Today, we are going to talk about one of the most influential and powerful women in India - Nita Ambani.

Nita Ambani was born on 1 November 1963 into a middle-class Gujarati family in Mumbai. She holds a bachelor's degree in Commerce from Narsee Monjee College of Commerce and Economics. She started learning Bharatanatyam at an early age and is a professional Bharatanatyam dancer.

After completing her education, Nita became a teacher and met Mukesh Ambani. They married in 1985. After her wedding, Nita started working with Mukesh and contributed to the success and growth of Reliance.

Nita always dreamed of becoming a mother. In an interview, she revealed that she would write long essays titled, "When I’ll be a mother…" even when she was in school. However, her journey to motherhood was not easy. Nita was unable to get pregnant and sought medical help. The doctors told her that she could never have children. This news devastated Nita, but she did not give up hope.

She opted for In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), a complex medical procedure that can lead to pregnancy. Despite a successful IVF, Nita’s pregnancy was difficult and traumatic. She delivered her first-born twins, Isha and Akash, two months premature in a medical emergency. Throughout her pregnancy, Nita maintained positivity and endured the painful process. She finally became a mother after seven years of marriage.

Three years after the birth of Isha and Akash, Nita gave birth to her second son, Anant, naturally. After her children were born, Nita became a full-time mother. She went back to work after all her children turned five but remained a strict and caring mother.

Despite belonging to a wealthy family, Nita ensured that her children stayed grounded. She gave them only ?5 every Friday to spend in their school’s canteen. Once, a young Anant demanded ?10 instead of ?5, saying his friends teased him, asking if he was an Ambani or a beggar. Both Nita and Mukesh laughed at this.

Nita also didn’t allow her kids to travel to college in luxury cars and made them use public transport. Isha Ambani recalled in an interview, "Whenever mom and I had fights, we'd call dad to resolve the issue. My mom was way stricter. If we wanted to bunk school, dad would be like, 'It's no big deal,' but mom would ensure we ate on time, studied hard, and got our playtime as well."

Anant Ambani had severe asthma and had to take steroids, which made him overweight. This caused other health issues. Nita motivated Anant to lose weight by becoming his weight-loss buddy. She believed that a child follows their mother’s example, so she went on a diet with him, ate what he ate, and exercised whenever he did. As a result, Anant lost a lot of weight and overcame his health issues.

Nita managed all this while working full-time. She balanced work and home perfectly and knew which role to play with whom and where. Isha Ambani said that her mother is the perfect role model for understanding "how important each stage is in a woman's life and how one needs to define what 'having it all' means during these different stages."

Today, Nita is the chairperson and founder of the Reliance Foundation, Dhirubhai Ambani International School, a director of Reliance Industries, and a well-known philanthropist. In 2022, on International Women’s Day, Nita launched ‘Her Circle,’ a digital platform for women with discussion panels and a social networking app. The aim is to empower women with modern, digital tools, providing a "joyful and safe space for interaction, engagement, collaboration, and mutual support."

Nita said, "When women lean on women, incredible things happen," at its launch. In 2023, she launched a four-storey, 16,000 square feet exhibition and theater called the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Center (NMACC).

Nita Ambani’s journey is an inspiring story of strength, perseverance, and success. She continues to be a role model for women across India and beyond.

Tags

• nita ambani
• ambani family
• reliance

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