VOA文化艺术2024--Asia's Richest Man Plans Costly Wedding for His Son

Mukesh 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.

In 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.

In May, the family took guests on a 3-day cruise from Italy to France. Well-known entertainers appeared on the cruise.

The main wedding will take place on July 12. Many observers have described it as the wedding of the year.

The groom¹ is 29-year-old Anant Ambani. He will marry his longtime girlfriend, Radhika Merchant.

Who are the Ambanis?

Mukesh 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.

Ambani'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.

Ambani'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.

The 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, oversees² the retail³ business. The groom, Anant, has become involved in the new energy business.

Who are the bride and groom?

Anant 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.

The bride, Radhika Merchant is the daughter of pharmaceutical⁴ business leader Viren Merchant. She directs marketing⁵ for her father's company, Encore Healthcare.

Radhika told Vogue⁶ 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.

Wedding on July 12

The 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.

The family chose the dates using the Hindu custom for deciding lucky days.

Last 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.

The family also organized a mass wedding for more than 50 needy⁷ couples last week as part of the pre-wedding celebrations.

Words in This Story

groom - n. a man who has just married or is about to be married

petrochemical - n. a chemical that is made from petroleum⁸ or natural gas

telecom - n. a telecommunications company

story - n. a group of rooms or an area that forms one floor level of a building

bride - n. a woman who has just married or is about to be married

pharmaceutical - adj. of or relating to the production and sale of drugs and medicine

spark - n. a quality that makes someone or something enjoyable, interesting, or successful

reception - n. a social gathering⁹ to celebrate something or to welcome someone

custom - n. an action or way of behaving that is usual and traditional among the people in a particular group or place

1 groom   

vt.给（马、狗等）梳毛，照料，使...整洁

参考例句：

• His father was a groom.他父亲曾是个马夫。
• George was already being groomed for the top job.为承担这份高级工作，乔治已在接受专门的培训。

2 oversees   

v.监督，监视( oversee的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She oversees both the research and the manufacturing departments. 她既监督研究部门又监督生产部门。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Department of Education oversees the federal programs dealing with education. 教育部监管处理教育的联邦程序。 来自互联网

3 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

4 pharmaceutical   

adj.药学的，药物的；药用的，药剂师的

参考例句：

• She has donated money to establish a pharmaceutical laboratory.她捐款成立了一个药剂实验室。
• We are engaged in a legal tussle with a large pharmaceutical company.我们正同一家大制药公司闹法律纠纷。

5 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

6 Vogue   

n.时髦，时尚；adj.流行的

参考例句：

• Flowery carpets became the vogue.花卉地毯变成了时髦货。
• Short hair came back into vogue about ten years ago.大约十年前短发又开始流行起来了。

7 needy   

adj.贫穷的，贫困的，生活艰苦的

参考例句：

• Although he was poor,he was quite generous to his needy friends.他虽穷，但对贫苦的朋友很慷慨。
• They awarded scholarships to needy students.他们给贫苦学生颁发奖学金。

8 petroleum   

n.原油，石油

参考例句：

• The Government of Iran advanced the price of petroleum last week.上星期伊朗政府提高了石油价格。
• The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。

9 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。