Beyond bulls & bears

Oswal tells Samie Modak and Khushboo Tiwari why stock market investing is all about trust and why he is not rattled by market crashes

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Motilal Oswal, cofounder and managing director of the eponymous financial services firm, arrives promptly at the decided time of 1:30 pm at Sette Mara, a West Asian restaurant on the ninth floor of The St Regis Mumbai.

The luxury hotel, just a mile away from the sleek Motilal Oswal Tower in Lower Parel, offers a stunning view of Mumbai's skyline, with Mukesh Ambani's 27storey residence, Antilia, standing prominently in the distance.

His team has cautioned us that Oswal, who was born to a Jain family, is particular about food.

However, the man who greets us with a warm smile is anything but fussy. "I'll eat anything you order," he says with a chuckle. Sette Mara is temporarily sharing its space with The Sahib Room, a modern Indian restaurant under renovation, and is buzzing with diners. Two menus land on the table- Lebanese and Indian. Given the limited vegetarian options on the Lebanese one, we opt for Indian cuisine, a decision met with unanimous approval.

As we settle in, with Oswal's back to the city's toniest towers, he shares a cultural insight: "In Marwari tradition, we often have dessert first." His eyes light up at the mention of sweets, though he's content to let us choose the starters.

We order Rampuri paneer tikka and dahi ke kebab. Their aromas soon blend with the restaurant's warm ambiance. For dessert, we encourage him to take charge. He agrees with a grin, his friendly demeanour belying his stature. A prominent figure in the world of finance, he is as approa-chable as the menu he so casually entrusts us with.

As the starters arrive, the 63-year-old chartered accountant leans into a topic close to his heart: philanthropy.