Gautam Adani recalls leaving home at 16, says ‘Hardest step in life is often the first one’

Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani has opened up about leaving home at the age of 16 and taking his first step towards Mumbai, drawing parallels between his own journey and that of millions of young Indians who leave their families behind to build a future.

In a video message posted on X on Wednesday, Adani said his story was not unique, but reflected the experiences of people across the country who moved away from home in search of opportunities. The video is part of the second conversation in his series, ‘My Words, With My Loved Ones’.

‘The hardest step in life is often the first one’

“I was only 16 years old when I first reached Mumbai. I wanted to learn, understand the work and people. I believe that many among you too may have seen a day like this in your lives when you left your village and family for city in search of a new future and took the first step. The hardest step in life is often the first one. But that first step starts giving us shape,” Adani said.

“This is not just Gautam Adani's story. This is the story of every person who lived far from home in some corner of the country, and made a project their dream. This is the story of all of you. The story of your hard work, and the story of your faith,” he added.

In the accompanying post, Adani recalled the sacrifices involved in leaving home.

“From every corner of the country, when young people leave behind their homes, their families, arriving at our Project Sites with dreams in their eyes, I see my own journey reflected in them.

‘Shaping their future and India’s future’

Adani said the experience has shaped the way he looks at young workers across the group's project sites.

“Today, in those millions of young people, I see my own story - those who are far from home, far from loved ones, but are shaping their future and India's future with the sweat of their brow,” he said.

The reflections come as Adani also looks back at what he described as a difficult nearly two-year chapter for the group. In a separate special message, he said the period had been “difficult and painful” but had strengthened his faith in the rule of law and the justice system.

“You all know that right from the start, we categorically denied the allegations brought against us. Therefore, you might be expecting that today. I would say—‘Our stand has been vindicated.’ No. I will not say that,” Adani said, adding that it was more important for him to look back on the journey with humility.

Adani's remarks came a day after a US federal court permanently dismissed the criminal charges against him and his nephew Sagar Adani, bringing an end to nearly two years of proceedings in the case. The Adani Group had consistently denied the allegations. The dismissal followed the US Justice Department's decision to abandon the prosecution, with the court allowing the government's request to drop the case.

He also credited employees, workers, suppliers, vendors, contractors and partners for continuing their work through the difficult period.

“And perhaps that is precisely why the years termed our most difficult turned out to be among the very best in our Group’s history. The credit for this goes to all of you,” he said.

Looking ahead, Adani said the group’s journey was far from over.

“A chapter has closed. But our journey is a long one and our responsibility is even greater,” he said, calling for the lessons from the experience to be carried forward while working towards “the dream of a developed India.”