Vedanta Resources Limited founder and chairman Anil Agarwal, while sharing his views with the youth about work ethics and success in life, said that one should not forget humility when they become successful. Agarwal, who is a first-generation entrepreneur, said that it is important to be grounded even after tasting success.
He shared his views on LinkedIn days after attending an event at the University of Toronto in Canada where he met students.
“My advice to the students was to never shy from dreaming big and always to remain humble. Just as pancakes taste sweeter when maple syrup gets added similarly, success tastes sweeter when paired with humility,” he said.
The metal and mining magnate’s story of success is one of a kind. His story started from a small unit in Patna and reached its heights when he got Vedanta Resources listed on the London Stock Exchange in 2003, making him the first Indian to get a company listed on London Stock Exchange.
Talking about his personal journey, Agarwal said that it is crucial to move away from one’s comfort zone to pursue their dreams.
“As a dreamer, I had to move away from the place I called home and leave my comfort zone behind me. You also must have experienced this at one point or another…” “Having moved cities and then countries, I know how difficult the experience is. Recently, I was invited to speak at the University of Toronto where I got the opportunity to meet many such dreamers who had left home to make a name for themselves. A lot of them were from India with a spark in their eyes ki kuch kar dikhana hai,” he said.
He added that when he was asked if it was a bad thing to want to be rich, he said: “I told him, no, it’s not a bad thing to want money and have your roti, kapda, makaan of your choice. We come from a country where people have aspirations – people who are cycling want a scooty, people on a scooty want a car, people driving a car want an even better car…making money is not a sin, but once you get there, once you have your fancy car, there is no harm in slowing down and giving a lift to those who are walking.”
Agarwal said there are cultural similarities between India and Canada. “Canada is known to be a cold country and in contrast, the people here are so warm! I even got to learn something new about their culture and hospitality this time – Canadians welcome their guests with something sweet, and in a lovely gesture, I was given a bottle of Maple syrup at the end of my talk.”
“This is so similar to the Indian tradition of Ghar aye mehmaan ko kuch meetha khilana, that I couldn’t help but feel at home immediately, surrounded by not only bright-minded but also warm-hearted students and faculty of UofT.”
Workwise, in September, Agarwal announced that he would be investing Rs 1.54 lakh crore for setting up the country’s first-ever semiconductor chip plant in Gujarat.
