A Tale of Two Indias — page 3

Roy also represents a powerful case for the way in which money can buttress India's traditions rather than undermine them. He is fanatically patriotic, sponsoring the national cricket, hockey and Olympic teams. One of Sahara's symbols is a figure of Mother India, and the company motto is "Nationalism is the supreme religion." Roy claims to extend his love of his own family to his workers. "I think very emotionally and the whole team is truly like a family," he says. This gushy talk isn't all meaningless. On a more modest scale, familial altruism can be seen any day of the week in India's shopping centers. So many IT workers have bought cars for their parents, for example, that it has become an industry cliché.

And there's another upside to the new wealth. Chat-show presenter Garewal says Rendezvous's record viewer ratings can be explained in part by the chance to ogle a billionaire—Roy and Mallya have both been guests—but also by something more fundamental. "It's inspirational," she says. "Aspirational. People want to know how successful people do it, what it is about them." That's a sentiment echoed by Mallya's party guests. Dhunji Wadia, a 43-year-old executive at advertising agency J. Walter Thompson, described the host as an icon. "We need more Mallyas. There's been more change in the last five years than the last five decades, and he's done that more than anyone." Even Vanaik admits that India finds its superrich dazzling. "These people have become our role models," he says, with an air of lament. Columnist Dasgupta goes further, claiming that the "self-confidence" of India's new billionaires has helped restore national pride. Twenty years ago, "getting out of India used to be the most important thing," he says. The National Association of Software and Service Companies reports that 35,000 Indian IT professionals have returned from the U.S. in the past three years. People like Roy "let us believe we can make it, that India can make it—by ourselves and without losing ourselves," says Dasgupta.

For now, the divisions that have come in the wake of India's development seem a price the country is ready to pay. Columbia University economist Professor Jagdish Bhagwati says: "India always was a stratified society. And India has always been about poverty. The question has always been: How do you tackle it? Growth never trickles down evenly. But it's only by opening up, by growing the economy and, yes, by producing the odd billionaire who creates thousands of jobs, that you can really pull people up."

In a country on the make—which India surely is—the superrich are often heroes. Speaking to his stud manager after his derby win, Mallya explained how Fantabulous King, an unpredictable performer for years, just needed to be given his head. "Let him run free," says Mallya. "Let him do exactly what he wants. And he'll show you what he can do." He could have been talking about the nation.

With reporting by S. Hussain Zaidi/Bombay

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