Vedanta Group founder and chairman Anil Agarwal has recalled his humble beginnings in Mumbai, sharing how he started his business journey from a tiny 8 ft x 9 ft office in Kalbadevi and once shared a room with seven people for a monthly rent of just ₹21.
In a post on X, Agarwal looked back at his early days after moving to Mumbai from Bihar at the age of 19 with little money but intense determination to build something significant. "Even today, if I close my eyes, I can clearly picture my first office in Kalbadevi, Mumbai," Agarwal wrote.
"When I arrived in Mumbai from Bihar at the age of 19, I had little money in my pocket, but a fierce determination in my heart that I would achieve something big. That very determination brought me to the lanes of Kalbadevi," he added.
The billionaire recalled searching for a small office for several days before meeting Rasikbhai, who helped him find a room on the fourth floor of an old building. The office measured just 8 ft x 9 ft and had a shared telephone. Agarwal said there were only three people working from the office at the time, around 1975-76.
"Back then, even having your own telephone wasn't easy. So my calls would come through to Rajkumar ji's phone nearby. It would ring twice, then cut off... and I'd rush down the stairs. Even today, it feels like those weren't two rings, but the knocks of my dreams," the billionaire said.
{{/usCountry}}"Back then, even having your own telephone wasn't easy. So my calls would come through to Rajkumar ji's phone nearby. It would ring twice, then cut off... and I'd rush down the stairs. Even today, it feels like those weren't two rings, but the knocks of my dreams," the billionaire said.
{{/usCountry}}From a tiny office to a business tycoon
From that tiny office, Agarwal recalled negotiating deals with cable companies, meeting traders and learning practical business lessons that he believes could not be found in an MBA textbook.
His living conditions were similarly modest. He recalled sharing a room with seven other people near Mumbai's Cotton Exchange in Kalbadevi, paying a rent of ₹21 a month.
"Some successful days, some failed evenings, many seasons passed in that office. But every morning, I continued to unlock the lock of my first office with the same enthusiasm and pride," Agarwal said.
"That 8 ft x 9 ft room taught me... Dream big. Work hard," he concluded.