'I Never Over-Evaluate Or Overthink My Choices': Gautam Adani At Event Marking 75 Years Of Vidyamandir Trust
Businessman Gautam Adani addressed an event celebrating the 75th anniversary of Vidyamandir Trust and opened up about his life, education, and motivations.
New Delhi: Adani Group founder-chairman Gautam Adani on Sunday addressed an event celebrating 75 years of Vidyamandir Trust in Gujarat where he spoke about his journey as an entrepreneur and his regret of not completing his education. He said that first-generation entrepreneurs start with a unique advantage, "the advantage of having nothing to lose".
"In my own mind, this was liberating. I had no legacy to follow but I had the opportunity to create a legacy. I had nothing to prove to anybody but had an opportunity to prove to my own self that I could rise," he said, addressing the event in Gujarat's Palanpur.
"I had nothing to lose by jumping into uncharted waters. I had no expectations to fulfill except those of my own, this belief became a part of me. I believe I am what I am because I never over-evaluate or overthink the choices in front of me," Adani added.
Elaborating on his early life, the Adani Foundation President said, "Studies demonstrate that the experiences a child has had by the age of 10 and the environment they live in shape their adult. I believe that the dry and tough living conditions of Banaskantha shape our social behaviour. They unite us through extended family bonds of trust and dependence This is evident when I see all of you here today. If my childhood experiences in Banaskantha shaped my social behaviour, my parents shaped my core value. I witnessed how hard my mother worked to maintain the harmony, spirit, and mutual respect within our large joint family. He courage, love, and tenacity, and the family together."
The billionaire businessman mentioned that at the age of 16, he decided to give up his education and move to Mumbai. "The optimism and desire for independence of a teenage boy are hard to contain. All I knew was that I wanted to do something different and do it on my own. 16 years of age purchasing a train ticket at the Ahmedabad Railway Station and bording the Gujarat Mail to Mumbai with nothing much in my pocket had me both excited and nervous," he said.
"I still recall the day I did my first trade with a Japanese buyer I made a commission of Rs 10,000," he added.
Talking about his regret for not completing his education, Gautam Adani said, "I would have benefitted if I had finished college. While my experiences made me wise, I now realise that formal education rapidly expands one's knowledge."
"To acquire wisdom, one must experience, but to acquire knowledge, one must study," he added. "Although I will never really know, I do reflect at times that the expansion in my abilities may have been faster had I gone to college," he further mentioned.
Gautam Adani, the world's third richest person, went on to appreciate the contribution that "highly educated professionals" made to the Adani Group.
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