personalities.
"Everyday, over dinner, he would take time out to update himself on what his children were doing (and learning) and to encourage them to further expand their horizons. He took the word 'impossible' out of his grandchildren's vocabulary and inspired them to see the world as a place of exciting and limitless opportunity -- "a place where you could make things happen not because you were wealthy but because you were had the courage, boldness and initiative," writes Kokilaben.
And why did she write the book?
Talking of the reasons behind her decision to write on Dhirubhai, Kokilaben said in a media release: "I felt all these facts from his life should be recorded for posterity. The world has seen him as a successful industrialist; but I have seen him in the role of an excellent man. I wanted to draw his personality as a humane individual, and that's how I was inspired to write this book."
The book comes years after Hamish McDonald essayed The Polyester Prince: The official biography of Dhirubhai. Last month, Hindi film Guru, supposedly inspired by Dhirubhai's life, hit theatres but the filmmaker Mani Ratnam declined to acknowledge that his creation is culled from the facts of the business icon's life.
(Left to right) Tina A Ambani, Anil D Ambani, Kokilaben D Ambani, Mukesh D Ambani, Nita M Ambani at function to mark the release of the book Dhirubhai Ambani: The Man I Knew, written by Kokilaben, in Mumbai.
Photograph, courtesy: Reliance Industries
