Vijay Mallya Of UK

That is what my father referred to him as when I was watching an interview of this person. Incidentally I was also reading his autobiography which had been presented to me by my brother as a sweet revenge to stop my habit of reading just suspense thrillers (for he knew very well that Arthur Hailey, Archer, Sheldon and so on were always the most preferred by me and hence he wanted me to get addicted to non-fiction, the way he is now). So after having a brief brawl with my brother over this issue, I had started reading it. To tell the truth, I got hooked up with this book so much so that when my father made a clichéd statement like this I was totally taken aback!!! Soon he added,’ this person is one-of-a-kind’!!! Yup, quite contradictory. Well, this is exactly what he is. Though I would not go to the extent of comparing him with anybody but I certainly do admire his risky ventures and adventurous life.
I had been introduced to this person through newspapers and business magazines (which I had to read because my dad always bought these and wished that I had an eye for this line but unfortunately I could never go beyond the Bombay Times! But I have always read these magazines and tried to understand them but to no avail) but I was opened to a wider perspective after reading his autobiography-‘Losing My Virginity’. Yes, it is Sir RICHARD BRANSON, the owner of the Virgin group of companies, known for his flamboyant nature and competitive spirit, but best known for his business ideals. Ask him to define his ‘business philosophy’ and he says that business cannot be taught like a recipe as one has to change his idea with changing times.
This autobiography of his clearly defines how he was crafted to be a businessman all his life. Starting a business venture at the age of 15 without any proper financial support is no child’s play and that too for a child suffering from dyslexia but he proved everybody wrong. He started his career with ‘Student’ magazine with the help of his closest friends which soon gained popularity among the student community at that time. He also started his first charitable institution (The Student Advisory Committee) at the age of 17. His dreams started growing too wild. He started a Virgin records store whose first signing topped the UK charts with his first album (thanks to Mike Oldfield’s ‘Tubular Bells”). But luck did not favour him the way he had wanted for later he had to sell this first ever Virgin enterprise, the beginning of the Virgin empire, in order to keep another one of his novel ideas The Virgin Atlantic Airways afloat! The intention of starting such an airline company was to bring to bay the cut-throat price of the British Airways, the then supremo in the airline business.
But what intrigued me the most was this man’s vision of his life! In spite of being the proud owner of the Virgin brand name, he never cared a bit for his life. His world record attempts aboard the Virgin Atlantic Challenger I & II was quite surprising. One can’t say that it was because of an adrenaline rush for the first mistakes are always forgivable but not a repetition. Well this repetition somehow proved profitable for he was successful in breaking the world record for the fastest Atlantic Ocean crossing. His hot air balloon expedition was given much impetus by the media when this was the first ever attempt to cross the Atlantic in a hot air balloon.
Well, not that I admire him for all this acrobatics but for the fact that such a well settled person with inimitable business visions had such weird and crazy (if I may say so) ideas! If his appearances are anything to go by then he would have gone by as a passing joke. But this baron has proved to the world that his bizarre business ethics can conquer unventured lands!