Anil Agarwal: The man in pursuit of Anglo
Mining giant's second largest shareholder started out modestly
To understand what motivates Anil Agarwal, the India-born self-made billionaire who is becoming the second-largest shareholder in Anglo American, a brief overview of Hinduism's caste system - although a generalisation perhaps - might not go amiss. Agarwal, born into the Vaishyas caste - a stratum of traders and merchants which comes below the Brahmins and Kshatriyas who make up India's ruling and official classes but a rank above the Shudras, the labourers - hails from the city of Patna, born in 1954 into the Marwari community. A self-made man A century ago, the Marwaris were influential merchants, but since India's independence in 1947 they have been overtaken by people from Gujarat state, the birthplace of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. So, one might say, cards were to an extent stacked against the young Agarwal in conservative Hindu society. He attended high school in Patna, but there was to be no university education - it was into his father's aluminium components business that t...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.