Parenting techniques of Dhirubhai Ambani : Secrets of nurturing Mukesh and Anil

Dhirubhai Ambani always believed in investing. Continually investing. He invested in business and so in family and friends.

His parenting techniques also include the main mantra investment!!

Dhirubhai invested successfully in many projects, but the best of his investment was in his children.

He did everything possible to groom his children. Both of his sons Mukesh and Anil are business tycoons now.

As an investor he taught his sons investing. According to Dhirubhai the best investment is invbetment in health. He taught his sons to invest time for their health. His sons are following his advice so far. People of Mumbai can see Ambani running on the road in the early morning.

Dhirubhai Ambani was a matriculate. He had never hide the fact instead once he told a journalist in an interview to emphasize on it. His father was a school teacher and could not afford for higher education of many children.

Dhirubhai, though not highly educated, knew the value of higher education. Once he explained that his success and growth could be faster if he had got higher education.

Therefore he arranged for higher education of both his sons.

He sent his son Mukesh to Stanford and Anil to Wharton for higher education. Mukesh had a degree of Chemical engineer from Bombay University and was sent to Stanford for MBA.

Surprising many he pulled Mukesh from Stanford to help him in building PFY plant, the Patalganga project. It is to be remembered that Patalganga was the dream project of Dhirubhai Ambani.

Mukesh, 24, was a fresher at that time but Dhirubhai had confidence on him (this is parenting). He provided him with only one person from Reliance and Mukesh had to manage all of his people. He gradually recruited a professional team to build the plant. He completed the project successfully and on time.

This was how he nurtured, Mukesh, his elder son !!

Anil, his younger son, was a chemical engineer from KC College, Mumbai. Dhirubhai sent him to Wharton to complete MBA in marketing. Dhirubhai wanted to cut his eye-teeth and therefore he was asked to come back from US. Anil took flight from Wharton just after four hours of writing his last paper!

While meeting father he exclaimed with joy and told him that he had been graduated. But to his utter surprise Dhirubhai took it easy and told him that this was not a big deal and sent him to Naroda. Anil wanted rest but the father was tough. He declined his application for rest and made him understood that there was neither holiday nor rest in the life of a hopeful business tycoon.

Read: How to be hopeful during tough times

I had a brief discussion on how was the parenting technique of Dhiru bhai Ambani. It is worth mention that Kokilaben Ambani, wife of Dhirubhai supported him nurturing his sons all the way. We can see both the brothers working, though separately.

It is unfortunate that the Ambani brothers are quarreling themselves. Perhaps they have forgot some lessons of their father.

Mukesh Ambani is the Number three and Anil Ambani is Number six among the richest men of the world according to Forbes. (January 2009).