Gautam Adani is now recognized as one of India’s most influential businessmen, having risen from humble beginnings to become the country’s second-richest person. However, not many are aware that he has cheated death on two separate occasions. Adani is the driving force behind the remarkable ascent of the Adani Group, a major player in India’s business landscape.
Born in Ahmedabad in 1962 to a Gujarati Jain family as one of eight siblings, Adani’s father was a small textile merchant and his mother a homemaker. He dropped out of Gujarat University and, in 1988, launched Adani Exports, now known as Adani Enterprises, which serves as the holding company for the Adani Group. This marked the beginning of his journey to extraordinary success.
As of now, at 62 years old, Gautam Adani’s net worth stands at an impressive $93.5 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, making him the second-richest man in India, just behind Mukesh Ambani. The Adani Group operates across various sectors, including energy, agriculture, real estate, and defense.
While details about Adani’s business ventures are widely known, fewer people realize that he has faced life-threatening situations twice. He has survived both a kidnapping and the infamous Mumbai terror attacks.
In 1998, Adani and his associate, Shantilal Patel, were kidnapped at gunpoint in Ahmedabad. As they were leaving the Karnavati Club, their vehicle was ambushed by armed bandits. According to Financial Express, the kidnappers, riding scooters, forced their car to a halt and abducted both men, demanding a ransom of $1.5 to $2 million for their release. Fortunately, they were released the same day.
Reflecting on the ordeal, Adani remarked, “Two or three very unfortunate incidents happened in my life, that is one of them.”
His second encounter with death occurred on November 26, 2008, when he was taken hostage at the Taj Mahal Hotel during the Mumbai terror attacks. As reported by Business Standard, Adani had just finished a meeting with Dubai Port CEO Mohammed Sharaf and was about to pay his bill when business associates persuaded him to stay for coffee and further discussions. It was at this moment that terrorists launched their attack on the hotel.
The hotel staff managed to escort Adani and other guests to the kitchen and later to the basement. He spent the night there until he was rescued the following day.
After arriving in Ahmedabad on his private jet on November 27, Adani shared, “I saw death at a distance of just 15 feet.”
