The lavish pre-wedding festivities for the son of one of the world’s richest men took place over the weekend just yards from where some of the poorest people on earth eke out a living by surviving on as little as £4 per day.
Billionaire Indian businessman Mukesh Ambani is reported to have spent a staggering £120 million on three-days of festivities which saw a dazzling invite list of global tech CEOs, Bollywood stars, pop icons and politicians descend on the normally sleepy city of Jamnagar in western India.
Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Meta head Mark Zuckerberg, Ivanka Trump and dozens of other illustrious names enjoyed sumptuous food in opulent surroundings, stayed in luxury accommodation especially built for the occasion and were entertained by Rihanna, who was paid an estimated £5 million for a two-hour set.
Guests indulged themselves in the most splendid manner possible during the extravagant weekend but for many of those living nearby it was a sorry tale of poverty and deprivation a million miles from the opulence on their doorstep.
Usman Ali, 44 barely had time to look up as he stirred a large pan of boiling water as luxury cars roared past carrying Mr Ambani’s high-profile guests to a large, gated compound where they were staying.
For many of those living nearby it was a sorry tale of poverty and deprivation a million miles from the opulence on their doorstep
Jamnagar is ordinarily a very sleepy city
The city rarely sees such extravagant displays of wealth
Anant Ambani is marrying Radhika Merchant in July, but the pre-wedding bash reportedly cost £120 million
He arrives at a shabby roadside stall not far from its main entrance to make tea, starting at 6am and finishing at 11pm, seven days a week, earning £4 per day.
Wiping the sweat from his brow, he told : ‘It’s a pity that these rich and famous people won’t be stopping to taste my tea. I can promise you it’s a lot better than anything these fancy chefs make.
‘I’ve heard about this wedding party and how much is being spent. But I don’t understand the sums they are talking about because it’s another world for me. I can’t even say £120 million, let alone think about it.’
He added: ‘I’ve worked at this tea stall since I was a child. Life is very hard for me, and I don’t have time to worry too much about what Mr Ambani is doing and how he’s spending his money.’
Mark Zuckerberg (pictured, centre) was one of the thousands of the world’s elite who attended
People in the city survive on as little as £4 a day
Mahesh Haribhai, 44, who owns the tea stall, revealed that he makes around £15 each day
Mahesh Haribhai, 44, who owns the tea stall, revealed that he makes around £15 each day.
He added: ‘I’m just a little, poor man. The Ambanis are very well known around here, but they’ve never stopped at my stall for a cup of tea. It’s an obscene amount of money to spend on a wedding and even if I had it, I wouldn’t do it.
‘You could put this money to much better use by helping the poor. I don’t think these rich and famous people who have come from all over the world will be speaking to us to get an understanding of what life is like for us. But we look after each other and make sure nobody goes hungry.’
Nearby, Ali Mohammed was dragging himself around in the dust as he begged while a woman in her 90s sat under a tree quivering while holding out her hand for money.
Mr Mohammed, who lost his leg in an accident when he was aged eight, said: ‘This is my regular spot and the only thing I can do to make money is beg. I’ve heard about this wedding, but it doesn’t mean anything to me. Maybe these rich people could help me?’
The lavish festivities for the forthcoming marriage of Mr Ambani’s son Anant to wealthy industrialist’s daughter Radhika Merchant took place within a large gated 750-acre compound called Reliance Greens
Many of those spoken to by were poor even by Indian standards, earning an average monthly salary of between £110-£120
According to statistics, the average monthly salary in the country is around £440
India has one of the fastest growing economies in the world with a record 169 Indians on the Forbes’ World’s Billionaire’s list
Raj, a local resident said: ‘These beggars are here every day and are lucky to make around £3. We buy them food and give what we can but it’s not a lot.
‘Like a lot of us in this area, it’s all about survival. As far as I’m concerned, these rich and famous people are only interested in promoting themselves.’
The lavish festivities for the forthcoming marriage of Mr Ambani’s son Anant to wealthy industrialist’s daughter Radhika Merchant took place within a large gated 750-acre compound called Reliance Greens, which was patrolled by armed guards during the event.
It was built by Mr Ambani’s Reliance Industries company for some his workers at a nearby oil refinery but had been temporarily converted into what can be described a ‘five-star celebrity campus’ to house high-profile guests.
Reliance is India’s biggest company by market capitalisation while Mr Ambani, 66 is the world’s 10th-richest person, according to the Forbes billionaires list, worth more than $116billion and is the richest man in India and Asia.
His wife Nita Ambani, 60 has not been shy to take to social media to proclaim the family’s huge wealth over the past few days.
Bill Gates and Paula Hurd pose during the pre-wedding celebrations of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant
One man said he had been living in his make-shift hut, which has no furniture inside it apart from a metal bed on which he and his four children and wife all sleep
Reliance Greens was built by Mr Ambani’s Reliance Industries company for some his workers at a nearby oil refinery
Reliance Greens is protected by armed guards, and is situated next to one of the world’s poorest slums
‘God has blessed Mr Ambani with a lot of money but cursed me because I don’t have any. He and his guests have the power to help us, but they won’t’, one impoverished person said
One of her Instagram posts showed a picture of Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg dressed in Indian attire with their respective partners accompanied with the words: ‘India Is Not a Poor Country…Share This On Your Story.’
Another showed her son Anant with his bride-to-be with the words: ‘Wedding Cost: 1000 CR (£100 million)’ followed by an emoji with a shocked face. It continued: ‘Just 0.1% of Ambani’s Net Worth.’ It was followed by another emoji of a shocked face and a bag of money with the dollar sign on it.
One post from the billionaire’s wife showed three leading Bollywood actors dancing on stage with the words: ‘Only Ambani’s can do this. Whole Bollywood dancing on the stage. Money has such power. That Crazeee.’
Many of those spoken to by around the Reliance Greens complex during the festivities were poor even by Indian standards, earning an average monthly salary of between £110-£120.
According to statistics, the average monthly salary in the country is around £440. It has one of the fastest growing economies in the world with a record 169 Indians on the Forbes’ World’s Billionaire’s list.
Subash and his brother Akash admitted that they were too busy to follow the pre-wedding festivities being feverishly shared on social media by Mrs Ambani and other celebrities.
The brothers walk around 30-40 miles per day with their friend Abas collecting rubbish from the local area, earning around £3 each day for their toil.
Rihanna was paid a reported $5million to perform at the wedding
Livestock were seen roaming grassless roads in search for food
Many of the people who spoke to are well below the poverty line
One woman was seen collecting a bundle of loose wood
One family was seen piled into the back of a cart
While Mr Ambani’s guests enjoyed a tour of an elephant sanctuary the family runs as part of the pre-wedding activities, the trio of young men were depositing large bags of litter beside a mountain of rubbish close to the Reliance compound which they bring each day to sell.
Subash, 28 cried: ‘All the world is looking at the rich people that have come to Jamnagar, but nobody is interested in our story. All I’ve done in my life is collect rubbish.
‘We saw the fireworks and heard the music coming from the compound and couldn’t even imagine what this three-day party must have been like. Beautiful, rich people all nicely dressed and having a wonderful time-I wish I could have been there, but I don’t even have any clean clothes.’
Akash said: ‘We are the bottom of the pile and Mr Ambani and his friends are at the very top. If he is India’s richest man, then I must be its poorest. Think of all the good things that could have been done with the money that has been spent on this party?’
Over the weekend, guests attended lavish cocktail and dinner parties in stunningly decorated locations within the Reliance Greens complex where they were served food prepared by more than 100 chefs. The catering contract alone is reported to have cost £20 million.
But beyond its imposing boundary wall, cows and buffalo meandered through mounds of litter as the wind kicked up a wall of dust and debris.
The catering contract alone is reported to have cost £20 million
Many farmers near the city are unable to properly feed their cattle
Families are forced to whip up makeshift sheds
A dozen families call straw huts covered over with plastic sheets home in a decrepit compound filled with puddles through which dozens of noisy children ran without shoes
Nearby, a dozen families call straw huts covered over with plastic sheets home in a decrepit compound filled with puddles through which dozens of noisy children ran without shoes.
The Reliance refinery looming in the background provided a stark contrast to the financial might of Mr Ambani and the miserable reality of life for the likes of Des Raj Sarjan, 65.
He revealed that he had been living in his make-shift hut, which has no furniture inside it apart from a metal bed on which he and his four children and wife all sleep and some pots and pans, for the past 20 years.
He said: ‘I used to work as a labourer earning £3 per day but now, I’m too old so my sons go out to earn for the family. We know about this wedding, it all looked very nice but what’s it got to do with us?
The night sky above the city was lit up with fireworks, as its residents tried to rest for another day of gruelling and underpaid work
One person almost fainted when informed by about the cost of the Ambani bash
One woman said: ‘I’m not interested in fancy people, their clothes, jewellery or what they’re getting up to. I just want a solid house that doesn’t fall down every year’
‘We know about this wedding, it all looked very nice but what’s it got to do with us’, an elderly man asked
‘God has blessed Mr Ambani with a lot of money but cursed me because I don’t have any. He and his guests have the power to help us, but they won’t.’
His wife Biddu Bhen revealed that their ramshackle huts often get washed away during the monsoon season.
She cried: ‘I’m not interested in fancy people, their clothes, jewellery or what they’re getting up to. I just want a solid house that doesn’t fall down every year.’
Naryan Bhai, 50 who lives in a hut with his wife and nine children and earns £4 per day as a labourer almost fainted when informed by about the cost of the Ambani bash.
He cried: ‘I don’t know what to say. Just a little bit of that large amount could help a lot of us and make our lives better. Surely that’s not too much to ask?’