Ambani brothers dance to mother Kokilaben's reunion tune

Junagadh: A traditional raas garba was Kokilaben's way of bringing the Ambani family together on the eve of Dhirubhai Ambani's 80th birth anniversary. The get-together at Chorwad in Gujarat on Tuesday was the biggest family show since 'ownership issues' between Mukesh and Anil Ambani divided the Reliance empire in 2005.

The two brothers hugged and talked earnestly as their wives and children joined the dance. On Tuesday, the two brothers hugged each other at their ancestral home in the coastal town of Chorwad, where their illustrious father Dhirubhai Ambani spent his childhood. They performed havan at the home, which is being converted into a museum in memory of their father, and even paid homage at the temple of Goddess Chorwadi, or Chorwad Bhavani.

The two brothers and their families, along with matriarch Kokilaben, will spend two days at the two-storied family home to commemorate Dhirubhai's 80th birth anniversary on December 28.

The last time that this coastal village had really come alive was way back in 1996, when Dhirubhai Ambani, along with Mukesh and Anil, threw a sumptuous feast for four villages - Chorward, Kukaswada, Kanek and Jujarpur. Dhirubhai had made it a point to thank all old friends and villagers, who had kept badhaas (vows) for his fast recovery after he suffered a heart attack some time before that.

After 15 years, Chorwad is once again bustling with excitement with the Ambani brothers coming together in the town. Miles away from Mumbai, where talk of their six-year-old squabble is slowly dying out, it was nothing short of a homecoming for the family. The Ambanis performed a havan and pooja in the presence of family guru Rameshbhai Oza inside the house. Talking to mediamen on Monday, Kokilaben had said "there is love between Mukesh and Anil" and that the family stands united, triggering speculation of an important business announcement.

The excitement in the town was visible since morning with hordes of villagers lining up across the narrow coastal highway for a glimpse of the brothers. Anil arrived at around 9.30 am with wife Tina and two sons. He entered the house after seeking the blessings of his mother.

Mukesh Ambani landed in his chopper at around 1 pm and drove straight to the house with Nita and three children. He received spontaneous applause from villagers gathered outside the house. The entire function remained a fiercely guarded family affair.

"Kokilaben has a strong emotional bonding with this house - Dhirubhai no delo. She lived with Dhirubhai here after their marriage. Both Mukesh and Anil will stay here for two days," said Parimal Nathwani, group president, Reliance Industries.

While the family remained closeted inside the house, several villagers were seen making desperate pleas to the company officials to let them meet the Ambanis. "My brother is an excellent cricketer. I want to meet Nitaben as I strongly believe that she would help him get a chance in IPL," said Vikram Kher, a shopkeeper from Mangrol. Gaurang Joshi, an engineer, had been camping outside the house since morning. "Dhirubhai is a great source of inspiration for me. I only want Kokilaben to give her blessings on a piece of paper." Joshi's grandfather knew Dhirubhai very well, he said.

Kukaswada sarpanch Bhima Bhadarka said, "I had gone to meet Kokilaben in Mumbai a few years ago. We all are very happy that both brothers and their entire family have come here. We are praying for their well-being."

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Mukesh Ambani tells PM: Don't worry, Manmohan, I’ll invest 70k cr in India

NEW DELHI: After a long spell of gripes over policy inaction, Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani has provided some much-needed support to the government, saying he did not share the gloom and pessimism that several industry leaders were talking about.

At the meeting of the Prime Minister's Council on Trade and Industry on Thursday, the country's richest man went on to talk about his group's mega investment plans. "Sir, I don't share the gloom and pessimism on India. I plan to invest Rs 70,000 crore in India over the next two years. To me, India remains the best investment destination," a senior government official present in the meeting quoted Ambani as saying.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is learnt to have responded by saying that he hoped that others shared Ambani's views. "Very good! I hope others also follow your example," the official quoted Singh as saying. Government representatives present in the meeting also emphasized that the mood was not as negative as it had appeared before the deliberations began.

Several industry leaders, such as Ratan Tata, N R Narayana Murthy, Sunil Bharti Mittal, Sunil Munjal and Vindi Banga endorsed Ambani's view and suggested that they were all betting big on India. Industry leaders said the perception that India was not a profitable place to do business was wrong, stressing that they were not planning to shift their business overseas.

They, however, urged the government to expedite infrastructure and other large projects. Industry leaders were assured that a mechanism would be put in place to sort out bottlenecks in implementing large projects.

There did seem to be a sense of exasperation with the Anna Hazare-led movement. Sunil Bharti Mittal is learnt to have said that there was no place for such a confrontation in a parliamentary democracy. Sources quoted him as saying that maintaining constitutional order was critical for a conducive business climate.

Ashok Ganguly, former HUL chief, also spoke in the same vein. Significantly, the RS member was part of the group of industrialists which went public with its lament over policy inaction, but pressed for backing the government on FDI in retail.

The statements from industry leaders came against the backdrop of some straight talking by the prime minister. "I must confess that it is a little disappointing to sometimes hear negative comments emanating from our business leadership or be told that government's policies are causing slowdown and pessimism in the industrial sector," Singh had said. "Such comments have added to uncertainty and have emboldened those who have no stake in our economic growth. It is true that our country faces a large number of issues which need urgent resolution. The energy sector, the port sector, the transport sector, the supply of gas and coal, all need greater attention. Corruption and better governance also require firm handling," the PM said.

He went on to talk about the possibility of reduction in interest rates if the easing trend on inflation was sustained. Besides, he agreed with concerns on the sharp depreciation of the rupee but urged exporters to take advantage of the situation.

The business leaders expressed confidence in the fundamental strength of the Indian economy. They were generally of the view that the economy was poised to return to a high rate of growth in the near future.

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