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Journalism of Courage
A new friend but an old soul, when questioned by a stranger, quot;And who are you?quot; replied, quot;I am I.quot; In it8217;s honesty the answer perhaps shocks as it is a blatant statement of truth but the man is humility itself in real life, one who has seen many lifetimes or perhaps many lives in this one. A friend who I have known longer, but is as much an old soul, bared his truth in one of the most honest quot;I am Iquot; interviews on prime-time television and won the hearts of many a viewer with his humility. He is Anil Ambani, Simi Garewal, the queen of the airwaves brought to our homes in candid intimacy the man who turned 40 this year.
In celebration of a historical birthday year, Tina Ambani and Parmeshwar Godrej threw a party which perhaps will stay unmatched even in the new millennium. Can an evening have promise before it has begun? Oui! The invitation card was a beginning teaser of the double whammy celebration of Anil8217;s fortieth, and a kicking off to the millennium celebrations. If an invitation, like a picture, spokea 1,000 words and you were amongst the 300 or so in the nation to receive one, you perforce had no choice but to go. Having exercised the choice, I was prepared for a night of perfect hospitality and warmth but nothing prepared me for the event, of the old millennium into the new, as that magical, romantic, over-the-top evening turned out to be.
When one of Parmesh8217;s old retainers greeted me and told me about the other staff, Mani and Thomas who had retired, I realised that in the intervening decade of old and new, I was perhaps just a wee bit wiser but a lot older in spirit and soul. To wax lyrical about an evening where the moon and stars are playing God8217;s own orchestra to augment perfection, is only human. To try to praise old friends who one sees in a new avataar8217; on TV is an entirely new experience. Anil8217;s Rendezvous with Simi was so simple, direct and brutally honest, that in it8217;s expression, it transcended the here and now.
As simply as the Ambanis have gone from sharing one room between them, to sharing the dream of one timeless, ageless man Dhirubhai8217; sharing his wealth with the millions of shareholder8217;s that make the vision named Reliance8217; a reality, is the stuff of folklore. Anil encapsulated the whisper of wealth riding on the back of a tiger called hardship and strugglethrough Simi8217;s gentle coaxing. Therein lies the irony. Though the Ambani wealth is almost as new as that of Bill Gate8217;s and his quot;here and nowquot; I T contemporaries, it is in the legendary sharing of their success with the common man as shareholder that the family score.
Today, theirs is an old wealth legacy because they are the torch bearers of what any son of the soil can achieve through tenacity, courage and sheer dint of hardwork. If in a nation of a billion people, there is a rags to riches story that inspires, it is of the Ambanis and the women of this illustrious family play as important a role as the men. In Mrs Dhirubhai Ambani8217;s simplicity and tradition there runs a strong familial tie that binds the clan like new age glue. In her, both Neeta and Tina have a support that have made both bahus classy, chic, new age women. That Mr amp; Mrs Dhirubhai, Mukesh, Anil and their near and extended family are as close as a clenched fist, is a tribute to their ability to take the evolution of their wealth andhabitat in their stride. To Mr amp; Mrs Dhirubhai Ambani, I doff my humble cap, as I know fiercely protective though they were, they made their children and grandchildren learn to fend for themselves. Tales that are readily told, about how rewards for being logical and independent are still a criteria of achievement in Dhirubhai8217;s world of grandchildren is notable.
Towards the end of a millennium it gladdens one8217;s heart to have in our midst not just one of the men8217; of the millennium but a family that are a prime example of how vision can change the face of fortune. May their story be the inspiration for generations of not just their family but their extended family of shareholder8217;s to dream and live the ethos of: quot;All for one and one for Allquot;.
