"In 1985, the then PM Rajiv Gandhi began liberalising our economy by easing import licensing norms. This was a quiet but significant reform. It was as if an economic pressure valve had opened up... In 1991, India faced one of its darkest chapters, with just ten days of foreign exchange reserves left. Under the decisive leadership of the then-PM PV Narasimha Rao and finance minister Manmohan Singh, India launched a historic economic reset. Three words define it- devaluations, deregulations, and globalisations. This marked the fall of many major corporations that had the protection of the licence raj. But for first-generation entrepreneurs, for us, it was the spark of reinventions we had been waiting for... Progress is never linear and the biggest opportunities almost always emerge on the other side of the hurricane... This belief in the future, would become the operating DNA of the Adani Group," he added.

Risk-Taking

Recounting his early journey into entrepreneurship, Adani shared a personal story of ambition and risk-taking. "I made my first bold decision at the age of 16. I bought a second-class train ticket and left for Mumbai with no degree, no job, and no backup, except for a burning desire to define my own path... Each diamond I polished in Mumbai taught me patience, precision, and perseverance... Entrepreneurship never begins with a grand vision. It begins with a spark of conviction and the courage to act, even when the future is uncertain, and it begins with the conviction to dream and walk along before others join the path. 'Sapne wo nahi jo neend me ate hain, sapne wo hain jo neend uda dete hain'," the chairman said.