They
are one of the first couples of Indian business. Among those privileged
few who dine out with the Clintons on Millennium Eve, and can claim to
have a more than nodding acquaintance with their hosts. Yet, Mukesh Ambani,
the eldest scion of the Ambani family and his wife, Nita, are unassuming
to a fault. Never mind the fact that Bill Clinton spent 45 minutes
closeted with Mukesh, brother Anil, and patriarch Dhirubhai recently. Nita
is today actively involved in setting up an industrial township in
Jamnagar, where RIL's mega refinery is coming up. Says Nita, 37: "I
view myself as any other working woman, with a supportive husband. He
takes care of the children's homework and looks after them when I am
away." Obviously, no signs of any glitterati hangover here, clearly
Paul Streng
He
peddles gold, though not on pavements. But Paul Streng, Managing Director
of the South Africa-based Rand Refinery, the world's largest gold
refinery, would like his ware--gold bars of 99.90 fineness--to have
similar visibility. With India's gold imports touching the $6.7 billion
mark in 1998-99, it could. Says Paul, 51, an avid cricket enthusiast, who
is here to hawk Rand's latest offering, the 5-tola gold bar: "The
product should do well, unless purchasers are influenced by cricket where
India was walloped by South Africa." If that happens, it will not
quite be cricket
Amit Burmen
From
targeting kitchen shelves, he is now targeting mindspace. Amit Burman, the
scion of the Burman family of Dabur fame, that is. Amit's company, Angel
Softech, has just promoted smartbahu.com, a portal for Indian women in the
age group 18-35 years, which would provide information on a plethora of
subjects from at-home careers to savvy parenting, in a snazzy Web format,
the retrograde name-tag notwithstanding. Says Amit, 30, who is the CEO of
Dabur Foods: "My Dabur stint has taught me that modern women look for
a happy blend of traditional and modern in their lives. And smartbahu
would do just that." A smart move that.
Sunanda Singhania
Ministering
angel? Perhaps not. But Sunanda Singhania, a bahu of one of the first
families of Indian business, obviously takes the ministering part
seriously. For, she manages the Pushpawati Singhania Research Institute (PSRI)
in the capital, a non-profit 50-bed hospital for liver and renal diseases,
set up in 1996 by the JK Group. Says Sunanda, 38: "The JK Group has a
history of social service with its schools and hospitals, and I am simply
doing my bit." Evidently, Sunanda does that and much more, since she
also runs Indica Travels, and takes an active interest in Indian classical
music. Talk of juggling many hats. Or is it halos?
They
are one of the first couples of Indian business. Among those privileged
few who dine out with the Clintons on Millennium Eve, and can claim to
have a more than nodding acquaintance with their hosts. Yet, Mukesh Ambani,
the eldest scion of the Ambani family and his wife, Nita, are unassuming
to a fault. Never mind the fact that Bill Clinton spent 45 minutes
closeted with Mukesh, brother Anil, and patriarch Dhirubhai recently. Nita
is today actively involved in setting up an industrial township in
Jamnagar, where RIL's mega refinery is coming up. Says Nita, 37: "I
view myself as any other working woman, with a supportive husband. He
takes care of the children's homework and looks after them when I am
away." Obviously, no signs of any glitterati hangover here, clearly
He
peddles gold, though not on pavements. But Paul Streng, Managing Director
of the South Africa-based Rand Refinery, the world's largest gold
refinery, would like his ware--gold bars of 99.90 fineness--to have
similar visibility. With India's gold imports touching the $6.7 billion
mark in 1998-99, it could. Says Paul, 51, an avid cricket enthusiast, who
is here to hawk Rand's latest offering, the 5-tola gold bar: "The
product should do well, unless purchasers are influenced by cricket where
India was walloped by South Africa." If that happens, it will not
quite be cricket
From
targeting kitchen shelves, he is now targeting mindspace. Amit Burman, the
scion of the Burman family of Dabur fame, that is. Amit's company, Angel
Softech, has just promoted smartbahu.com, a portal for Indian women in the
age group 18-35 years, which would provide information on a plethora of
subjects from at-home careers to savvy parenting, in a snazzy Web format,
the retrograde name-tag notwithstanding. Says Amit, 30, who is the CEO of
Dabur Foods: "My Dabur stint has taught me that modern women look for
a happy blend of traditional and modern in their lives. And smartbahu
would do just that." A smart move that.
Ministering
angel? Perhaps not. But Sunanda Singhania, a bahu of one of the first
families of Indian business, obviously takes the ministering part
seriously. For, she manages the Pushpawati Singhania Research Institute (PSRI)
in the capital, a non-profit 50-bed hospital for liver and renal diseases,
set up in 1996 by the JK Group. Says Sunanda, 38: "The JK Group has a
history of social service with its schools and hospitals, and I am simply
doing my bit." Evidently, Sunanda does that and much more, since she
also runs Indica Travels, and takes an active interest in Indian classical
music. Talk of juggling many hats. Or is it halos?