Fifty may not exactly be the age when you rock around the clock. But Vijay Mallya knows no other way of life. He may often party in his private yacht or have a mile high bash in his Boeing 727, but at work he’s a street-fighter. That’s when he chews up rivals, ties up gazillion dollar deals or buys a fleet of 850-seater Airbuses for his Kingfisher Airline. Mallya now seems to be aiming to pull off another corporate coup: taking over Air Sahara. Knowing Mallya’s penchant for chasing all big things in life, this may be his top resolution for 2006.
Heir rising Rahul Gandhi
He is perhaps the only politician in the country who isn't falling over his colleagues to climb the political ladder. But then, for a scion of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty, there is no need to rush things. The young Gandhi, all of 35 years, is tipped to become a general secretary in the AICC. An assignment in the government though may have to wait for some time yet.
Call option Sunil Mittal
From making knitwear in Ludhiana to heading India’s largest mobile phone company, Sunil Bharti Mittal has come a long way. With a cash hoard of Rs 6,700 crore from the sale of 10% equity in Bharti Tele-Ventures to Vodafone, Mittal clearly is the man to watch.
Summons for the governor C Rangarajan
The people whose business is to manage the business of India’s governance won’t allow C Rangarajan to retire in a hurry. For, soon after filing the 12th Finance Commission report, Rangarajan was ready to fade into the Chennai sunset when the PM, with whom he had worked as deputy governor at RBI, requested him to head his Economic Advisory Council. In that capacity, Rangarajan has been a sounding board for the PM on various tricky issues. Now that his nomination to the Rajya Sabha is likely to come through, the odds are the PM will find a berth for him in his Cabinet. Given CR’s economic experience, the bets are on which ministry he’ll get.
Growing up Anil Ambani
With the War of the Brothers behind him, Anil Ambani has just one goal before him: build big. After separating from the mothership, Reliance Industries, he has got to work with a vengeance, announcing the formation of the ADAE group, with telecom, financial services, and gas-based businesses as the core. Reliance Infocomm is aiming at more than doubling its geographical coverage to 5,700 towns and the company is likely to tap the market for funds. In early December, it was a coup of sorts when Anil met Microsoft chairman Bill Gates to offer next-generation Internet Protocol-based television services in India. All eyes are on the topline now.
Comeback kid Nitish Kumar
For someone known as a low profile politician, being under the arc lights suddenly must be a trifle awkward. But Nitish Kumar will undoubtedly take it in his stride. For, he has done something that was deemed virtually impossible. In November 2005, he ended 15 years of Lalu-raj in Bihar. Now the chief minister has a lot on his plate. Over the next five years, Nitish has to prove that Bihar is not just about caste but governance as well.