India Inc's czars and bigwigs of Bollywood mingle in Jamnagar

JAMNAGAR/AHMEDABAD: India���s petro capital, Jamnagar, saw a heady mix of business, pleasure & secrecy when the country���s rich and famous got together in a rare gathering in the Saurashtra town on Friday. While the big names came together for the Jamnagar Retreat at the invitation of RIL chariman Mukesh Ambani, it was a paid party for the young Turks of India Inc who have joined hands under the banner of Young Presidents��� Organization (YPO). And the fee? Rs 45,000 per couple. Only one condition: Absolute secrecy.

Touted as one of the most happening social gatherings of the year, the who���s who of India Inc and Bollywood descended at the Reliance Township in Jamnagar. Calling it a high-profile event would be an understatement if one goes through the mammoth guest list comprising more than 500 names.

The entire expenditure for the event worked out in the vicinity of Rs 300-400 crore, according to sources. The dinner was surely an exclusive affair with the Ambanis getting exclusive Belgian glass that made up the huge dining hall, big enough to seat 300 people. Black roses from Switzerland for a royal welcome of the guests and a top Mumbai hospitality group to arrange for exotic crockery. A fleet of Mercs came from Haryana and Punjab. To top it all, apart from the interior designers, the chef too was imported.

A member of internationally-reputed Young Presidents��� Organization, Mumbai Chapter, Mr Ambani took upon himself the task to host close to 500 guests for three days beginning Friday. The event held at the behest of YPO, Mumbai Chapter had a guest list of close to 200 YPO members and their spouses from across all YPO chapters in India while the rest are corporate barons.

So what if each YPO member paid a hefty fee to share their weekend with likes of Ratan Tata, Sunil Mittal, Sashi Ruia, Kumar Mangalam Birla, Gautam Singhania, Azim Premji, KV Kamath, Anand Mahindra, Adi Godrej, Shivinder Singh and Malvinder Singh, Sanjay Reddy and Nandan Nilekani. The members of the Scindia and Jindal families too made a mark.

The young Turks of YPO ��� no member is above 55 years ��� will get a dope on leadership and business skills from the top honchos during the three-day-event. To begin with, a business conference that was held on Friday afternoon, addressed by Mr Ambani spoke on India as a destination for global businesses. Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi is likely to grace the occasion on Saturday. Al Gore, who is known for his environmental activism, too is expected on Saturday.

But that is not all. The Ambanis have ensured that they use the occasion to showcase themselves as remarkable hosts and have got the reigning King of Bollywood SRK to entertain them. Karan Johar, Kapoor sisters - Kareena and Karisma, Juhi Chawla, Katrina Kaif, Shamita Shetty and Udita Goswami have been flown down in the petrocapital to enthral one and all.

The SEZ plans of the RIL were attractively showcased along the way. The star event on Saturday will be a match between Mukesh-led IPL and Kapil Dev-led ICL. And Mr Ambani himself will be among his chosen 11.