‘Bank mein sirf Rs 75,000 the…’: How this Indian billionaire bought his first flat in Mumbai before founding…

Anil Agarwal, the billionaire founder and chairman of Vedanta Group, recalled how he bought his first house in Mumbai, at a time when he only had Rs 75,000 in his bank account.

Billionaire Anil Agarwal, the founder and chairman of Vedanta Group, boasts a net worth of around $2 billion, making him one of the richest men in the country. However, there was a time when the business tycoon didn’t even have enough money to buy a flat in Mumbai. In a recent post on his X handle, Agarwal recalled how he bought his first house in India’s financial capital, at a time when he only had Rs 75,000 in his bank account.

‘Bank mein Rs 75,000 the’

“When I first came to Bombay, I was living near Cotton Exchange near Kalbadevi. My first business partner had a small office there, and that’s where it all began. Life was simple, but my dreams were not. After a lot of hard work and jugaad, I finally dared to think about buying my own flat. Sapne bade the, lekin bank mein sirf ₹75,000 the,” the Vedanta chairman wrote.

Agarwal recalled how people advised him to buy a house in the suburbs, “because it was cheaper and more practical”, but the Vedanta chief had “a different dream”, and “wanted to live where the top people lived”.

“Malabar Hill, near Peddar Road, that’s where I saw myself, because I believed that one day, I would also make it big. I still remember buying my first flat in Navranga Apartment. It was a small 330 sq ft flat, but it felt like my biggest achievement. That house wasn’t just bricks and walls, it was my belief that I was moving in the right direction.”

‘Dream it, and you’ll live it’

The billionaire further said that looking back, he has learned one thing; “life is all about dreaming big and believing in yourself. Start small, work hard, and never let anyone tell you what you can or cannot achieve.”.

Anil Agarwal concluded his post with a life-lesson/advice to aspiring businessmen. “Dream it. Believe it. And one day, you will live it.”

The post has gone viral on X (former Twitter), with users hailing Agarwal rise from humble beginnings to becoming one of country’s top business leaders.

“Very happy to read a motivating story from a successful business leader,” one user wrote. “Fantastic and inspiring, thanks Anil ji for sharing!,” another commented.

Who is Anil Agarwal?

Known in the business world as the “metal king”, Anil Agarwal is the founder and chairman of Vedanta Resources Limited, and controls Vedanta Resources through Volcan Investments, a holding vehicle with a 100% stake in the business.

Born and raised in a Marwadi family in Patna, Bihar, Anil’s father, Dwarka Prasad Agarwal owned a small aluminum conductor business, which young Anil joined after completing his schooling at Patna’s Miller High School. At 19, Anil Agarwal arrived in Mumbai (then Bombay), and began trading in scrap metal in the mid 1970s, collecting scrap metal from cable companies in other states and selling it in Mumbai.

In April 2003, Anil Agarwal established the Vedanta Resources Limited, which is today the largest mining and non-ferrous metals company in India, with mining operations in Australia and Zambia and oil and gas operations in three countries. The firm is headquartered in London, UK.