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| Energy man: Anil has the flamboyance
of his father |
| Mukesh isn't much of a socialiser, and is
seen at most public functions in the company of wife Nita or
his close family and business associates |
If Mukesh inherited Dhirubhai's strategist
qualities, younger brother Anil has been loaded with all the charm
and flamboyance that the patriarch was known to exude. A couple
of years ago Business Today got a taste of Dhirubhai's earthy wit,
this time straight from the lip of the 45-year-old RIL Vice Chairman
& Managing Director. When asked whether all the speculation
surrounding the differences between him and his brother had any
substance, Anil quipped: "In my father's words, there is an
old saying in Hindi which goes like this: 'Jab Haathi Ki Sawari
Jaati Hai, To Kutte Bhokte Rahte Hai.'" (When the elephant
strides through the jungle, the dogs can only bark).
When Anil said this some time in mid-2003, he for one never anticipated
that the ownership differences between him and his brother would
widen into such a chasm and reach such a flashpoint. Every quarter
when he met journalists for an appraisal of RIL's performance, he
diligently (and of course flamboyantly) touched upon every piece
of the huge Reliance pie, be it oil and gas, or Infocomm.
| Joining Reliance in 1993, Anil displayed
his prowess in the capital markets, but alienated some of his
family members when he threw in his lot with the Samajwadi Party |
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| Anil and friends: Anil's political leanings
likely added to the rift |
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True, Anil loves the press and the glamour that comes with it,
but to surmise his role at RIL as just the public face of the company
wouldn't quite be doing justice to his abilities and achievements.
"Anil and his financial team have been responsible for raising
thousands of crores from the markets, often without the help of
any intermediary," points out a Mumbai-based investment banker.
His deal-making abilities too are commendable, and came to the fore
when in late 2001 he convinced Kumar Mangalam Birla to pick up the
10.5 per cent that Reliance held in Larsen & Toubro at an awesome
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