'I had little money in my pocket, but...': Vedanta's Anil Agarwal recalls his first 8 ft x 9 ft office in Mumbai

Vedanta founder Anil Agarwal recently took a trip down memory lane, recalling the humble beginnings of his business journey in Mumbai and the tiny office in Kalbadevi where he began building what would eventually become the Vedanta Group.

In a post on X, Agarwal said that while the group now has major offices across countries, he still vividly remembers his first workplace in Mumbai.

“Today, many of the Vedanta Group's major offices are located in various countries around the world. But to tell the truth, even today, if I close my eyes, I can clearly picture my first office in Kalbadevi, Mumbai,” he wrote.

Anil Agarwal recalled arriving in Mumbai from Bihar when he was just 19 years old, with little money but a strong ambition to succeed.

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“When I arrived in Mumbai from Bihar at the age of 19, I had little money in my pocket, but a fierce determination in my heart that I would achieve something big,” he said.

His search eventually led him to a small room in an old building in Kalbadevi. He credited a man named Rasikbhai for recognising his determination and offering him the space.

The office was on the fourth floor and measured just 8 ft x 9 ft. Only three people were working there, and the office had a shared telephone.

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“Back then, even having your own telephone wasn't easy,” Agarwal recalled. His calls would come through a nearby phone belonging to Rajkumar, with the phone ringing twice before being disconnected.

Agarwal would then rush down the stairs to take the call. “Even today, it feels like those weren't two rings, but the knocks of my dreams,” he wrote.

The entrepreneur also recalled that his living arrangements were even more modest. Near the Cotton Exchange in Kalbadevi, he shared a room with seven other people, paying a monthly rent of just ₹21.

Despite the cramped surroundings, Agarwal said his first office became a place where he learnt lessons about business that could not be found in textbooks.

“Sitting right there, I closed deals with cable companies, met with traders, and every day learned those business lessons that you won't find in any MBA textbook,” he wrote.

He also remembered the ups and downs of those early years, from successful days to failed evenings, while continuing to return to the office each morning with the same enthusiasm.

“Many seasons passed in that office. But every morning, I continued to unlock the lock of my first office with the same enthusiasm and pride,” Agarwal said.

For him, the tiny office ultimately carried a much bigger lesson — one that he believes shaped his entrepreneurial journey. “That 8 ft x 9 ft room taught me... Dream big. Work hard,” he concluded.