The Hindu Business Line : Spreading Harmony thru Reliance MF

HARMONY, a platform for senior citizens set up by the Dhirubhai Ambani Memorial Trust, is using an altogether different vehicle to spread its message - Reliance Mutual Fund.

The latest quarterly communication from the fund carries a subscription offer aimed at investors who may use it to enrol themselves. Along with friendly advisories on taming market volatility and meaningful performance evaluation, investors are also handed over a note that urges young people to give back something to their parents.

"In Harmony, your parents will meet people like themselves, people who believe in living life to the fullest," is the crux of the message to the Reliance MF customers.

It will also bring to interested parties words from personalities such as Amitabh Bachchan and Shabana Azmi, it is pointed out. On the other hand, "quiet, unsung achievers" will be present as well.

For takers, there will be inputs on a variety of subjects, many of which may be of interest to people in their advanced years. These may include finance, health, legal issues and even travel.

The MF, it may be mentioned, is simultaneously bombarding investors with a number of relevant messages. Most of these are simple but important, dealing with the risks associated with equities, use of market indices to assess mutual funds and the significance of systematic investment plans. The Reliance MF CEO, Mr Amitabh Chaturvedi, has also used it to refer to two schemes aimed at non-resident Indians, NRI Equity and NRI Income.

Harmony, which has `a celebration of age' as its punchline, says it provides motivational inputs, including information on human interest for people over 55.

For relatively younger investors, the subscription offer also positions it as a gift for ageing parents. The offer is not without its bonuses, it is pointed out. And Harmony has quite fittingly chosen two of Zandu's products - Kesari Jeevan and Special Chyavanprash - as accompaniments.