Been there, done that! As Paytm IPO kicks off, Zomato shows sweet love; Vijay Shekhar Sharma does temple run at Tirupati

India's biggest-ever initial public offering (IPO) opened on Monday with digital payments platform Paytm looking to raise nearly $2.5 billion, in what has already been a record year for share listings.

Zomato, which can proudly say 'been there, done that' when its own listing happened in September, decided to show some love and support to Paytm on its big day. And in true gourmet style, Zomato wished the company best of luck while offering some "dahi sugar or ice-cream to beat the stress".

Rooting for success, the food-delivery service also offered to send some sweets for the celebration!


Now how can someone ever pass on sweets? So without missing a beat, Paytm quickly responded with a thank-you note to Zomato, along with a beaming face of its delivery executive, Sonu.


Oh, Sonu who, you ask? Well, Sonu's heart-warming smiling face had become Zomato's display picture on the social media platform after his appearance in a TikTok video had gone viral. A TikTok user going by the handle @danishansari81 uploaded Sonu's video which then found its way on Facebook and Twitter, circulating everywhere. In the video that had gone viral, the delivery executive says that he works for 12 hours a day only to earn Rs 350, including incentives.


As it is Paytm's big day when it creates history, it seemed apt to be using Sonu's smiling face for the cute, well-wishing banter between the two big companies. Not leaving any stone unturned in making sure all the blessings are received, Paytm founder, Vijay Shekhar Sharma also met Jawahar Reddy, Executive Officer of Trimula Tirupati Devasthanams in Triputai to seek his blessing for "all of Paytm family".


The company also got a huge thumbs-up from Big Basket. While for Shaadi.com, Zomato remembering Paytm's big day was nothing less than a match made in heaven!



Paytm was founded a decade ago by Sharma, the son of a schoolteacher who says he learned English by listening to rock music. At the age of 38, Sharma was ranked as India's youngest dollar billionaire and now has a net worth of $2.4 billion, according to Forbes. He owns a nearly 14-percent stake, according to AFP.

The company is backed by Chinese tycoon Jack Ma's Ant Group, Japan's SoftBank and Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, which together own around a third of the company.