Monthly rent was ₹21: Vedanta founder Anil Agarwal remembers his humble beginning, ‘seasons passed’ in 8x9 office

Vedanta founder and chairman Anil Agarwal has shared a personal reflection on his origins. The billionaire wrote about his first office on X, taking followers back to Mumbai in 1975.

A 19-year-old Anil Agarwal arrived in Mumbai from Bihar. He carried little money but had an intense determination to build something significant. That resolve led him to the narrow lanes of Kalbadevi, where he spent many days searching for a small workspace.

“That very determination brought me to the lanes of Kalbadevi. For many days there, I kept searching for a small office,” he wrote.

His breakthrough came when he met a man named Rasikbhai. The landlord recognised something in the young man and showed him a room on the fourth floor of an ageing building. The space measured just 8 feet by 9 feet. Three people worked there, sharing a single telephone line.

Phone calls presented their own challenge. Incoming calls would arrive at a neighbour's phone belonging to Rajkumar ji. The phone would ring twice and disconnect. Agarwal would sprint down the stairs each time to take the call.

He recalled those two rings with great warmth. He described them not as telephone signals but as knocks from his dreams.

“Even today, it feels like those weren't two rings, but the knocks of my dreams,” wrote Anil Agarwal, feeling nostalgic.

₹21 Monthly rent

From that cramped room, he closed deals with cable companies, met traders and absorbed business lessons no MBA programme could provide. Each day brought new learning and fresh challenges.

His living conditions were equally modest. Near the Cotton Exchange in Kalbadevi, he shared a room with seven other people. The monthly rent was ₹21.

“Some successful days, some failed evenings, many seasons passed in that office. But every morning, I continued to unlock the lock of my first office with the same enthusiasm and pride,” the Vedanta boss wrote.

Today, Vedanta Group operates major offices across multiple countries. Yet, Agarwal says he can still picture that first room with complete clarity whenever he closes his eyes.

“That 8 ft x 9 ft room taught me... Dream big. Work hard,” he concluded