The media spotlight on pre and post wedding celebrations of Anant Ambani — the last and youngest son of industry tycoon Mukesh Ambani, listed among the world’s Top 20 wealthiest individuals by the authoritative Forbes magazine — has aroused varied and conflicting reaction among public intellectuals and commentators. The bash reportedly cost the amiable, self-effacing tycoon who presides over blue-chip megacorp Reliance Industries (annual revenue: Rs.1,000,122 crore) an estimated Rs.5,000 crore.

Unrepentant socialists and left liberals have unanimously condemned the Ambani wedding extravaganza as a vulgar display of wealth and conspicuous consumption. Yet the plain truth which the lefties woke army (led by fifth generation Nehru scion Rahul Gandhi) will never acknowledge is that if India had taken the free markets (capitalist) road way back in 1947, we would have been enjoying an annual GDP of $20 trillion cf. $ 3.5 trillion today. They have a collective memory-loss about their full-throttle endorsement of Nehruvian socialism. Now they are unanimous in their condemnation of the few entrepreneurs — Tata, Birla, Ambani and Adani — who beat the beggar-thy-neighbour system designed by them.

On the other hand there is a small minority that believes that citizens have the right to do as they please with their post-tax incomes and accumulated wealth. The unrestrained largesse of the Ambani clan hugely benefited armies of food and (non-alcoholic) beverages caterers, interior designers, digital equipment and sound providers and flower-sellers, not to omit the efficient event organisers.

From a business perspective, the latest Ambani wedding bash was excellent advertisement for the Jio World Centre, surely the most well-furbished and equipped business convention centre worldwide which is likely to prove a money-spinner for the Ambanis. A brilliantly choreographed initiative for combining pleasure with business.

Also read: Ambani-Adani 1000x wanted