In Puri, Anil Ambani doles out cash

PURI/BHUBANESWAR: Industrialist Anil Ambani exhibited his generosity during a visit to Puri on Sunday. Holding wads of Rs 1,000 notes, Anil

donated not less than Rs 40,000 among a handful of roadside coconut vendors and poor passers-by on Puri-Bhubaneswar National Highway near Chandanpur in Puri district.

Anil’s cavalcade, comprising eight cars, halted with a screech near the coconut vendors on the busy highway around 3.15 pm. Anil, wearing a white kurta-pyjama, walked up to the vendors and bought coconuts for himself and those in his cavalcade. He was joined by his mother Kokilaben, sister Dipti D Salgaocar and brother-in-law Dattaraj Salgaocar.

Anil then distributed food packets and other gifts among coconut vendors. The chairman of Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group did not stop there. Money was distributed like ‘prasad’ among fruit sellers and poor villagers, who thronged the place.
“I sold 70 coconuts to Anil Ambani and his people. He himself had two. I got a Rs 1,000 note, some sweets and a food packet from him,” said a coconut vendor, Sagar Bhoi.

Anil did not frustrate other vendors. He walked down to other fruit sellers and doled out money and freebies. “I saw him hand Rs 1,000 notes to at least 40 people. Some security guards, who accompanied Anil, were also benefited as Anil distributed notes to them as well,” another vendor Nanda Behera said.
“I had heard of Anil Ambani. I was overjoyed to get him as my customer today. He was very generous and soft-spoken,” Bhoi said.
“Anil was driving the car and suddenly stopped on the road. We were shocked at first. Then he got us coconuts and donated money to the poor coconut vendors,” one member of the cavalcade said.

Earlier, Anil visited the Jagannath temple and spent at least two hours meditating in the Mahalaxmi sub-shrine located inside the 12th century shrine precinct. His mother accompanied him to the temple for darshan of the presiding deities. Anil’s visit to Puri came a fortnight after he undertook a pilgrimage to temples in south India. From Puri he headed further east to Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu.