New Delhi, Aug 29: Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani has said he is committed to make the $16.8-billion conglomerate last centuries and institutionalise the achievements of his father, the late Dhirubhai Ambani. "There are a few companies in the world that have lasted centuries. And I think that's a commitment I have made to him (father), to myself and to everyone at Reliance," he said participating in BBC World's Face to Face programme hosted by Karan Thapar.
Ambani said he would continue with the legacy of his father, "making sure that whatever he spent his life on is institutionalised, is my commitment to him, my commitment to Reliance and all our people".
The Reliance chief, who was accompanied by his wife Nita Ambani, said Dhirubhai was a devoted father and always spent ample time with his four children, including Mukesh's younger brother and Reliance vice-chairman Anil Ambani.
"He always found time for us. He spent an awful lot of time with us. His general view was to never have an inferiority complex. For each one of us in the family and for me particularly that whole relationship is a lesson on a life long basis," he said.
Nita Ambani said both she and her husband, who are one of the richest couples in the country, feel that neither money nor wealth was an end in itself.
"It's how you use your wealth that is more important. I tell Mukesh all the time that life is not about making money or making wealth. Life is actually about making memories. For that's all that you leave behind," she said.
She described Mukesh Ambani as a very intense person "who believes in long lasting relationships".
The couple also recounted their marriage which was arranged by Dhirubhai and how Mukesh proposed to her inside his car at Mumbai's Peddar Road during the peak evening rush hour traffic. Bureau Report