Anant Ambani's pre-wedding revelry in Jamnagar spotlights 'Vantara' initiative
The three-day high-voltage pre-wedding celebrations of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant will commence on Friday in Jamnagar, Gujarat. With a star-studded guest list, most attendees are already in the city. Although not traditionally a wedding destination, Jamnagar made headlines after Ambani unveiled "Vantara," Reliance Industries and Reliance Foundation's animal welfare initiative on Monday. In an interview, Ambani mentioned being inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "wed in India" message, likely influencing his choice of Jamnagar as the pre-wedding venue.
Vantara, conceptualized under Ambani's leadership
The animal welfare initiative, conceptualized under the leadership of Ambani, has been established over 3,000 acres. Vantara, which means 'Star of the Forest,' is located in Gujarat's Green Belt, at Reliance's Jamnagar Refinery Complex. This rehabilitation center strives to rescue and care for abused, injured, and endangered animals. At present, it has more than 2,000 rescued animals from 43 different species around the world.
I see God in every animal: Anant
Vantara also provides cutting-edge healthcare facilities, hospitals, research centers, and academic institutions for animal conservation. Ambani envisions Vantara as a global symbol of hope for biodiversity conservation, in line with the ancient Indian principle of jeev seva. He said he sees God in every animal and not just cows, which are revered in Hinduism. "For me, not only in a cow...I see (God) in every animal. So it's my giving back to society," he said in an India Today interview.
'You've seen now is only 8-10% of my vision'
The Reliance Industries heir, who has battled multiple health issues in the past, also credits his recovery to animals. "I've healed a lot in my own way, and I think it's all because of the animals," he added. He also said that his would-be wife Merchant is extremely passionate about the same. "I think both of us combined...with my parents and siblings' [Akash and Isha] blessings, I think what you've seen now is only 8-10% of my vision," he said.
High-profile guest list for the pre-wedding celebrations
Guests invited to the pre-wedding event include business moguls like Gautam Adani, Sunil Bharti Mittal, Bollywood stars such as Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan, and cricket legends Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni. International business leaders like Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen, Walt Disney CEO Bob Iger, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, Adnoc CEO Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, and EL Rothschild chair Lynn Forester de Rothschild are on the list.
Who is Anant Ambani
Anant was born on April 10, 1995. He is the youngest of Mukesh and Nita Ambani's three children. He attended Dhirubhai International School in Mumbai and earned a bachelor's degree from Brown University in the United States. Anant serves as a director on the boards of Reliance Industries Ltd., Jio Platforms Ltd., Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd., Reliance New Energy Ltd., and Reliance New Solar Energy Ltd. He has also served on the Reliance Foundation board since September 2022.
