Mukesh Ambani is India’s maharaja of money. The 53-year old businessman boasts a $29-billion net worth from petroleum and petrochemical powerhouse Reliance Industries, which has actually only managed him a pitiful fourth position on Forbes’ Top Ten Billionaires of 2010 list. Beating him is the world’s current richest man, Mexico’s Carlo Slim Helu ($53.5 billion), then Bill Gates ($53 billion) and Warren Buffett ($47billion). But Ambani has something the others don’t have. He has the most expensive house in history! This is not a massive problem for the others given the house is a rather unattractive monstrosity that towers above Mumbai and offers uninterrupted views of the Arabian Sea and the slums. But, what it lacks in looks it makes up for in lustre. The 37 000 square metre (roughly three football fields) abode spreads up over 27 floors and is home to just six people: Ambani, Mrs Ambani, three bambino Ambanis and the motherin-law. It offers unique features like an ice room complete with snowflakes to combat the heat, three balconies with rolling lawns and fully-grown trees and a basement car park with 168 bays. And if you’d prefer to fly then you can land on any of the three helipads on the roof. Although the house has been criticized for its excess, there are more like it popping up because India now boasts 69 billionaires— triple that of 2008. Its economy has been defying global trends with an 8% growth due to a large domestic market, rapid growth in industry and low labour costs. Recently a new record was set when 148 Mercedes-Benzes were delivered to a smaller city near Mumbai, all on a single day. Jai ho (victory) indeed!
