Mahabharata In Polyester

Description

This is the riveting story of one of the wealthiest families in the world. Dhirubhai Ambani was a rags-to-riches Indian tycoon whose company Reliance, which emerged from the textile industry, is now one of India's major corporations. His sons, Anil and Mukesh, took over after his death in 2002 and their respective arms of the company are bigger than the parent ever was. The brothers are now worth $43 billion and $42 billion respectively, largely from petrochemicals, telecommunications, and entertainment. To say that the sibling tycoons are not close is an understatement; their feud - personal and business - is an extraordinary story itself. But as this book shows, the Ambani story tells a bigger story about modern India, not only as an economic powerhouse but about the complicated links between government and big business.

Hamish McDonald is the Asia-Pacific editor of the Sydney Morning Herald and a former editor of the Far East Asian Economic Review. He is the two-time recipient of the Walkley Award and an inaugural fellow of the Australian Institute of International Affairs.

This remarkable book couldn't be hotter. The two brothers are still feuding, the influence of their enterprises in India continues to grow, their respective gasfield interests are in conflict and unlikely to be resolved in the foreseeable future. This book is crucial to understand the economic transformation of India since the 1980s. --Robin Jeffrey, professor emeritus, Australian National University Highly readable, balanced and now rounded out with the addition of the new chapters, it is a better tribute to the business acumen of Dhirubhai and the Ambanis than any whitewashed account. --Joe Leahy, Financial Times The Ambani story is central to an understanding of the India of today. --Philip Bowring, International Herald Tribune