The fate of deceased Malaysian billionaire Ananda Krishnan’s massive fortune remains uncertain because his only son and heir, Ven Ajahn Siripanyo, has chosen to live the life of a Buddhist monk.
Ananda Krishnan, fondly known by his initials — A.K.– passed away in November last year, leaving behind a vast business empire and a personal fortune pegged at a whopping $5.1 billion, making him the richest Indian-origin person, and the sixth richest overall in Malaysia, at the time of his death.
However, the fate of Ananda Krishnan’s massive fortune remains uncertain because his only son and heir, Ven Ajahn Siripanyo, has chosen to live the life of a Buddhist monk, essentially relinquishing his multi-billion-dollar inheritance to embrace monastic life, and now serves as an abbot.
Who is Ven Ajahn Siripanyo?
Born to Anand Krishnan’s first wife, Chakraban, Momwajarongse Suprinda Chakraban, Ven Ajahn Siripanyo decided to become a monk at the young age of 18 during a visit to his mother’s family in Thailand. At first, Siripanyo saw this as a temporary life choice, but over the years, he decided to fully commit to leading a monastic life, and currently serves as the abbot of the Dtao Dum Monastery, a quaint secluded sanctuary located on the Thailand-Myanmar border.
Interestingly, Siripanyo, along with his two sisters, was raised in London, and can fluently speak eight languages, including English, Tamil, and Thai. Siripanyo’s cultured upbringing shaped his open, multicultural perspective of the world, and despite choosing the path of a spiritual life, he occasionally heads back to revisit his roots, and had a cordial relationship with his father, till the latter’s demise.
Apart from being the heir to gigantic business empire and a vast fortune, Ven Ajahn Siripanyo is also Thai royalty, as his mother is related to the Thai royal family, essentially making her a Thai princess.
Who was Ananda Krishnan?
Ananda Krishnan, popularly known as AK in Malaysia’s business circles, made his fortune in the mid-80’s and early 90’s during which he built a thriving multimedia empire following a plunge into the entertainment business with the Live Aid concert alongside Bob Geldof, which earned him widespread recognition in the industry.
AK began his journey as a young entrepreneur when he established his business consultancy firm, before making the jump into the oil trading and later gambling industry.
By the early 1990s, Ananda Krishnan had built a flourishing multimedia business and established Maxis Communications, MEASAT Broadcast Network Systems, and SES World Skies. Regarded as one of the biggest names in the telecommunication business, Anand owned three communication satellites orbiting the globe.
Ananda Krishnan who had a net worth pegged at around $5.1 billion, was the richest Indian-origin person, and the sixth richest overall in Malaysia. A major portion of his wealth came from the stakes he held in several major companies, including Maxis- the largest telecom provider in Malaysia– satellite broadcaster Astro Malaysia and oilfield service provider Bumi Armada.
AK also had stakes in India’s Aircel and Sri Lanka’s SLTMobitel telecom providers.