25 Years of Friendship, Arguments and Building Together In last 25 years, there have been very few day when DP (@dpsingh_sbimf ) and I have not spoken. We joined @SBIMF at almost the same time and grew professionally together. DP was senior to me, but our friendship never worked on seniority. We were “buddies” building our careers and an institution alongside each other. For over last 2 decades, we sat in adjoining cabins and discussed the company almost every day: its people, its problems, what worked and what didn’t. Somewhere along the way, our families became close too. In our younger days, official travel came with modest hotel limits. Our solution: stay at the best hotel the allowance could manage, provided neither minded sharing a room. That story says a lot about DP. A constraint was rarely the end of the conversation. It was usually the beginning of another way to solve the problem. Watching this video brought back another side of DP that anyone who travelled with him will recognise: He built.. one city, one town & one emerging market at a time. Over the years, while we where building distribution across India. DP once came up with what sounded like a crazy idea: open 50 branches across the country on a single day. And we did. Developing new products and institutional relationships. Helping the retirement savings of millions of Indians participate in mutual funds and create wealth along the way. DP has never taken “no” easily. If he believed in an idea, he would argue till the end. Anyone who has worked with him knows agreeing to disagree was not always his preferred option. His passion could be demanding. But once a decision was made, the argument was over. He put everything behind making it work. DP could disagree with you completely and still stand beside you completely. Much of the Indian mutual fund industry was built this way. Not only through products and performance, but city by city and relationship by relationship. DP belongs to a generation that did this when mutual funds were unfamiliar to much of India. SBI Funds is today India’s largest asset manager. That belongs to generations of colleagues, partners and leaders. But its distribution reach, institutional relationships, people culture and willingness to think at scale carry a substantial part of DP’s contribution. Last night, as colleagues marked his retirement, the room was very emotional. People spoke about his achievements, but also the confidence he gave them, the relationships he nurtured and the sense of family he helped create. For me, that word, family, is not a metaphor. Perhaps that is why writing about DP is difficult. I cannot separate the colleague from the friend, our professional journey from our family friendship, or the institution we helped build from the lives we built alongside it. Thank you, DP, for 25 years of friendship, arguments, ambition and shared purpose. A role can end. A friendship like this does not.

It’s a special moment for both our families, Uday. I will never forget the moment when I met a freshly minted MBA who had decided to become an entrepreneur in financial services, and walked into my office to offer our company bill discounting facilities. From that small beginning in financial intermediation to becoming one of the most respected bankers in the world is nothing short of a magnificent and inspiring journey. There’s so much more ahead of you…. 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

When leadership takes centre stage. Tune in to Kaun Banega Crorepati on 29th December at 9 PM as Mr. Kumar Mangalam Birla takes the hot seat. Dekhiye, sirf #SonyEntertainmentTelevision and Sony LIV par. @AdityaBirlaGrp @SrBachchan #KBC #KaunBanegaCrorepati #AmitabhBachchan #JahanAkalHaiWahanAkadHai

Debt looks calm. It’s managed under pressure. Sharing a few learnings from my conversation with A Balasubramanian (@MFBALA ), MD & CEO, Aditya Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund (@abslmf ) on how India’s #debt markets were really built. Full thread here👇 (1/7)

Confused about when to invest more and when to redeem? Aditya Birla Sun Life Balanced Advantage Fund — a dynamic solution that balances equity and fixed income, so you don’t have to take the tough calls. youtube.com/watch?v=2nF-p0sy… #InvestSmart #BalancedAdvantage @abslmf @MFBALA

Raghuvir Srinivasan (@srirags), Editor, The Hindu BusinessLine, Hardeep Singh Puri, Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, and Dr Nirmala Lakshman, Chairperson, THG Publishing Pvt Ltd felicitate the jury members of businessline Changemaker awards. #blChangemakerawards #blchangemaker #BLCM2025