Day dream

Malvinder Singh is a guy I envy right now. The dude is all set to pocket approximately $2.5 bn (or Rs. 10,000 crores - the number of zeros in that number has me reeling :-) from selling Ranbaxy to the good Japanese at a hefty premium to market.
Without going into usual debate over whether he did the right thing or no (suffice it to say I approve of the transaction), the more interesting debate in media right now is - what the blazes is he going to do with Rs. 100,000,000,000 (thats 11 zeros folks!)?? Mr. Singh still has a job (he will continue to lead Ranbaxy), and he has made some noises about making Religare a bank (though I dont think he is very serious when he says that), but all this does not prevent me from fantasizing about what I would do if I ever laid my hands on such moolah.
Of course my initial thoughts run to tropical islands, decadent living and luxury homes, but then I decided to find out what use better minds than mine have figured out for money.

• Till recently Mr. Rich Man #1, Bill Gates has decided to give away all his money to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which will use it to prevent AIDS, and organize social initiatives in poor economies like India / Bangladesh etc.
• Mr. Rich Man #2 (and God to legions of investors), Warren Buffett will give away his entire fortune to (surprise surprise) the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
• Not too long ago India's richest family, the Tatas, use all the profits from the Tata companies (via Tata Sons) for charity...

I begin to see a pattern. And it gives me ideas. What I would really do with Rs. 9,990 crores (I have put away 10 crores in the bank, remember?) is

a) build a huge university. The university will operate on a pure capitalistic model, with extremely high standards of admission, the best paid faculty, and the best hostel infrastructure, and a market driven fee strucutre. However, the poorest 30% students would get scholarships which would cover their tuition fee (the funds for this would come from interest from an allocated amount). (I will need to devise some smart way of figuring out the real deserving poor students vs. rich kids whose parents get their income through 'unofficial' means)

b) build a huge hospital, extremely modern and efficient, with the best infrastructure, the best paid doctors and nurses, and market rates for treatment. However, the poorest 30% patients will get diagnosis, treatment and medicine for free (funds to come out of interest on an allocated amount)

While I actually have no clue if this would cover the amount at my disposal, I have an idea it would be enough. Anything left over I will hand over to my wife to invest in equity markets and multiply manifold, the proceeds of which I will use to buy my decadent island :-)