Joy Alukkas, 67, an Indian billionaire from Kerala, is the chairman and managing director of the Joyalukkas Group. He is hogging headlines for a story many social media users are finding inspirational. Alukkas, in an interview with CNBC-TV18, shared the anecdote from 2000. He shared how a salesman made a disrespectful comment when he walked into a Rolls-Royce dealership in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, considering buying one of their cars. "I said I want to see the car, a Rolls Royce,” Alukkas had told the salesman then. However, the salesman, not knowing the man's net worth, responded saying, “No, if you want to buy a car, go to the Mitsubishi showroom, you will get a car there," CNBC-TV18 quoted the businessman as saying. That moment, Alukkas made up his mind to buy one. "Then I thought… I felt ashamed of this type of behaviour, so I decided to buy a car… the same car. I purchased it," the business tycoon said. Alukkas admitted that he realised he didn't really need the car after buying it. An ace businessman, he got an idea. He announced the car as a gift to the first person to buy gold worth 500 AED from his jewellery. In 2000, such an announcement for a raffle draw was unthinkable, and it boosted the image of the brand substantially. Over time, Alukkas not only became one of the most prominent jewelleries in India, but also emerged a gold-retail giant in West Asia. The Joy Alukkas Group, today, has over 160 showrooms in 11 countries. Alukkas, who was ranked at the 712th spot on Forbes Billionaires List 2024, and currently the 50th richest person in India, has owned many Rolls-Royce cars since, the latest being a Cullinan he bought recently.
