Chairman Gautam Adani’s Address
Adani International School
20 Jan 2025, Ahmedabad
Good morning everyone,
It is a privilege to stand here in front of such bright young minds, their devoted parents, and the incredible teachers and staff. All of you make the Adani.
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International School is a foundation of greatness that makes me very proud!
To the parents in this room — thank you for trusting our school with the future of
your children. There is no greater responsibility than shaping the young minds that will define the India of tomorrow. And I know Namrata and her team carry this trust with immense care and dedication. I often hear Namrata saying that she and her
team must nurture, inspire, and add value to the children such that they become leaders of a better tomorrow.
To the educators and staff, you are the silent heroes of this institution. You hold in your precious hands the tools to shape a generation. While your impact may not always be immediately visible, it is your dedication that plants the seeds that will one day grow into greatness. Your work is nothing short of transformative, and
today, we celebrate you — and I salute you.
My dear friends,
The vision for the Adani International School was born not as an isolated idea but as a part of the holistic dream we had for Shantigram. The seeds of this vision were laid during one of humanity’s most challenging times — the pandemic of 2020. As the world came to a standstill, it gave us a moment to pause and reflect. It was
during this time of reflection that the idea of the Adani International School began to take shape. We visualized a platform of learning — where children could not just thrive in academics but also grow among open spaces, connected to both nature and innovation. We did not want to just build a school or a township. We wanted to build an integrated community — where families could find joy and where world-class education would be a cornerstone of everyday life.
By 2021, the vision for this school began to materialize — a school founded on the principles of sustainability and innovation, where every detail, from classrooms to corridors, was meticulously designed. In 2022, this vision turned into reality. The campus, in both its design and ethos, demonstrates a commitment not only to nurturing young minds but also to instilling the value of protecting our planet for future generations. I must take a moment to acknowledge Namrata, whose exceptional efforts have taken this dream to extraordinary heights, exceeding our original aspirations.
And my dear friends — this is just the beginning as we look at building several such schools across the country.
Now, let me speak directly to the students and learners here by sharing a bit about my journey. I come from very humble beginnings. I was born in Ahmedabad, but when I was three, my family relocated to a small town called Deesa in Banaskantha district. I spent my formative years there until the age of nine before we moved back to Ahmedabad.
Research shows that the experiences and environment a child is exposed to before the age of ten play a significant role in shaping who they become as adults.
I believe that the dry and tough living conditions of Banaskantha shaped my social behavior. It united us through extended family bonds of trust and dependence. If my childhood experiences in Banaskantha shaped my social behavior, my parents shaped my core values.
I witnessed how hard my mother worked to maintain harmony, spirit, and mutual respect within our large joint family. Her courage, love, and tenacity held our family together.
On the other hand, my father was involved in what bankers today describe as “forward trades”. In those days, these trades had no paperwork and were just oral commitments between two parties. These commitments never failed and what I learned from my father was the power of trust.
As I look back, I have no hesitation in saying that the tough early days I spent in Banaskantha with my parents shaped my early beliefs. Over time these beliefs became my values.
Today, these core values of courage, trust, and commitment are manifestations of what I learned from my parents and have become the foundational values on which the Adani Group stands.
Let me now talk about the years that followed after my leaving Banaskantha. We moved to Ahmedabad and I was just 16 years old when I chose to give up my education and relocate to Mumbai.
In this context, a question I often get asked is — why did I move to Mumbai and not work with my family? As many of you, youngsters in the audience would agree, the
optimism and desire for independence of a teenage boy is hard to contain. All I knew was that I wanted to do something different and do it on my own.
Sixteen years of age — buying a train ticket at the Ahmedabad railway station and boarding the Gujarat mail to Mumbai with nothing much in my pocket had me both excited and nervous.
Once in Mumbai, I joined a diamond assortment company. I quickly picked up the business and in about 3 years, I left to start my own diamond trading brokerage in Zaveri Bazar.
I still recall the day I did my first trade with a Japanese buyer. I made a commission of 10,000 rupees. I was 19 years old, and this was the start of my journey as an entrepreneur.
A question I often get is if I have any regrets that I did not go to college. Reflecting on my life and the different turns it took, I now do believe that I would have benefitted if I had finished college.
Let me elaborate.
While my early experiences made me wise, I have come to realize that formal education rapidly expands one’s knowledge. To acquire wisdom, one must
experience life – but to acquire knowledge, one must study.
These are complementary. And although I will never really know, I do reflect at times that the expansion in my abilities may have been faster had I gone to college.
The fact is, over the years, my respect for education has only grown as I see what the many highly educated professionals have done for the Adani Group.
My dear young friends,
The India of my childhood was very different from the India you have today. Earlier, opportunities were very few, and ambition didn’t have the runways to take off.
However, the India I see now is alive with runways. And you are India’s global ambassadors in the making. You are the wings that will lift India. You are part of a generation that has more potential than any generation that has come before it. You will do both take India to the world and bring the world to India. And, my young friends, in this new India, education is your greatest foundation to differentiate.
Failures will come, and setbacks will test you, but remember this: failure is not the opposite of success — it is the most important companion to success. The only
difference between ordinary and extraordinary success is resilience — the courage to rise after every fall. I hope you learn this as you all walk your paths.
And I understand this well. Because, when I started my journey, I did not have a roadmap, resources, or connections. All I had was a dream — a dream to build something meaningful, something that could contribute to boosting my
confidence. I would dream of this every single day. And as I look back — I can say that dreams are not the privilege of the rich. They are the reward of those who dare to believe and work tirelessly.
While the Adani Group is today India’s fastest growing conglomerate and has set the pace to create more new businesses than any other business house in the country,
our journey is not just about creating businesses. Every decision we made, every risk we took, was driven by one goal: how can we create something that serves the greater good? It has been about having the courage to give wings to our dreams and the tenacity to fly higher and faster than anybody else. It is about setting a benchmark not to measure against others but to measure ourselves against our own capabilities.
Therefore, my advice to the parents in this room — Your children get more than just your wealth; they get your values. Equip them with resilience, empathy, and the
ability to serve others. Encourage them to explore, to innovate, to dream.
But also give them roots so they never forget the soil they came from. Teach them that success is not just about personal achievement. It’s about creating a better world for others. Educate them that wherever life takes them whether they choose to build their future here or abroad they must carry the spirit of India with them.
Allow them to be global citizens but teach them so that their hearts always beat for the nation we call our ‘matrubhoomi’. Parenting is not just about shaping your child’s future. It’s about inspiring them to shape the future of India.
My advice to the educators here is that you are the creator of dreams. Every lesson you teach, every word of encouragement you give, shapes the trajectory of a life. In
today’s fast-changing world, your role is more critical than ever. You are the compass that guides these young minds towards a future full of promise and purpose. I have always believed that a great teacher does not just prepare students and learners for exams. They prepare them for life.
And for the students and learners here: Don’t let the walls of any classroom define the limits of your dreams. The AI-infused world that we live in today has no parallel in history and the world will dramatically transform at a pace we simply cannot
comprehend. Let this classroom be the launchpad for your aspirations. Don’t just absorb the knowledge, let it ignite your imagination and drive your ambitions.
The facilities that you have here — use them wisely. As I shared earlier, when I started my journey, I did not have enough resources. Unlike those who faced
limitations, you have been granted an abundance of resources. It is not just about having more. It’s about harnessing your privilege to create a future that benefits from
your talents, your education, and your connections to make a positive impact. Think beyond personal gain. Envision a world where your actions uplift others, where your knowledge empowers those less fortunate, and where your influence inspires change.
As I bring my thoughts to a close, allow me to leave you with three guiding principles that I hope will resonate as you navigate through your journey in this school:
First — Dream Relentlessly: Don’t limit yourself to small ambitions. As young minds, you are in the best position to dream fearlessly. You have the gift of curiosity, the energy to experiment, and the courage to take risks. India stands at the cusp of
greatness and it needs visionaries like you — those who dare to think beyond boundaries, challenge the status quo, and find solutions that others might find
impossible. The future belongs to those who dream boldly today, and no one is better equipped to lead that charge than you.
Second — Learn Relentlessly: The future no longer belongs to the most talented or the strongest. It belongs to those who are willing to learn. Your pace of learning will be
your differentiator. Stay curious, embrace change, and seek learning even in the face of failure.
And third — Build Relentlessly: Your dreams and your learnings hold meaning only when they build something larger than yourself. Whether for your community, your country, or the world, strive to make a difference. Success is most fulfilling when it uplifts others. This, I believe, is the most profound gurudakshina you can offer to
your teachers, your parents, and your nation.
And my wish, as I stand here today, is that at least 100 leaders, thinkers, and innovators come from this very school over the next decades. Create businesses that solve the world’s challenges. Lead with integrity and compassion.
Innovate in ways that inspire the next generation. Push the boundaries of what you think is possible. I want to see 100 Gautam Adanis emerge from here. But not just to follow my path. I want you to build your own. So, build something remarkable because you have the greatest opportunity in the India we live in today!
And I hope one day when people look back, they will say: The Adani International School was the place that gave our country many of the leaders who transformed the nation. This was the school where dreams took flight. And you were the ones who made that happen.
Wish you all the best. Thank you,
Jai Hind
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