RUNNING AHEAD

It may have been a chance remark. Said at the spur of the moment without contemplation. On the other hand, it may not have been so onthe-spot. Just hours after pulling off the largest ever IPO subscription in global capital market history, Anil Ambani, chairman of ADAG, was at a press conference tackling the ticklish question of whether he is likely to overtake elder brother Mukesh Ambani in the richest Indian sweepstakes.

“The media seems to be more interested in this than anybody else. In any case, if you look at Indian history, the elder brother always stays ahead in the race,” Mr Ambani quipped. A short look at numbers will tell why Mr Ambani can afford to be in a jocular mood. Two years after being formed, the Reliance ADA group is likely to emerge as the country’s second-biggest business group with a market cap of $100 bln (which includes Reliance Power listing at the IPO price of Rs 450 per share). His own personal wealth has also been trending skywards.