The year-old shrewd businessman since then has been micromanaging Kingfisher Airlines rigorously with a turnover USD 2 billion in annual revenues. He regularly monitors service standards and is involved in virtually everything from the selection of staff uniforms to interviewing would-be employees to ensure strict quality control. Mallya aim is now to serve the India-USA market on a non-stop basis, which no Indian airline has attempted yet. The airline has up his ante by introducing Kingfisher Class that features personal televisions at every seat and has proved a big hit in an entertainment-loving country of 1.
Albeit alcohol still cannot be served on board, Mallya is lobbying to have the law changed. Having his plate full, Mallya entered politics in and superseded Subramaniam Swamy as the president of Janata Party, a breakaway faction of the original Janata Dal party. He is presently the member of the Rajya Sabha and probably the only male MP with diamond ear studs. Mallya is also noted for his successful bidding in auction of items considered of great historical value to India.
In , he successfully placed the winning bid of GBP , for the sword of Tipu Sultan at an auction in London, and brought it back to India.
In , he made India proud by bringing belongings of Mahatma Gandhi for Rs 9. He received several professional awards both in India and overseas.
An ardent believer that corporations have a responsibility to society and mankind, Mallya has contributed generously to various charities and foundations in several countries in addition to establishing The Mallya Hospital, The Mallya-Aditi School and the Vittal Mallya Scientific Research Foundation in Bangalore, India. Unlike his contemporaries the Kingfisher giant has other interests apart from business.
Mallya plans to combine his sports interests - a Formula One team, a cricket team and a football league - under one company called UB Sports. He is a keen sportsman and is an ardent aviator and yachtsman of distinction and has won trophies in professional car racing circuits. He has also won numerous trophies in horse racing including several prestigious Derbies. A flashy dresser he carefully uses his crafted celebrity image to promote his products as brand ambassador of the UB Group. He also pilots aircraft for fun, collects vintage racing cars, hosts lavish parties and sails his yachts.
Hailed as the Richard Branson of India, Mallya currently has 26 residences around the world. After landing this windfall, the fallen business baron had announced that this would free him up to spend more time in London with his children. At last, the Good Father of Good Times. This is in the hopes that they will recover loans totalling Rs 9, crore. Is Mallya sad? Regretful at his inability to pay back the thousands of crores? Because Mallya has decided that there is nothing to be sorry about.
Perhaps the only regret is that Kingfisher Airlines is not flying today when the oil price is so low. This is a man who should be the poster boy for middle-class Indians, folks who weep and fret when we owe a person, never mind a bank,. If we are faced with employees who have not been paid a paise in months, we try to have systems in place that hopes to make us look shamefaced.
Not Dr Mallya. In January, Rajan again made a veiled attack against Mallya, who had celebrated his birthday with a typically lavish party the previous month. He was gloomy and grumpy. We did not speak much, unlike in the past," a person close to Mallya said. For instance, Mallya had to physically appear at Esplanade court in Mumbai last year to seek permission from the court to travel abroad.
But now he was forced to appear personally," he said. And drop all claims connected to alleged financial irregularities by the liquor baron.
The company had already written down the amounts owed to it by other companies," said Shriram Subramanian, founder, InGovern Research Services, a proxy advisory firm. However, as far as banks and regulatory authorities are concerned, Mallya is still accountable for his alleged financial irregularities, Subramanian added.
Entities controlled by Mallya still own about Until the downfall of Kingfisher, Mallya built an enviously successful conglomerate over more than two decades of canny deal-making. Advancing years, a momentous failure in the airlines business, a wilful defaulter status, allegations of financial irregularities may have forced Mallya to leave and lie low but knowing the man, a second innings in entirely within the realm of the plausible.
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