Gautam Adani to Azim Premji: 10 Indian college dropouts who are millionaires today As soon as class 12 results are announced, the fight to secure a seat in the best college begins. The cut-off lists set unrealistic targets, with a few colleges in the prestigious University of Delhi keeping 99% as the cut-off percentage in the first list! Are students going to buckle under pressure with these impractical goals universities want them to achieve? There are Indians who havent quite followed the norm of drowning themselves in books to get a college degree. When Forbes released a list of billionaires who are college dropouts, six Indians found themselves among the top 20! Heres a story of these successful billionaires who dropped out of college. Gautam Adani: The Chairman of Adani Group, Gautam Adani enrolled in Gujarat University, but dropped out in the 2nd year while pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce. Adani Group is one of the largest import export corporations in India today. His father owned a textiles business, which he did not want to inherit and he moved to Mumbai instead. He first worked at Mahindra Bros. as a diamond sorter and then started his own diamond brokerage company. His net worth is estimated to be 4.8 billion dollars in 2010. It is interesting to note that Gautam Adani was once kidnapped by Anees Ibrahim and was released only after his family paid Rs. 3 crore as ransom. Mukesh Ambani: A Stanford University dropout, Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries (RIL) is a world renowned company today. Listed on the Fortune 500, Ambani is the Managing Director and Chairman of RIL. ‘The Bloomberg Billionaires Index,’ listed him as the 2nd richest man in Asia and also the 9th richest man in the world, in 2011. Ambani has an estimated net worth of $22.6 billion! Subhash Chandra: Subhash Chandra’s rose from being rice exporter who turned into a media baron. Chairman of the Essel Group, Subhash Chandra introduced one of the first satellite television channels in India – Zee TV. Chandra’s net worth was estimated around $1.8 billion in March 2012, according to Forbes. It is indeed inspiring to see a once 12th standard dropout metamorphose into the head of a multi-million dollar enterprise. Shahid Balwa: One of the most famous entrepreneurs in India, Shahid Balwa is a key promoter of DB Group, the 3rd largest realtor in India. In 2010, Forbes listed him as Indias 50th Richest Man. He was also ‘The youngest Indian to be featured on Forbes’ List of ‘10 Youngest Billionaires in the World.’ His net worth is estimated to be over $798 million. Balwa had dropped out of college in order to head his father’s hotel business. His involvement in the 2G spectrum scam also made headlines. Micky Jagtiani: Jagtiani was the first-ever Indian businessman to top the list of ‘The richest Indian-origin entrepreneurs’ in the region of Gulf Co-operation Council. His net worth is estimated to be around $3.2 billion. Jagtiani had joined an accounting school in London but had later dropped out of it. Jagtiani heads the Dubai based Landmark group, which is a common name among book and music lovers. Vinod Goenka: Managing Director and co-founder DB Realty, a real-estate firm, opted out of college to join his family’s construction business. With a net worth of $1.18 billion, Forbes lists him among the most successful billionaires in the world. DB Realty got listed on Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and National Stock Exchange (NSE) in the year 2010 under his leadership. His association with the 2G Spectrum Scam was a low in his career, but he definitely raised DB Realty to new heights. Azim Premji: Azim Premji, the chairman of Wipro, is an IT tycoon who dropped out of college! In 1966 Azim Premji dropped out of Stanford due to sudden demise of his father. He became the chairman of Wipro at just the age of 21. He only finished his Stanford degree in 1999. Azim Premjis estimated net worth is 11 billion dollars. PNC Menon: Puthan Neduvakkatt Chenthamaraksha Menon or PNC Menon is an NRI and is owner of Bangalore-based construction company Sobha Developers. Menon had a troubled childhood as he lost his father at age 10. He also dropped out of Sree Kerala Varma College, Thrissur, to pursue a business in interior decoration. His net worth is estimated to be around $1.25 billion. Walchand Hirachand: Walchand Hirachand dropped out of the Deccan College in Pune, but dropped out to join his family business. He started Ravalgaon Sugar, one of the leaders in Indian confectionary market, founded the Hindustan Construction Company, entered the shipping industry, dabbled in the aircraft business and much more! Kunal Shah: Kunal Shah, the co-founder and CEO of FreeCharge.in, dropped out of his MBA degree at NMIMS. His first venture, PaisaBack, was a business process outsourcing firm. He later founded FreeCharge.in which has caught the interest of many. Established in 2010, the online recharged site has attracted the likes of Sequoia Capital India, who have pumped in Rs 20 crore. Another indicator of Shah’s success with FreeCharge.in is the number of copycat sites that have come up and imitated their business model! Read at source ibnlive.in/news/gautam-adani-to-azim-premji-10-indian-college-dropouts-who-are-millionaires-today/474912-79.html
Posted on: Wed, 28 May 2014 18:05:29 +0000
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