Net worth of over 12,000 crores from a daily wage of Rs 30 – The story of a class 9 dropout who became the richest man in Punjab

The ‘Dhirubhai Ambani’ of Punjab: Rajinder Gupta is a self-made business magnate who has built a successful career on courage, tenacity and well-planned risks. Peers have dubbed Gupta the “Dhirubhai Ambani of Punjab” for building a Rs 17,000-crore conglomerate from very modest beginnings. Every business school in the state uses its remarkable growth as a case study. According to the most recent annual wealth list, Rajinder Gupta was the richest person in Punjab. The current amount of his net worth is more than Rs 12,368 crore. Gupta’s remarkable journey begins in the home of a simple cotton merchant. Hailing from a lowly family, Rajinder Gupta faced problems at a young age as he was forced to drop out of school in ninth grade at the age of just 14.

Rajinder Gupta: Background

Indian businessman Rajinder Gupta serves as both the Chairman of the Corporate Advisory Board of Trident Limited and the Chairman of Trident Group, a corporate conglomerate headquartered in Ludhiana, Punjab. He was awarded the Padma Shri (India’s fourth highest civilian award) by the President of India in 2007 for his exceptional work in the business and industry sectors. He was recently appointed as the Chairman of the Board of Governors at Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh. He serves as the Chairman of the Advisory Council of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) for Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh and is the representative of trade, industry and commerce on the Board of Governors of Punjab. Investment Promotion Bureau. He took over as the President of the Punjab Cricket Association in September 2017 and held it till his departure in February 2023.

Rajinder Gupta: Struggling Days

His career started with odd jobs of cement pipes and candles for Rs.30 a day. He worked for years before deciding to take the big chance in the 1980s. His ability to create Abhishek Industries, a fertilizer manufacturer, in 1985 proved that the strategy had been successful. When they set up a spinning mill in a joint venture in 1991, it continued to pay off.

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With divisions in Punjab and Madhya Pradesh, Gupta transformed his business into a global leader in the textile, paper and chemical sectors, following in the footsteps of the illustrious business mogul who started Reliance. Gupta’s Trident Group clients include retail giants Walmart, JCPenney, and luxury and linen. They rank among the top five terry towel producers worldwide. Gupta, 64, quit Trident’s board of directors in 2022 after forming a huge group citing family and health concerns. He is currently the ‘Chairman Emeritus’ of the group with its headquarters in Ludhiana.