Meet Rajinder Gupta, a school dropout who began with Rs 30 daily and now has net worth of Rs 12,000 crore

A Class 9 dropout, Rajinder Gupta became one of Punjab’s richest men through his courage, perseverance, and calculated risk-taking. He is said to be popularly known as “Punjab’s Dhirubhai Ambani.” Forbes estimates his net worth at $1.5 billion as of June 2023. He left Trident’s board of directors in 2022, citing family and health concerns. Trident specialises in home textiles, paper and chemicals manufacturing.

Early life and education

Due to his low-income background, Rajinder Gupta faced difficulties at a young age. At just 14 years of age, during the ninth grade, he dropped out of school.

It wasn’t until the 1980s that he had access to big opportunities. As an amateur, he started making cement pipes and candles for Rs 30 per day. In 1985, he built Abhishek Industries, a fertiliser manufacturer, proving that his strategy worked. In 1991, he joined forces with another company to open a spinning mill, extending his business.

Professional Career and Background

Gupta began his extraordinary journey as a modest cotton dealer. Despite modest beginnings, he built a conglomerate worth Rs 17,000 crore. Punjab business schools use the Trident company’s growth as their case study. Rajinder Gupta has a net worth of more than Rs 12,000 crore and is the richest person in Punjab, according to annual wealth lists.

In addition to serving as Chairman of the Corporate Advisory Board for Trident Limited, Rajinder Gupta is also Chairman of the Trident Group, a multinational conglomerate headquartered in Ludhiana, Punjab. As a reward for his outstanding contributions to the trade and industry sectors, the President of India awarded him the Padma Shri in 2007.

Recently, he was appointed Chairman of Punjab Engineering College’s Board of Governors. A member of the Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, and Himachal Pradesh Advisory Council of FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry), he serves as a representative of trade, industry, and commerce on the Punjab Bureau of Investment Promotion Board of Governors. Taking over as president of the Punjab Cricket Association in September 2017, he held the position until February 2023.

Trident Ltd

Through his divisions in Punjab and Madhya Pradesh, Gupta has made his company a global leader in textile, paper, and chemical manufacturing. Trident exports to more than 150 countries, accounting for two-thirds of its revenue. Following in the footsteps of the illustrious business mogul who founded Reliance, Gupta’s Trident Group counts Walmart, JCPenney, and Luxury and Linen among its customers. The company ranks among the world’s top five towel manufacturers. He is currently the group’s ‘chairman emeritus’ at its headquarters in Ludhiana, after resigning in 2022.