From Rs 5,000 to Rs 46,000 crore: How Rakesh Jhunjhunwala became one of India's top wealth creators

Jhunjhunwala entered the world of investing back in 1985 as a 25-year-old youth. His first investment came out of borrowed money. At the time, the Bombay Stock Exchange Index was at 150. When he passed away, it stood at over 60,000.

He did not take long to show his talent. The first big profit of the Big Bull came soon after he bought 5,000 shares of Tata Tea in 1986 at Rs 43. Within 3 months, the stock climbed to Rs 143, bringing Jhunjhunwala a profit of around Rs 20-25 lakh.

In his career, Jhunjhunwala amassed much wealth and by end had holdings in over three dozen companies, with the most valuable ones being in Titan (a Tata Group company), with others including Aptech, Star Health, Rallis India, Escorts, Canara Bank, Indian Hotels Company, Agro Tech Foods, Nazara Technologies, Tata Motors.

His holding in Titan of 5.05 percent became worth over Rs 11,000 crore while his other large holdings included 23.37 percent in Aptech Ltd, 17.49 percent in Star Health and Allied Insurance Co Ltd, 14.43 percent in Metro Brands, 2.62 percent in NCC Ltd and 10.03 percent in Nazara Technologies Ltd.

Before his sudden and shocking demise, Jhunjhunwala had forayed into aviation, joining hands with ex-Jet Airways CEO Vinay Dube and former IndiGo head Aditya Ghosh to launch India's newest budget carrier, Akasa Air.

In the market, he built a reputation as a risk-taker, but one who would often see his risks pay off spectacularly. He was described as an investor who "acquired legendary Midas touch by picking winning stocks". His passing away has been called a irrepairable loss to Indian Equity Markets.

Tributes on his demise were led by none other than India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who also shared a photograph of himself with the legendary investor.

Photos: File/ Agencies