He Asia’s richest man, Indian tycoon Mukesh Ambani, is celebrating the wedding of his son Anant Ambani this weekend, a demonstration of wealth and power in a country with rapid economic growth and suffering from tremendous inequalities.
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Ambani’s youngest son and his fiancée Radhika Merchant, both 29, will tie the knot in a three-day Hindu ceremony in Mumbai on Friday. the financial capital of India.
Pre-wedding celebrations have already included a three-day gala party in March for 1,500 guests in the state of Gujarat, a cruise for 1,200 guests in the Mediterranean, a specially built Hindu temple and concerts by Rihanna, the Backstreet Boys and Justin Bieber.
Radhika Merchant, daughter of Indian industrialist Viren Merchant, is the long-time girlfriend of the 29-year-old heir, son of one of the richest men in the world, according to the Forbes list.
“Anant and Radhika have known each other for years,” the families said in a statement following their engagement in 2022, seeking “everyone’s blessings and good wishes for Radhika and Anant as they begin their journey of togetherness.”
The Kardashians, political leaders and other wedding guests
This weekend’s celebrations will be set to take a new level with the arrival of celebrities, politicians and businessmen in Mumbai. Kim and Khloé Kardashian, famous for their influence on social media and for broadcasting their lives on reality shows, arrived at the event this Friday and posted pictures on Instagram.
The events on Friday were attended by Indian film stars such as Ranveer Singh, celebrities such as Mark Zuckerberg and former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Even FIFA president and family, Gianni Infantino, was seen at the convention center owned by the Ambanis, according to images shared by the Reliance Industries conglomerate.
It is not the first wedding organised by Ambani, who is denounced by critics as the “maharaja of modern times” and who inherited a thriving oil, gas and petrochemical industry.
In 2017, he organised a similar ceremony for his daughter, the most expensive wedding ever held in India, reportedly costing $100 million. and in which American singer Beyoncé performed.
The lavishness of the event has sparked criticism for its contrast with the poverty that exists in the country, the most populous in the world.
India is the world’s fifth-largest economy and one of the most dynamic, but national per capita income is only $1,174 and millions of people are hungry. In 2023, the country ranked 111th out of 125 countries in the Global Hunger Index.
Perhaps to get ahead of criticism, Ambani hosted a banquet for 50,000 people in his hometown of Jamnagar in Gujarat in the first part of the celebrations.
She also organised mass weddings for 52 underprivileged couples near Mumbai and pledged to support “hundreds more such weddings” across the country.
This is what wedding celebrations will look like this weekend
Finally, and in the purest Indian style, The real wedding began on Friday at the Bombay convention centre owned by Ambani’s father’s company, and will extend over three days and include countless events and traditions.
This Friday’s event involved the staging of a true parade of the global elite, moved to the Indian coastal city where the tycoon resides.
The day began in the mid-afternoon with the ‘baraat’, the moment of the wedding when family members and musicians accompany the groom, sometimes on horseback but not necessarily, to the place where the celebration is taking place, where the actual wedding ceremonies are held.
The festivities will continue on July 13 with a blessing ceremony or ‘Shubh Ashirwad’, and a grand reception on July 14, the ‘Mangal Utsav’.
The invitations themselves are pieces of art in a large orange chest with images of Hindu gods playing the sound of a mantra, and include gifts for the guests, which various media have valued between $5,000 and $7,000 each.
The wedding menu is also expected to be a journey through Indian cuisine with dishes like the famous Kashi Chaat Bhandar from Varanasi, known for its street food, among other options commissioned by a selection of international chefs to showcase the rich culinary tapestry of India.
The influx of guests has led to a surge in hotel bookings, particularly in areas of the city close to the wedding venue, with many of the five-star hotels having limited availability or completely sold out.
Mumbai Police have also issued a traffic advisory from July 12 to 15, anticipating disruptions due to the wedding with private fleets of vehicles ferrying guests.
While the Ambanis have not confirmed the entertainment lineup, media reports are betting that international stars such as Adele, Lana del Rey and Drake could take the stage at one of the three-day extravaganza.
The pre-wedding celebrations began in March with a three-day gala party for 1,500 guests in the state of Gujarat.
During the event, American singer Rihanna gave a concert, her first since last year’s Super Bowl. Illusionist David Blaine performed magic tricks.
The festivities also included a visit to the Ambanis’ “animal rescue centre”, which houses exotic mammals, and a specially built Hindu temple complex.
The second leg, in June, consisted of a four-day Mediterranean cruise with 1,200 guests, Merchant told Vogue.
Singer Katy Perry performed at a masked ball in a French castle in Cannes. Backstreet Boys, American rapper Pitbull and DJ David Guetta also provided entertainment.
The cruise ended in the Italian town of Portofino, where tenor Andrea Bocelli serenaded the town in its square.
Ambani, 11th richest person in the world
Ambani, 67, heads Reliance Industries, India’s largest company by market capitalization.
The tycoon, born in 1957 and raised in Bombay, has a fortune valued at 123 billion dollars, and is the eleventh richest person in the world, according to the Forbes list.
Ambani is also a close ally of Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was re-elected for a third term in June.
The businessman has spent the past few decades transforming the petrochemical giant he inherited into a global empire with lucrative interests in retail, telecommunications and a cricket team.
Anant Ambani’s fiancée Merchant is the daughter of pharmaceutical tycoons.
Her dresses include custom designs by Versace, Dolce & Gabbana and Yves Saint Laurent, she told Vogue magazine.
Another of her garments is printed with a love letter from her fiancé, according to the magazine. “I want to be able to show it to my children and grandchildren and tell them, ‘This is what our love was like,'” she said.
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