Mumbai
In a heartfelt tribute to his mentor and alma mater, Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries, has announced an unconditional grant of ₹151 crore to the Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT), Mumbai. This announcement was made during the launch event of Divine Scientist, the biography of Professor M.M. Sharma, held at ICT on Saturday.
Ambani, who graduated from ICT—then known as the University Department of Chemical Technology (UDCT)—in the 1970s, credited Prof. Sharma for shaping his early academic inspiration and for being a quiet force behind India’s economic liberalisation. Recalling his first lecture under Sharma, Ambani shared that the experience deeply motivated him and shaped his worldview on industrial transformation.
“Like my father Dhirubhai Ambani, Prof. Sharma envisioned transforming Indian industry from scarcity to global leadership,” Ambani said, adding that the professor’s advocacy for dismantling the license-permit raj laid the foundation for scalable, self-reliant industrial growth in India.
Describing Prof. Sharma as a “Rashtra Guru — a Guru of Bharat”, Ambani called the donation an act of Guru Dakshina, fulfilling Sharma’s wish for significant support to ICT. “When he tells us something, we just listen. He said, ‘Mukesh, you have to do something big for ICT,’ and I am happy to honour that,” Ambani remarked.
The donation is seen as a significant contribution to scientific education and research in India, underlining the role of mentorship, philanthropy, and public-private partnerships in nation-building.