Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Changing Times...

Recently, I was going through some old issues of Mint, when I came across an interesting piece "Glimpses of a dynasty" (Mint, May 9, 2010) which said that as the undisputed inheritors of Dhirubhai’s legacy, Mukesh and Anil were to take Reliance to even greater heights but as is all too well-known, that unity didn’t last long.

What struck me the most were a few pictures published by MInt.  The brothers were together, during those happy times.



The brothers were together, even during the sad times.



And then the bitter fight started.  The fight continued even after the family settlement announced by Kokilaben Ambani in June 2005.  After almost 5 years of fighting, the brothers have announced a ceasefire.  Mukesh and Anil, with an estimated joint worth of US $43 billion, both live in Mumbai, but had not been on speaking terms during their protracted dispute, reports Reuters, announcing the truce under the title - India's Ambani brothers speak "harmony" after acrimony.

What surprises me is that the brothers are one of the richest in the world.  Still it did not stop them from fighting for some more.  I can understand that if one person gets everything and the other doesn't get anything, then there is cause for concern.  A few billion USD here and there ... does it make any difference to the lifestyle of any of the them?

I wish they spend their money for the welfare of the nation, the poorest of the poor and do something good.  Something that will bring joy to the lives of the poorest of the poor and make them feel that their lives have been worth lived.