Anant Ambani, the youngest son of Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani and Reliance Foundation founder and chairperson Nita Ambani, revealed that his soon-to-be wife Radhika Merchant is now a great support in his venture to save wild animals but that was not always the case.

Talking about his wedding later this year, Anant said: “I’m going to have one more person [in my venture]. Radhika is also extremely passionate about this. I think both of us, combined with my parents’ blessings and my siblings Akash and Isha’s blessings, [will be able to take this forward]. I think what you’ve seen now is only 8- 10 per cent of my vision.”

Asked how he managed to take out time from his packed schedule for animal conservation, Anant said: “So, I have a philosophy. This is my passion project. So I give about one hour a day or one-and-a-half hours a day to Vantara where we do animal rescue. The rest of the time I’m devoted to my father and I give about 14 hours a day.”

Vantara, launched on Monday, is an umbrella initiative to focus on rescue, treatment, care and rehabilitation of injured, abused and threatened animals. Housed within the Green Belt of Reliance’s Jamnagar Refinery Complex in Gujarat, Vantara aims to be one of the leading contributors to conservation efforts globally. By working with leading experts in animal care and welfare, Vantara has converted a sprawling space into a jungle-like environment that mimics the natural, enriching, lush and verdant habitat for the rescued species to thrive in.

The Vantara initiative, the first-of-its-kind in India, has been conceptualised and birthed under the passionate leadership of Anant Ambani. Anant is also spearheading Reliance’s ambitious renewable energy business in Jamnagar, and, in that capacity, is responsible for leading Reliance’s journey to become a Net Carbon Zero company by 2035.

On a lighter note, Anant said Radhika would earlier complain about his frequent visits to Jamnagar but is now more interested than him in caring for the animals.

“For me, Jamnagar is my home. So I try to base myself over here on weekends and whenever I get a holiday. So Radhika would complain a lot [earlier]. But she loves it now… Now she wants to come to take care of the animals more than me. So Radhika is a great support,” he said.

Anant and Radhika are gearing up for a mega celebration in Jamnagar from March 1-3 where their families will be joined by VVIPs from across the world for the couple’s pre-wedding festivities.

All three nights of celebrations will be themed. Day 1 is called An Evening in Everland, with the dress code listed as “elegant cocktail”.

Day 2 will host A Walk on the Wildside with “jungle fever” the suggested dress code. It is set to be held outdoors in the Ambanis’ animal rescue centre in Jamnagar, and guests are advised to wear comfortable shoes and clothing for this event.

Invitees will then swap their safari-themed outfits for more elegant ones for Mela Rouge. The dress code for this is “dazzling desi romance”, suggesting glamorous traditional South Asian attires for all.

The final day will also comprise two events. The first one, Tusker Trails, suggests “casual chic” dressing, as guests are expected to further explore the green ambience of Jamnagar. The final party, Hashtakshar, calls for an elegant evening with heritage Indianwear.