Mukesh Ambani gifts Rs 151 crore to ICT as 'Guru Dakshina' to mentor Prof M M Sharma

Mukesh Ambani, the chairman of Reliance Industries, gifted Rs 151 crore to the Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT) on Friday. The donation, the largest in the institute's history, was announced during the launch of ‘The Divine Scientist’, a biography of Professor Man Mohan Sharma.

Ambani gives tribute to a mentor

Speaking at the event, Ambani referred to the donation as an act of Guru Dakshina, in line with Prof Sharma’s guidance. “When he tells us something, we just listen...He told me, ‘Mukesh, you have to do something big for ICT’, and I am pleased to announce that for Prof Sharma,” Ambani said.

The book, authored by Anita Patil, highlights Sharma’s contributions to the growth of chemical engineering in India. Ambani called the biography a significant effort, saying, “It is a Herculean task to chronicle the life of a legend like Sharma.”

Personal connection to ICT

Ambani recalled choosing the University Department of Chemical Technology (UDCT), now ICT, over IIT Bombay, describing the decision as one of conviction. “I realised he is an alchemist, not of metals, but minds: he has the power to transform curiosity into knowledge, knowledge into commercial value, and both knowledge and commercial value into everlasting wisdom,” he said, after attending Sharma’s first lecture.

He described his mentor as a national figure. “He is a Rashtra Guru — a Guru of Bharat,” Ambani said.

Praise from academic community

Prof J B Joshi, former head of ICT, also spoke at the event and described Sharma as “our Yugpurush”. He said Sharma had lived by one core principle: “Be a good teacher, do research at the frontier of knowledge, and use that for industry and society.”

Prof G D Yadav, another former ICT head, stated that around 1,300 PhD scholars were academically linked to Sharma. “He is omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent,” Yadav said, calling him “Bhramarishi”.

The ₹151 crore donation marks a milestone for ICT and highlights Prof Sharma’s role in shaping India’s scientific and industrial talent.