Born to a lower middle class Marwari family from Bihar, Anil Agarwal was definitely not born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He was born on 24 January, 1954 in Patna. While most self made billionaires are only too happy to forget their past, Mr. Agarwal is proud of his humble origins. He had to face more than his share of struggles and is the reason why Vedanta Group is a huge success today.
It is almost unbelievable that this hugely successful man only has a matriculation certificate on his list of academic achievements. He found school extremely difficult and always found studying English to be a major nightmare. He is most comfortable speaking in his mother tongue- Hindi. He says that one of the best pieces of advice he ever received was from his history teacher Shiv Shankar who told him that further studies wasn’t for him and encouraged him to enter into the world of commerce.
Anil Agarwal’s Family Profile
Here’s a brief glimpse into the familial roots or the family history of Anil Agarwal, business tycoon.
Anil Agarwal’s Parents
His father, Dwarka Prasad Agarwal, was just a small scale businessman who made aluminium conductors in Patna. His father was always very encouraging and caring and together, his parents made up his support system.
He says that the day he got his first cycle was one of the happiest moments of his life. The cycle was a gift from his father, so that he could go to school in style without having to walk all the way there.
With his family’s support, he decided not to go to college and instead moved to Mumbai at the very young age of nineteen. He survived by trying out various small businesses and each one of them wasn’t a viable business option. Still, he was determined to make it big and did not give in to failure. He approached several banks for financial aid, but they all saw the same thing- a young boy from a middle class family in Bihar who had just completed high school and was a huge business risk. They all refused to give him a loan and in the end, it was he who proved them wrong.
Agarwal’s brother
He made Navin Agarwal, his brother, chairman of Cairn India which is promoted by Vedanta Resources.
Agarwal’s wife
His childhood passion for cycling led him to marital bliss. His wife, then Kiran Gupta, was an old family friend and a fellow cyclist. They both got married at a very young age- he was 21 and she was 16. But they continue to enjoy their life together and currently live in London. They occasionally cycle during the summer months in Hyde Park which is very close to their London Mayfair house.
Agarwal’s children
He has two children- Agnivesh Agarwal, who is the chairman of Hindustan Zinc and Priya Agarwal, who is a PR professional and is married to Akarsh Hebbar.
Net Worth
His net worth is estimated at $ 3.5 billion.