Sunday, June 26 2005 14:03 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Mumbai: Anil Ambani today (Jun 26, 2005) took over the reins of Reliance Infocomm, the Reliance Group's flagship telecom firm, which he got as part of the settlement of Rs 100,000 crore group.

Virtually demonstrating the backing of the entire family, more importantly his mother, Anil Ambani took charge of Reliance Infocomm, the telecom company that he got along with Reliance Energy and Capital as part of an ownership settlement with brother Mukesh on June 18.

Anil, a devout Hindu, performed rituals at the Radharishna temple and paid obeisance to Lord Ganesh and Hanuman at an auspicious hour according to Hindu calendar before taking charge of Infocomm, India's largest privately run telecom firm.

Accompanied by his mother Kokilaben, wife Tina and children, sisters Dipti and Nina, and the entire family, barring elder brother Mukesh and his wife Nita, Anil arrived a little after 1100 hrs (IST) at the 148-acre Dhirubhai Ambani Knowledge City, which houses the country's largest data centre and the headquarters of Infocomm.

This was Kokilaben's first public appearance after she brokered a peace deal between her sons, who were fighting over control of the Rs 100,000 crore Reliance business empire founded by her late husband Dhirubhai Ambani.

Key lieutenants of Anil were also present, as were a huge of posse of journalists at the venue, which was heavily guarded.

Shortly after taking over the reins, Anil met 10,000 Infocomm employees -- one fourth of the company's total workforce.

While boosting the sagging morale of the employees of Infocomm, which is ridden by controversies including illegal call re-routing, seems to be a serious challenge for him, 46-year-old Anil clearly demonstrated that he was up to face any obstacle.

He is also expected to address Infocomm employees across the country through a web-cast at 1500 hrs (IST).

Even as whispers were on in the corridors about elder brother Mukesh getting a bulk of the Reliance business (in terms of revenue), Anil demonstrated that he had the moral support of his mother -- evoking a feeling of deja vu among the India's movie-loving public.

Besides Kokilaben, 14 members of the family, including sisters Dipti and Nina and their husbands and their five children, were present when Anil performed the "puja" at the centre.

The god-fearing former MTV youth icon and Rajya Sabha MP, Anil, has been on a pilgrimage to several places including Amarnath, Badrinath, Tirupati and Vaishnodevi before settlement with his brother.