US & EUROPE’S Ostrich-like attitude towards Indians takeover of strategic businesses-I: Democratic India can do no harm, a false assumption?

Mukesh Ambani (Forbes rich list rank 1)
Legend has it that Mukesh Ambani, India’s richest man likes his dosas from only one place – the Mysore Cafe, a small little place in Matunga, Mumbai’s Tamil heartland. As for the owners of the cafe, they talk of him in tones priests reserve for patron saints. Understandable! After all, he is their most celebrated customer. Ambani has a soft corner for wildlife as well. So much so that a couple of years ago, he commissioned a huge two volume encyclopedia on Indian wildlife. It went out to academics, researchers, wildlife enthusiasts and people in the media. He is also building what is perhaps the world’s most expensive home at USD 1.2 billion complete with a movie theatre to watch the Bollywood flicks he loves so much.

Anil Ambani (Forbes rich list rank 3)
The younger Ambani is a fitness freak and his passion for running is well documented. He’s a regular on the marathon circuit and his running mates include a canteen boy who works at the State Bank of India in Nariman Point. He’s also seen at Mumbai’s Mahalakshmi Race Course with his children where they enjoy horse rides. Anil Ambani is up every day by 4:00 a.m. and reads every scrap of information published while he was sleeping before he hits the road.

Azim Premji (Forbes rich list rank 4)
A movie buff, he often turns to his business heads for advice on what titles to pick. He likes to trek as well. Very conscientious about the environment, he is now in the market for a hybrid car.

Shashi Ruia (Forbes rich list rank 5)
Extremely media shy, he is closest to younger brother Ravi Ruia. And when the media does get him for that rare interview, he insists the pictures used include both of them. Raconteur par excellence, he can hold an audience for as long as he wants to with his witty stories and knack for story-telling.  And yes, he loves his food.

Sunil Mittal (Forbes rich list rank 8)
He is superstitious about the number 23. He was born on a 23rd, got married on the 23rd, and almost always insists on any major announcements being announced on the 23rd. When he is in Delhi, Mittal insists on having lunch with his brothers and closest associates at Bharti’s headquarters where everything about the business is discussed. Over the years, he has also earned a reputation for his sharp sartorial sense.

Anil Agarwal (Forbes rich list rank 11)
He makes no bones about the fact that he’s starry eyed and loves to watch every Hindi film that comes his way. When in Mumbai, he is known to throw unending parties for his buddies at the Taj Mahal hotel, one of his favourite haunts. Also loves to go around on bicycles.

Dilip Shanghvi (Forbes rich list rank 14)
He is almost fanatical in his devotion to the treadmill and never misses a chance to get on it. Shanghvi doesn’t ike parties; in fact he is a rare sighting even at pharmaceutical industry meetings. Instead, he is a homebody and is rarely seen outside the suburb of Andheri in Mumbai where he has a home and the factory. When he likes to take a break, it is usually at Kodaikanal or on the backwaters of Kerala.

Cyrus Poonawalla (Forbes rich list rank 24)
You could say the man hoards horses, but his real collection is a fleet of more than 25 cars kept in Pune. Poonawalla even built a prototype for a sports car during his college days. He’s carefully collected cars that range from custom-built limousines to Rolls Royces to six-door Mercedes. And the craze for cars runs in the blood. Nephew Yohan Poonawalla was the first owner of the Phantom Rolls Royce in India (for Rs 3.5 crore) in 2005.