Mukesh D Ambani
Rank: No 1
Designation: Chairman and managing director
Company: Reliance Industries Ltd
Compensation: Rs 44.02 crore (Rs 440.2 million)
Reliance market cap: Rs 193,076.66 crore (Rs 1930.77 billion)
Background: Mukesh Ambani has been ranked India's richest person, and the world's fifth richest man, by business magazine Forbes. His net worth is approximately $50 billion. With a personal stake of 48 per cent, he is the largest shareholder of Reliance Industries, India's largest private sector enterprise.
Ambani, who joined Reliance in 1981, led the creation of the world's largest grassroots petroleum refinery at Jamnagar, Gujarat, built at a cost of Rs 100,000 crore (Rs 1,000 billion).
His fortune has seen a 62 per cent drop since January 2008, but he still ranks No 3 in Forbes' list of world's wealthiest CEOs.
Kalanithi Maran
Rank: No 2
Company: Sun TV Network Limited
Designation: Chairman and managing director
Compensation: Rs 32.41 crore (Rs 324.1 million)
Sun TV market cap: Rs 6,914.48 crore (Rs 69.14 billion)
About: Kalanithi Maran heads Sun TV, India's biggest regional broadcaster. He owns 21 television channels in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada and 42 FM stations in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi. He is a shareholder in Red FM. He also owns two Tamil newspapers and four Tamil magazines.
In 2008, in partnership with Malaysia's Astro, he launched Sun Direct, a direct-to-home satellite television service provider. There are expansion plans in the pipeline, particularly in the television and radio industries.
Maran is the son of the late DMK leader and former Union minister Murasoli Maran, the grandnephew of DMK president M Karunanidhi, and the brother of Dayanidhi Maran, former Union minister for communications and information technology.
Though Sun TV is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange, Maran owns 90 per cent of its shares. Forbes has ranked him India's 20th richest and the world's 446th richest person.
P R Ramasubrahmaneya Rajha
Rank: No 3
Company: Madras Cements Limited
Designation: Chairman and managing director
Compensation: Rs 32.40 crore (Rs 324 million)
Madras Cements market cap: Rs 774.10 crore (Rs 7.74 billion)
About: Rajha took over Madras Cements and the Ramco Group in 1962 from his ailing father and company founder, P A C Ramasamy Raja. Under Rajha's stewardship, the group has established a national presence and seen its turnover multiply ten-fold. Its five factories registered gross sales of Rs 2,254 crores (Rs 22.54 billion) while its gross fixed assets are worth Rs 2,714 crores (Rs 27.14 billion).
Madras Cements is the sixth largest producer of cement in India. It is also one of the largest wind energy producers in the country.
Anil D Ambani
Rank: No 4
Company: Reliance Communications
Designation: Chairman
Compensation: Rs 30.03 crore (Rs 300.3 million)
Reliance Communications market cap: Rs 35,449.20 crore (Rs 354.49 billion)
About: After separating from his brother Mukesh, Anil Ambani launched the Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group. He is the chairman of all listed companies of the Reliance ADA Group, namely Reliance Communications, Reliance Capital, Reliance Energy and Reliance Natural Resources. Under his leadership, these companies have raised nearly $ 3 billion from global financial markets in a period of less than 15 months.
Reliance ADAG is among India's top three private sector business houses. Ambani's personal stake in Reliance Communications is 66 per cent.
He continues to be the sixth richest man in the world, though his financial value has taken a huge beating in the recent economic meltdown. Ambani lost $30 billion in the past nine months, more than anyone in the world. Reliance Communications, his biggest holding, is down 78 per cent since the beginning of 2008, says Forbes.
Malvinder Mohan Singh
Rank: No 5
Company: Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited
Designation: Chief executive officer and managing director
Compensation: Rs 19.58 crore (Rs 195.8 million)
Ranbaxy market cap: Rs 8,536.22 crore (Rs 85.36 billion)
About: Malvinder, with his brother Shivender, are the 13th richest Indians according to Forbes. In the list of the world's richest billionaires they come in at no 462.
Last year, the brothers sold their 34 per cent stake in generics maker Ranbaxy Laboratories to Japan's Daiichi Sankyo for $2 billion. The Daiichi-Ranbaxy combine is now the 15th biggest pharmaceutical company in the world.
Malvinder remains chairman and chief executive of Ranbaxy and will earn a salary and allowances of Rs 25 crore (Rs 250 million) per annum as against Rs 19.58 crore (Rs 195.8 million) earlier.
Post-acquisition, the Singh family has approximately Rs 10,000 crore (Rs 100 billion). They continue to retain their interest in Fortis Healthcare and Religare Financial Services.
Sunil Bharti Mittal
Rank: No 6
Company: Bharti Airtel Limited
Designation: Chairman and managing director
Compensation: Rs 19.55 crore (Rs 195.5 million)
Bharti Airtel market cap: Rs 120,725.42 crore (Rs 1,207.25 billion)
About: Mittal was 18 when he founded Bharti in 1976 with Rs 20,000 he borrowed from his politician father. His first business was making crankshafts for local bicycle manufacturers. He dabbled in different business after he moved to Mumbai, including establishing the first company to manufacture push button telephones in India.
He was one of the earliest to identify the mobile telecom business as a major growth area and launched services in the city of Delhi. Bharti Airtel, which he founded in 1995 with his two brothers and in which the family maintains a dominant stake, has over 88 million subscribers.
Mittal was honoured with the Padma Bhushan in 2007. His Forbes rankings include fourth richest Indian, no 9 in the list of world's wealthiest CEOs and no 64 in the list of world's billionaires.
Naveen Jindal
Rank: No 7
Company: Jindal Steel & Power Limited
Designation: Executive vice chairman and managing director
Compensation: Rs 16.93 crore (Rs 169.3 million)
Jindal Steel & Power market cap: Rs 15,754.20 crore (Rs 157.54 billion)
About: Jindal transformed JSPL from a moderately performing company to a star performer in the steel sector. He decided to acquire coal and iron ore mines, thereby making JSPL self-sufficient in the key raw materials needed for steel manufacture. Today, JSPL has the world's largest coal-based sponge iron capacity.
Jindal fought a legal case to earn Indian citizens the right to freely fly the national flag; this right was upheld by the Supreme Court in January 2004.
An MP from Kurukshetra (Haryana), he took up the initiative to ensure that the smoking ban was implemented in Parliament.
Jindal is an avid sportsperson and a national record holder in skeet shooting. He led the Indian team to the silver medal at the SAF Games in Pakistan in 2004. He has also captained his polo team to victory at the Indian Polo Association Championship in 2003 and 2004.
Vivek Kumar Jain
Rank: No 8
Company: Gujarat Fluorochemicals Limited
Designation: Managing director
Compensation: Rs 16.87 crore (Rs 168.7 million)
Gujarat Fluorochemicals market cap: Rs 708.12 crore (Rs 7.08 billion)
About: Jain has more 25 years of experience in setting up and managing different businesses. He was instrumental in starting GFL and bringing it to its present position as the largest manufacturer of refrigerants in the country. Around 95 per cent of GFL's refrigerant production is exported to more than 75 countries across the globe. Its distribution is spread across more than 50 countries.
Gujarat Fluorochemicals Limited is a part of the $2 billion INOX group of companies -- a family owned, professionally managed business group, with interests in diverse businesses. Jain is a director in 18 other Jain family companies, including Inox, a national chain of multiplex cinema theatres.
Sajjan Jindal
Rank: No 9
Company: J S W Steel Limited
Designation: Vice chairman and managing director
Compensation: Rs 16.73 crore (Rs 167.3 million)
J S W Steel market cap: Rs 4,111.20 crore (Rs 41.11 billion)
About: Jindal looks after JSW Steel Ltd, Jindal Thermal Power Company Ltd, South West Port Ltd, Jindal Praxair Oxygen Company Ltd and Southern Iron and Steel Company Ltd. Today, JSW Steel is the third largest manufacturer of steel in India, while the JSW (Jindal South West Holding) Group has expanded from a steel rolling mill in 1982 to a multi-business conglomerate. Its interest now extends to other areas such as power, port and chemicals.
Jindal says he plans to invest $15 billion in aluminium, cement and infrastructure over the next three years.
In 2008, he took over as the president of the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry. He is also director of the Indian Institute of Management, Indore and the National Shipping Board.
Pawan Kant Munjal
Rank: No 10
Company: Hero Honda Motors Limited
Designation: Managing director and chief executive officer
Compensation: Rs 15.73 crore (Rs 157.3 million)
Hero Honda market cap: Rs 18,772.80 crore (Rs 187.73 billion)
About: Munjal is responsible for the day-to-day management of Hero Honda Motors Ltd. He is also in charge of growth and strategic planning for the entire group. A graduate in mechanical engineering, he has been instrumental in bringing technological and managerial excellence to the company's operations.
He is also director of Hero Honda Finlease Limited and Daimler Hero Commercial Vehicles Limited.
He has been the chairman of several CII committees. He is also on the board of Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow.
An avid golfer, he is past chairman of the Asian PGA Tour and past president of Professional Golfers Association of India. Under his guidance, Hero Honda launched the Hero Indian Sports Academy in collaboration with Laureus Foundation to provide equal opportunities in sports to various communities and to reward sports talent in India.
Onkar S Kanwar
Rank: No 11
Company: Apollo Tyres Limited
Designation: Chairman and managing director
Compensation: Rs 15.53 crore (Rs 155.3 million)
Apollo Tyres market cap: Rs 837.61 crore (Rs 8.38 billion)
About: Kanwar has successfully led Apollo Tyres (he inherited the initial business from his father Raunaq Singh) for over 27 years. Under his leadership, Apollo witnessed a turnaround and emerged as a market leader.
Kanwar plays a pivotal role in the company's operations and articulation of its business philosophy. Today, Apollo is a professionally-run and competitive Indian tyre manufacturer. Innovation, quality and exclusivity are Kanwar's guiding principals, which have helped the company achieve pioneering initiatives.
Kanwar is a former member of the Government of India's National Manufacturing Competitiveness Council. He is a past president of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry, International Chamber of Commerce, Automotive Tyre Manufacturers' Association and former director, Export Credit Guarantee Corporation of India and of the Kerala State Industrial Corporation.
Pankaj Ramanbhai Patel
Rank: No 12
Company: Cadila Healthcare Limited
Designation: Managing director
Compensation: Rs 14.43 crore (Rs 144.3 million)
Cadila Healthcare market cap: Rs 3,331.54 crore (Rs 33.32 billion)
About: Under Patel's leadership, Cadila posted a turnover of over Rs 2,300 crore (Rs 23 billion) in 2007-08.
In 2004, Patel was included by Forbes in its annual list of India's richest people. Forbes estimated Patel's net worth at $ 510 million, making him India's 26th richest person.
Patel also serves as director of Onconova Therapeutics, Inc. He is involved in many charitable activities and serves as the regional representative of the WHO's South East Asia region. He is a member of the executive committee of the Indian Drug Manufacturers Association.
Rohtas Goel
Rank: No 13
Company: Omaxe Limited
Designation: Chairman and managing director
Compensation: Rs 13.43 crore (Rs 134.3 million)
Omaxe market cap: Rs 821.13 crore (Rs 8.21 billion)
About: A civil engineer by qualification and a first-generation entrepreneur, Goel launched Omaxe as a civil construction and contracting organisation in 1989. By 2001, he had successfully changed its focus to real estate development and, within five years, established it as one of the leading developers in the northern capital region and neighbouring states of Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.
He is a member of CII, FICCI, PHD Chambers of Commerce and AIMA amongst others.
Some of Omaxe's clients include Amity University, LG, Pepsi, Samsung, Wave Cinemas, National Brain Research Centre, PGIMER, Apollo Hospitals and Delhi High. The company has successfully executed more than 120 industrial, institutional, commercial, residential and hospital construction projects.
Murali K Divi
Rank: No 13
Company: Divis Laboratories Limited
Designation: Chairman and managing director
Compensation: Rs 13.25 crore (Rs 132.5 million)
Divis Laboratories market cap: Rs 6,104.70 crore (Rs 61.05 billion)
About: Divi holds a doctorate degree in pharmaceutical sciences and has extensive experience of over 30 years in the active pharmaceutical ingredients industry. He is a member of American Institute of Chemical Engineers, American Chemical Society, American Cosmetic Society and American Pharmaceutical Association.
Divis Laboratories was established in the year 1990. It focussed on developing new processes for the production of active pharma ingredients and intermediates. Later, the company expanded its breadth of operations to provide complete turnkey solutions to the domestic Indian pharmaceutical industry.
Divis Laboratories was valued at Rs 90 crore (Rs 900 million) when it went public in 2003. By 2004, Murali Divi was ranked the 42nd in the Indian billionares' club, with a net worth of Rs 825 crore (Rs 8.25 billion).
Ratan Jindal
Rank: No 15
Company: Jindal Stainless
Designation: Vice chairman and managing director
Compensation: Rs 12.42 crore (Rs 124.2 million)
Jindal Stainless market cap: Rs 602.38 crore (Rs 6.02 billion)
About: Ratan Jindal has seen Jindal Stainless Ltd complete a full circle from stainless steel to other segments of the steel industry and back to stainless steel.
The third of the four sons of steel magnate O P Jindal, founder of the group, he is determined that Jindal Stainless steals a march over other producers of stainless steel in the country.
Jindal also heads Artd'inox (Austenitic Creations Private Limited), Arc (Jindal Architecture Limited), Jindal Stainless Steelway Limited, the Vidya Devi Jindal School and the O P Jindal Modern School.
N Srinivasan
Rank: No 16
Company: India Cements Limited
Designation: Vice chairman and managing director
Compensation: Rs 12.13 crore (Rs 121.3 million)
India Cements market cap: Rs 3,027.61 crore (Rs 30.28 billion)
About: N Srinivasan is the son of India Cements founder T S Narayanaswami. Established in 1946, ICL set up its first plant in Tamil Nadu in 1949. Today, it has about seven cement manufacturing plants that can produce over 9 million tons per annum. Its activities span cement, sugar, shipping, power, trading and finance.
Coromandel Infotech India Limited, owned by ICL, is a software services company with over 275 staff, both in India and North America.
Srinivasan is on the board of several leading companies.
His passion for sports is reflected in the fact that IC paid $91 million to buy the Indian Premier League cricket team, Chennai Super Kings. He is also the treasurer of the Board of Control for Cricket in India. He is president, Tamil Nadu Golf Federation, Tamil Nadu Cricket Association and the All India Chess Federation.
Some of the other posts Srinivasan holds include:
~ Executive committee member, Federation of Indian Chambers and Commerce and Industry
~ Member, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam Board
~ Trustee, India Cements Educational Trust
~ President, India Cements Educational Society
Posts he has held in the past include
~ President, Cement Manufacturers' Association, for five terms
~ Chairman, National Council for Cement and Building Materials, for four terms
~ Chairman, Development Council for Cement Industry, constituted by the Government of India, for two terms
~ President, All India Organisation of Employers
~ Member, Prime Minister's High Profile Council of Trade and Industry
Kumar Mangalam Birla 
Rank: No 17
Company: Grasim Industries Limited
Designation: Chairman
Compensation: Rs 11.25 crore (Rs 112.5 million)
Grasim Industries market cap: Rs 12,411.60 crore (Rs 124.12 billion)
About: He is counted among the world's richest billionaires. The Aditya Birla Group is among India's largest business houses and includes Grasim, Hindalco, UltraTech Cement, Aditya Birla Nuvo and Idea Cellular. The group's international footprint spans Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Egypt, Canada, China, Laos, USA, UK and Australia.
Birla holds key positions in various regulatory and professional boards. He serves on the prime minister's advisory council on trade and industry. He is chairman of the board of trade constituted by the commerce ministry and is on the RBI's board of directors.
He has served as the chairman of Sebi's committee on corporate governance, and as chairman of Sebi's committee on insider trading. He authored the nation's first report on corporate governance.
He has been showered with several accolades including the Asia Pacific Global HR Excellence -- Exemplary Leader Award and the World Economic Forum's Young Global Leader.
Kamal K Singh
Rank: No 18
Company: Rotla India Limited
Designation: Founder chairman and managing director
Compensation: Rs 10.92 crore (Rs 109.2 million)
Rotla India market cap: Rs 1,493.45 crore (Rs 14.93 billion)
About: Singh, a first generation entrepreneur, promoted the Rolta group in the 1970s. Rolta provides intelligent, cutting-edge IT-based solutions for mission-critical and strategic business challenges. It is a market leader in the geospatial, engineering design and defence and homeland security segments. Rolta has several international subsidiaries and has executed multi-million dollar projects in over 35 countries.
Singh is recognised as a pioneer in the CAD/ CAM/ GIS field in India and has over 35 years' experience in all aspects of corporate management including finance, technology and international business.
He is the vice chairman of the India Tech Foundation's governing council. He is also a member of various organisations like the CII, FICCI, Electronics & Computer Software Export Promotion Council, NASSCOM, MAIT and Indo American Chamber of Commerce.
Singh has served on the board of Punjab National Bank and Indian Bank as a Government of India nominee director. In 2007, he received the IMM Award for Excellence as top CEO.
Mohan Lal Bhartia
Rank: No 19
Company: India Glycols Limited
Designation: Former chairman and managing director
Compensation: Rs 10.81 crore (Rs 108.1 million)
India Glycols market cap: Rs 150.52 crore (Rs 151 billion)
About: M L Bhartia passed away on March 10, 2008. Till his death, he was the chairman and managing director of the company.
Bhartia established his family's business in Calcutta shortly after partition, focusing on basic manufacturing.
In 1978, the Bhartias established Vam Organics. Ten years ago, ML Bhartia and his son Uma Shankar (who is now India Glycol's CMD), set out on their own. Bhartia's other sons, Shyam and Hari, remained with Vam, which underwent a makeover and became Jubilant Organosys.
India Glycols Limited is one of the leading manufactures of glycols, ethoxylates and PEGs, performance chemicals, glycol ether and acetates, guar gum and potable alcohol. It is the first and only company in the world to produce ethylene oxide/ mono ethylene glycol through a renewable agro route based on molasses since 1989.
A K Agarwal
Rank: No 20
Company: Vedanta Resources
Designation: Executive chairman
Compensation: Rs 10.60 crore (Rs 106 million)
Market cap: Pound 1,874.58 million (not listed in India)
About: Agarwal is founder-director and executive chairman of the UK-based Vedanta Resources corporation, which owns mining and metal resources in India, Australia and Zambia. He was ranked 164 in Forbes magazine's 2008 list of the world's billionaires.
In 2007, he announced a $3.1 billion expansion of Vedanta Resources' capacities. In 2006, he donated $1 billion to establish the Vedanta University modelled on Stanford University. It will be built in Orissa on a 6,000 acre campus that will ultimately accommodate 100,000 students.
Agarwal, who founded the Vedanta group in 1976, is also chairman of Sterlite and is a Director of BALCO, HZL, and Vedanta Alumina Ltd. He has over 30 years' experience as an industrialist.
Note: Market cap as on February 16, 2009
Courtesy: www.rediff.com
had a collection of marbles. The girl had some sweets with her. The boy told the girl that he will give her all his marbles in exchange for her sweets. The girl agreed. The boy kept the biggest and the most beautiful marble aside and gave the rest to the girl. The girl gave him all her sweets as she had promised. That night, the girl slept peacefully. But the boy couldn't sleep as he kept wondering if the girl had hidden some sweets from him the way he had hidden his best marble.
