Ambani towers as MTV Youth Icon

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal">MUMBAI: The guy hanging around the bustling K C College canteen and sipping ''cutting chai'' seemed a trifle over-aged for the rest of the crowd. The <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">janta</span> didn''t mind, though. Anil Ambani is an unwavering companion in their biggest dreams.<br /><br />After being voted MTV''s Youth Icon of the Year, he chose his alma mater K C College for the press photo shoot.Later, speaking to The Times of India<span style="" font-style:="" italic=""> </span>at the Reliance office at Ballard Pier, Mr Ambani deconstructed his own phenomenon with his signature calibrated brashness. <br /><br />Why him, when rivals in the youth pin-up race included the redoubtables - Sachin Tendulkar, Shah Rukh Khan, A P J Abdul Kalam and A B Vajpayee himself?<br /><br />"I think wealth creation is no longer a bad word and enterprise is valued by youngsters today much more than in the past," says Mr Ambani, sporting a casual, crumpled chic white shirt and dark jeans. <br /><br />He feels what also goes to his credit is that "I am not a couch potato, or a stereotypical ''sethji'' with a paunch and I run 100 km a week".<br /><br />Other names gunning for the honour included Smriti ''Tulsi'' Malhotra, activist Maneka Gandhi, fashionista Ritu Beri, supercop Kiran Bedi, artist M F Husain, spiritual guru Asharam Bapu and music director A R Rehman. <br /><br />The poll was conducted by IMRB across eight cities and the icons were shortlisted from fields ranging from sports to politics and fashion to religion.<br /><br />On Thursday, Mr Ambani admitted that his association with his father was always a big edge. Apart from being his own role model, he says Dhirubhai had the timeless qualities of making a youth icon. "He told the world that dreaming was not such a bad idea, as long as you dream with your eyes open."<br /><br />He complements the younger generation of being "clever, smart and ahead of the curve". He says his sons and nephews know things at the age of six or seven that "I did not know at 21". <br /><br />The time has come for ''reverse mentoring'', he says, whereby parent gain knowledge from their children and in turn ground them in sound values. "Values are what I fear this techno- and info-savvy generation may fall short of," he adds, thanking especially his mother Kokilabehn for his upbringing.<br /><br />Mr Ambani, for beginners, is a vegetarian and a teetotaler by choice, and claims he does not gamble. Sociologists and psychologists say that his appeal with the youth is that of a billionaire with originality. <br /><br />"Despite his wealth and his glamorous wife (actress Tina), he is not the typical party-goer. He works hard and has down-to-earth values. He is definitely a positive role model in these troubled times," says psychiatrist Anjali Chhabria.<br /><br />She agrees that today''s young people are comfortable with the fact that they want money and they must get it. "There is no guilt. They want more out of life and are very clear about their needs. They want their role model as someone who is not only talented but also smart, articulate and savvy." <br /><br />She says even professionally, the requirement today is of people who are emotionally and physically fit. But one of the most important things that the youth relate with Mr Ambani is that he did not take his father for granted and worked for his own identity, she adds.<br /><br />According to the survey, the youngsters think Anil Ambani is..<br /><br />• Very smart and rich, yet honest and simple.<br /><br />• Achieved a lot at a very young age.<br /><br />• Has newness in thinking.<br /><br />• Will take India to new heights.<br /><br />• Hard worker, who takes risks, understands business well.</div> </div>