Mukesh Ambani, the Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries, has donated ₹151 crore to his former college, the Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT) in Mumbai. He studied there in the 1970s when it was known as the University Department of Chemical Technology (UDCT).
Ambani visited the campus and spent over three hours attending an event held to release the biography of Professor MM Sharma, titled Divine Scientist. He shared memories of attending his first lecture at UDCT by Prof. Sharma, which deeply inspired him. He praised Prof. Sharma for playing a key role in shaping India’s economic reforms.
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According to Ambani, Prof. Sharma convinced policymakers that India could only progress by freeing its industries from the old license-permit system. This change allowed Indian businesses to grow, reduce imports, and compete globally.
Ambani said both his father, Dhirubhai Ambani, and Prof. Sharma had the same dream—to transform Indian industries from a state of shortage to global success. He added that they believed science and technology, when combined with private entrepreneurship, could bring prosperity to the country.
He called Prof. Sharma a Rashtra Guru—a national teacher—and credited him for helping the Indian chemical industry grow.
As a gesture of respect, Ambani announced an unconditional donation of ₹151 crore to ICT, fulfilling Prof. Sharma’s wish. “When he tells us to do something, we don’t think—we just do it,” Ambani said.
