Asia's Richest Man Plans Costly Wedding for His Son
2024-07-10
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1Mukesh Ambani is known as the richest person in Asia.
2This week, his son is getting married.
3But the celebrations and parties began several months ago.
4In March, Ambani threw a three-day party before his son's wedding.
5The 1,200 guests included former world leaders, tech leaders, Bollywood movie stars, and even the singer Rihanna.
6In May, the family took guests on a 3-day cruise from Italy to France.
7Well-known entertainers appeared on the cruise.
8The main wedding will take place on July 12.
9Many observers have described it as the wedding of the year.
10The groom is 29-year-old Anant Ambani.
11He will marry his longtime girlfriend, Radhika Merchant.
12Mukesh Ambani is 66 years old.
13Forbes magazine says he is currently the world's 9th richest man.
14The magazine reports he has a net worth of $116 billion.
15He is considered the richest person in Asia.
16Ambani's business, Reliance Industries, combines several different businesses, from petrochemicals to telecoms.
17The Ambani family also owns a huge private apartment building in Mumbai, India. The building is worth $1 billion.
18Ambani's critics say his company has done well mainly because of political connections to the Indian government in the 1970s and 1980s.
19It has also had good relations with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government.
20The elder Ambani has started passing the business on to his two sons and daughter.
21The oldest son, Akash Ambani, is now chairperson of Reliance Jio, their telecoms business.
22Isha Ambani, the daughter, oversees the retail business.
23he groom, Anant, has become involved in the new energy business.
24Anant studied at Brown University in Rhode Island.
25He is managing the expansion of renewable and green energy interests for his family's business.
26He also runs a large animal rescue center called Vantara in Gujarat state.
27The bride, Radhika Merchant is the daughter of pharmaceutical business leader Viren Merchant.
28She directs marketing for her father's company, Encore Healthcare.
29Radhika told Vogue magazine that she met Anant through friends in 2017.
30"That first meeting just sparked something special between us, and it wasn't long before we started dating," she said.
31The main wedding ceremony is set for July 12, followed by a grand reception on July 14.
32There will be celebrations at both Ambani's Jio World Convention Center in Mumbai city and at their family home.
33The family chose the dates using the Hindu custom for deciding lucky days.
34Last week, videos appeared on Indian social media showing the couple's sangeet.
35That is a ceremony where the bride and groom's families perform dances for the guests.
36It included performances by Bollywood stars and pop singer Justin Bieber, who flew to Mumbai for the event.
37The family also organized a mass wedding for more than 50 needy couples last week as part of the pre-wedding celebrations.
38I'm Jill Robbins.
1Mukesh Ambani is known as the richest person in Asia. This week, his son is getting married. But the celebrations and parties began several months ago. 2In March, Ambani threw a three-day party before his son's wedding. The 1,200 guests included former world leaders, tech leaders, Bollywood movie stars, and even the singer Rihanna. 3In May, the family took guests on a 3-day cruise from Italy to France. Well-known entertainers appeared on the cruise. 4The main wedding will take place on July 12. Many observers have described it as the wedding of the year. 5The groom is 29-year-old Anant Ambani. He will marry his longtime girlfriend, Radhika Merchant. 6Who are the Ambanis? 7Mukesh Ambani is 66 years old. Forbes magazine says he is currently the world's 9th richest man. The magazine reports he has a net worth of $116 billion. He is considered the richest person in Asia. 8Ambani's business, Reliance Industries, combines several different businesses, from petrochemicals to telecoms. The Ambani family also owns a huge private apartment building in Mumbai, India. The building is worth $1 billion. 9Ambani's critics say his company has done well mainly because of political connections to the Indian government in the 1970s and 1980s. It has also had good relations with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government. 10The elder Ambani has started passing the business on to his two sons and daughter. The oldest son, Akash Ambani, is now chairperson of Reliance Jio, their telecoms business. Isha Ambani, the daughter, oversees the retail business. The groom, Anant, has become involved in the new energy business. 11Who are the bride and groom? 12Anant studied at Brown University in Rhode Island. He is managing the expansion of renewable and green energy interests for his family's business. He also runs a large animal rescue center called Vantara in Gujarat state. 13The bride, Radhika Merchant is the daughter of pharmaceutical business leader Viren Merchant. She directs marketing for her father's company, Encore Healthcare. 14Radhika told Vogue magazine that she met Anant through friends in 2017. "That first meeting just sparked something special between us, and it wasn't long before we started dating," she said. 15Wedding on July 12 16The main wedding ceremony is set for July 12, followed by a grand reception on July 14. There will be celebrations at both Ambani's Jio World Convention Center in Mumbai city and at their family home. 17The family chose the dates using the Hindu custom for deciding lucky days. 18Last week, videos appeared on Indian social media showing the couple's sangeet. That is a ceremony where the bride and groom's families perform dances for the guests. It included performances by Bollywood stars and pop singer Justin Bieber, who flew to Mumbai for the event. 19The family also organized a mass wedding for more than 50 needy couples last week as part of the pre-wedding celebrations. 20I'm Jill Robbins. 21The Associated Press reported on this story based on local media, Vogue Magazine, Forbes Magazine and the websites of the Ambani businesses. Jill Robbins adapted it for Learning English. 22______________________________________________ 23Words in This Story 24groom - n. a man who has just married or is about to be married 25petrochemical - n. a chemical that is made from petroleum or natural gas 26telecom - n. a telecommunications company 27story - n. a group of rooms or an area that forms one floor level of a building 28bride - n. a woman who has just married or is about to be married 29pharmaceutical - adj. of or relating to the production and sale of drugs and medicine 30spark - n. a quality that makes someone or something enjoyable, interesting, or successful 31reception - n. a social gathering to celebrate something or to welcome someone 32custom - n. an action or way of behaving that is usual and traditional among the people in a particular group or place 33What do you think of this story? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.