Ahmedabad:  Vedanta Group Chairman Anil Agarwal said that the key to success is to never stop trying, during an event at the Young Presidents’ Organisation (YPO) in Ahmedabad on Thursday.

He said that entrepreneurship is the way forward and called upon the youth to dream big and never give up. Addressing the Gujarat chapter of the Young Presidents’ Organization in Ahmedabad, Mr Agarwal said if the youth of the nation take risks and be courageous, they can be job creators and not job seekers. He added that India’s growth will only accelerate with the emergence of more women leaders and entrepreneurs.

Sharing his personal story to inspire the youth, the Vedanta Chairman said that when he started his entrepreneurial journey, he had no money. Yet, he never gave up despite nine failed businesses and that learning gave him the courage to start Vedanta, which is a $30 billion business today.

“My story is inspirational not because I am a billionaire, but because I never stopped trying. The key is to never stop trying,” he said in his address.

Sharing nuggets from his journey, Mr Agarwal said he could not finish his school education, joined his father’s scarp business and eventually moved to Mumbai with just a tiffin and bedding but with ambition and a burning desire to succeed in the city of dreams.

“I have always believed that luck favours the brave – the higher the risk, the higher the gain. But a key lesson that I have learnt over the decades is that before one wins deals, he or she needs to win people’s hearts. Two, one should not be afraid of doing the grunt work. I sat on railway tracks after my first business deal as I didn’t have money and laid fibre optics with these very hands. It is thus important that as an entrepreneur or future CEOs, we must get our sleeves dirty to learn,” he said.

Talking about Vedanta’s semiconductor plans, Mr Agarwal said that India’s Silicon Valley will be created in Gujarat. This will also spur creation of electronics clusters in other states of the country.

“We need to be self-reliant in electronics and ensure we provide affordable electronics for all Indians. By 2026, India will consume semiconductors worth $80 billion and manufacture electronic goods worth $300 billion. We decided to make a start and we have got Foxconn to bring in technology and expertise. We are getting ready for future technology businesses,” he said.

Sharing his dream for Vedanta, Mr Agarwal said that he aspires the company to run like an institution that will last many centuries. DeshGujarat