‘India’s Warren Buffet’ Dies Aged 62 Shortly After Airline Launch

The sudden death of "India’s Warren Buffet", billionaire Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, on Sunday morning has left millions of people shocked.

The veteran investor, known as the Big Bull of Dalal Street [the address of the Bombay Stock Exchange], was suffering from a number of health problems.

The son of an income tax officer, Jhunjhunwala started dabbling in stocks while still in college and started investing on the Bombay Stock Exchange in 1985 with $100.

Jhunjhunwala's business interests read like a phone directory of Indian industry and are remarkable for their diversity, ranging as they did from media to biotechnology and fashion. As well as being chairman of Hungama Digital Media and Aptech, he was also a director of Viceroy Hotels, Concord Biotech, Provogue India, and Geojit Financial Services.

Last week, Indian billionaire Rakesh Jhunjhunwala was seen in a wheelchair at the launch of his latest venture, Akasa Air - India's newest budget airline offering flights between Mumbai and Ahmedabad, and Bengaluru and Kochi.

Calling it the end of an era, several celebrities and public figures took to social media to express their condolences to his family, and thanks for his contribution to India's stock market.