When I was a teenager, someone asked me what I dreamt of achieving in life. I answered that I wanted to be rich and own an airline or a derby or else I would end up as a columnist. Think what Dr. Vijay Mallya would have answered to the same question when he was a teenager? This personality called Dr. Vijay Mallya, is one of the richest citizen of India, today. Born on the 18th of December 1955, to an industrialist father Mr Vittal Mallya, in a town called Bantwal near Bangalore, Karnataka, Dr. Vijay Mallya is one of the most sought after corporate icon of India Inc. That’s not all; he is also a well known politician and is a member of the Rajya Sabha, of the Indian constitution.
At the age of 28 in 1983, Dr. Vijay Mallya took over the reigns of the United Breweries Group as the Chairman. Since then, the UB Group has become a Multinational giant with more than 60 companies across the globe. Today he is 53 years young and his net value is approximately US$1.2bn.
Dr. Vijay Mallya was educated at the La Martiniere Boys’ College, Kolkata. And he graduated from St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata. After Dr. Mallya took over as Chairman of the UB Group, the company grew several manifolds. Within 15 years the annual turnover of the UB Group rose by app. 640%. There has been no looking back for Dr. Mallya in the past decade or two.
The year 2005 was a very important and flashy year for Dr. Mallya. He bought Millenium Breweries Ltd. (Inertia industries ltd.), owners of Sandpiper and Zingaro beer brands. In the same year, Mallya established Kingfisher Airlines, which now connects 32 cities across India.
In 2007, Dr. Mallya bought White & Mackay, the Scotch and Whiskey makers, for GBP595mn.
Dr. Mallya acquired 26% stake in Air Deccan, a domestic airline in India and then he took it over completely and integrated the airline with Kingfisher airlines naming it Kingfisher Red. Kingfisher and Jet Airways of India announced a deal sometime back to make joint effort to reduce flying costs and make flying more affordable for the people of India. This understanding will include Fuel sharing and code sharing amongst these two biggest airlines of India. It would result in better seat and fuel utilization bringing down the prices.
Other than Liquor and aviation industry, Dr. Mallya has keen interest in horse breeding for races, cricket, football and Formula 1 cars. United Breweries sponsors Indian football clubs Mohun Bagan and East Bengal. Dr. Mallya is also learnt to be interested in buying some stake in the English Division 2 “Queen’s Park Rangers” Football Club. He will be joining hands with Steel icon Laxmi Mittal, F1 bosses Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore, to repair the financially hit Football club.
Dr. Mallya bought the Spyker Formula 1 team partnering with the Mol family of Holland, for €88mn, in the year 2007. The Spyker Team was renamed Force India F1 in 2008.
The Bangalore Royal Challengers Cricket club of the Indian Premier League is also owned by Dr. Mallya. Royal Challengers Bangalore boasts of cricketing greats like Rahul Dravid, Jacque Kallis, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ross Taylor, Dayle Stein, Mark Boucher and Kevin Peiterson as its players.
Dr. Mallya is the proud owner of the “United Racing and Bloodstock Breeders” which operates the Kunigal Stud farm of Bangalore, taken on lease from the Govt. of Karnataka, India.
Dr. Mallya has been an average successful politician as well. He is the current president of the Janata Party of India. He replaced Subramaniam Swamy as the President of Janata Party in 2000. However, the party could not win even a single seat although the party contested all the 224 seats in the Karnataka State Elections. However, Dr. Mallya is a Rajya Sabha member of the Govt of India. The Rajya Sabha when defined is the Upper House of the Parliament of India.
Dr. Vijay Mallya has contributed tremendously towards restoring heritage of India. He won an Auction by bidding GBPounds 175,000 for The Sword of Tipu Sultan, at London in 2004 and brought it back to India. In 2008, Dr. Mallya placed a winning bid of US$1.8mn in an auction in US and brought back some belongings of Mahatma Gandhi.
Dr. Mallya is a Social Worker too. He has established a hospital called the Mallya Hospital on Vittal Mallya Road at Bangalore. He has also financed a the prestigious Mallya Aditi International School at Bangalore.
Dr. Mallya has developed a valuable real estate project called the UB city at Bangalore which boasts of hosting the best Corporate offices, service apartments and brand retails.
Dr. Mallya is a flamboyant personality and fulfils his leisure dreams as well to the fullest. He owns a private Yacht called the “Indian Empress” which is one of the longest private yachts of the world. It is 95 meters in length. It usually cruises in the Andaman Sea. Another motor Yacht called the “Indian Princess” is also owned by the billionaire, which cruises usually at the Mediterranean Sea. This is a 55 meter long Yacht.
So, to sum up with, Dr. Vijay Mallya, an icon, a hot stepper and an example in his own. He is 362nd richest in the world and 7th richest of India. Proud owner of a number or medallions in the form of his group companies which extend from serious business to entertainment, Dr. Vijay Mallya is one of the most sought after personalities of the world.
Linus Orakles
http://www.authorclub.info/
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