Vijayakar and Vijay-separated at birth?

Vijay Mallya is interesting to mimic because he is a larger than life character It was our pal Kunal Vijaykar holding forth about his latest assault an uncanny likeness of the beleaguered beer baron on his TV show that aired last nightWhile doing make up for the character I noticed that he looks ruddy as if hes been partying hard He also has a chin and jaw that slightly juts out And he speaks with a proper English accent with a faint Bangalore lilt said the talented mimic whose cast of characters has included a drop dead take off on Mayawati and Lata MangeshkarKunal Vijaykar and Vijay MallyaAs for VJMs unforgettable demeanour Vijayakar says Its also difficult to keep up with his everchanging hairstyles and facial hair Since no one has seen him recently we decided to go with a look that he had been featured in most news channels with close cropped sides a beard strip and low drooping moustache says Vijaykar One last thing he adds Large dark glasses serve two purposes One he is always seen in shades and two it hides my real eyes making the illusion complete The result VJM right down to his matching solitaires and blonde Mohawk We likeBankers as visionary statesmenA recent report that SBIs Arundhhati Bhattacharya is one of the leading contenders for the post of RBI Governor on the retirement of Raghuram Rajan later this year his chances of getting an extension are said to be low reminded us of a delightful anecdote that the charming Bhattacharya shared last week when she was felicitated at an event at the NCPA To illustrate how deeply ingrained misogyny was into Indias corporate mindset Bhattacharya narrated how at the start of her career she had participated in an office competition only to be awarded a mans tieArundhhati BhattacharyaI asked the organisers what I was supposed to do with a tie she said and they said theyd made no arrangements for gifts for women as there were so few in the sector However the story didnt end there Im happy to tell you that very soon through my intervention this anomaly was redressed recalled Bhattacharya to an applauding audience And the next time I won the competition I went home with a string of pearlsBhattacharya is one of the few rare bankers with a worldview and a personality to match someone whose expertise goes well beyond their immediate ambit and addresses larger issues that affect the nation The only other two who qualify in this category though their banking careers were vastly different from hers are HSBCs Naina Kidwai and HDFCs Deepak Parekh Bankers who are also thought leaders and influencers No surprises then that under Bhattacharyas visionary stewardship SBI started a twoyear sabbatical policy for female employees taking maternity leave A woman as RBI Governor NiceThe other AmitabhHes the other Amitabh on the Indian scenario and his role is just as significant Were referring to Amitabh Kant the architect of the Make In India movement said to be something of a marketing wunderkind and responsible for some of the countrys most enduring tourism initiatives like Kerala Gods Own Country and the Incredible India campaignsAmitabh Kant with Ram Reddy and family in CaliforniaAnd perhaps like his other namesake Kants success can be linked to his unique upbringing which afforded him a grounding of not only Indias intrinsic heartland and what makes it tick but Western sensibilities and sophistication too After all both Amitabhs Bachchan and Kant spent their childhoods in adjoining towns of UP one in Allahabad the other in Benaras Both were the products of highly educated backgrounds Kants parents were academics and his mother was a Fulbright scholar who taught political science at BHU and both went on to receive exposure to the West during their formative years Bachchan through his work in English firms in Kolkata and Kant as an undergrad at St Stephens College the Holy Grail of Western education in IndiaThe similarity doesnt end there either both are lionized when they travel abroad Kant who is currently in Silicon Valley we hear spoke to an audience of Silicon Valleys whos who last night where he presented his factfilled grand vision for India And yes both have a sizeable fan following in NRI IndiaHitching their wagon to a starSuch was the business climate of India until recently that entry levels into industry were almost impossible to breach Unless one had a mentor or a family member who could open doors and ensure contracts most entrepreneurs would not even get to the starting line Which is perhaps the reason for the phenomenon we write on that of the Family Patriarch under whose largesse an entire tribe of relatives prosper by being given valuable contracts for supply and distribution So prevalent is this phenomena that there are certain families whose relatives have grown in to viable businesses that rival the original familys and are now run as almost independent viable establishments on their own steamBut however cozy this arrangement appears theres also a downside Two clans of relatives who profited from their principal family have found that their fortunes have suffered along with that of their mentors The Mumbaibased brothers in infrastructure whose business has seen a dip due to large unserviced loans have passed along their fortunes to their relatives too who are witnessing a down turn says a source The same fate has fallen on a prominent Delhibased industrial group who were in the same business as their patriarchs Moral of the story Easy come easy go Or if you hitch your wagon to a star its likely to take a tumble if the star falls