India's corporate titans are preparing for a historic pilgrimage, with travel desks at top conglomerates scrambling to finalize arrangements for their bosses' attendance at the Ayodhya Ram Mandir consecration ceremony on January 22. Mukesh Ambani (Reliance Industries), Kumar Mangalam Birla (Aditya Birla Group), N Chandrasekaran (Tata Sons), and Gautam Adani (Adani Group) are among the prominent business leaders confirmed to join the over 10,000-strong guest list.
Ayodhya will witness a convergence of VVIPs from various sectors, including entertainment, sports, politics, religion, public life, and the arts. Joining the captains of industry are other prominent business figures like Anil Agarwal (Vedanta Group), Ajay Piramal (Piramal Enterprises), Gautam Singhania (Raymond Group), Venu Srinivasan (TVS Motor Company), the Baba Kalyani family (Bharat Forge), Satish Mehta (Emcure Pharmaceuticals), and SN Subrahmanyam (L&T).
I really look forward to the event, said Sanjiv Mehta, former CEO of Hindustan Unilever (HUL). It is a big day for all Hindus and for Indians. For me, it is a spiritual trip as a Hindu," said Mehta, who is among the guests invited to the ceremony by the temple trust, ET reported.
One chairman of a leading conglomerate, speaking anonymously, described receiving the invitation as an emotional moment, stating, The Ayodhya Temple has been a place of immense faith and spiritual importance for Hindus since time immemorial. It has always been on my 'must-visit' list.
Debashis Chatterjee, director of IIM Kozhikode, views the event as a fusion of faith, spirituality, business, and politics, emphasizing the alignment of such convergence with sound business principles. He clarifies, "Businesses and governments share diverse key stakeholders. The government is a crucial stakeholder for businesses, and vice versa. In the realm of key stakeholders for governments, businesses and corporates hold significant roles.