Our Bureau

Mumbai , June 20

BOTH the Ambani brothers today wrote e-mails bidding farewell to the employees of the respective companies whose chairmanship they were relinquishing.

The Chairman of Reliance Infocomm, Mr Mukesh Ambani, who will soon relinquish his position to younger brother, Mr Anil Ambani, sent an e-mail bidding farewell to over 40,000 employees of the company.

"My younger brother Anil is now taking over the stewardship of Reliance Infocomm. He has enormous energy and drive and we share a common commitment to take forward the legacy of our father Shri Dhirubhai Ambani," he wrote.

He noted that the employees, over 40,000 bright young men and women from over 1,400 geographical locations in the country, had nurtured the company to blossom into a pan-India voice and data services provider.

"From 2001, I had the opportunity of working shoulder-to-shoulder with all of you to grow this enterprise from scratch. Together, we have the satisfaction of taking this initiative that envisioned bringing about a digital revolution in India," said his e-mail.

"The responsibility of caring for Reliance Infocomm and leading it is now being handed over to my younger brother Shri Anil Ambani, I send to the new leadership of Reliance Infocomm my best wishes for greater accomplishments," said the e-mail.

Mr Anil Ambani, who has already stepped down as Vice-Chairman and Managing Director of RIL, called it the most difficult emotional decision of his life.

Writing to the company's employees, he said: "I leave this great organisation, and all of you, with a deep and abiding sense of personal loss. Life, for me, will never be the same again. But evolution and change are, perhaps, an inevitable part of our karma... "

He did make a parting sales pitch however: "Finally, I look forward to an entirely new dimension in our relationship — that of all of you as valuable and loyal customers of Reliance Infocomm, Reliance Energy and Reliance Capital!"

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