“Ayodhya is greater than Davos !” Paytm chief Vijay Shekhar Sharma quipped on X as someone pointed out how business leaders were arriving at the temple town straight from Davos.
Certainly, the who’s who of India Inc and big names from the start-up world were in evidence at Ayodhya to join in the consecration ceremony of Ram Mandir. Billionaire Mukesh Ambani with his wife Nita, son Akash and daughter-in-law Shloka Mehta, steel baron Lakshmi N Mittal, telecom chieftain Sunil Bharti Mittal, Aditya Birla group Chairperson Kumar Mangalam Birla and his daughter Ananya Birla, Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu with his mother Janaki, his brother Kumar and sister-in-law Anu, were among the corporate clan in Ayodhya.
The mood among the gathered industrialists was one of piety and a sense of being part of a historic occasion. Mukesh Ambani’s home in Mumbai, Antilla, was decked up for the occasion, with lights and banners and holograms of Jai Shri Ram all across the 27-storey building. Arriving in Ayodhya to attend the Pran Pratishtha, Akash Ambani, Chairman of Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd told a media channel, “This day will be written in the pages of history, we are happy to be here.”
“Namaste, is saal diwali do baar aa rahi hai ,” said Oyo’s Ritesh Agarwal in a video post from Ayodhya. Dressed in a saffron kurta, Agarwal who flew into Ayodhya after a visit to Puri Jagannath, shared a series of impressionistic posts giving the colour and flavour of the town. “The energy here is infectious - this is truly a historic moment! Chants and prayers can be heard as devotees stream in,” he posted.
Bevy of honchos
Vedanta Resources’ Chairman Anil Agarwal, Adani group Chairman Gautam Adani, and Jindal Steel and Power Chairman Naveen Jindal were all spotted at the event. Gautam Adani posted, “On this auspicious day, as the Ayodhya Mandir’s doors open, let it be a gateway to enlightenment and peace, binding the communities with the timeless threads of Bharat’s spiritual and cultural harmony.”
Prashant Ruia, Director of Essar Capital, posted on X, “…A turning point in our history that has reunified the country in our dreams, desires, hopes and aspirations.” Former HUL chief Sanjiv Mehta and his wife were spotted at the event as were the Ellas of Bharat Biotech.
Raymond chief Gautam Singhania posted several pictures from the event, describing how he caught up with friends Amitabh Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan, Anil Ambani and Lakshmi Mittal” at the event.