Farmer's son, Ravi Pillai migrated to Saudi Arabia after his small construction business in his native Kerala state went bust due to workers' strike. With help from a well-connected local partner who put in capital, he started over and eventually built RP Group of Companies., construction heavyweight that specializes in building refineries. The richest newcomer to India's top 100, he claims to be among biggest employers of Indians in the Middle East with staff of 70,000, 80% of whom are from his native country. He has used his Gulf riches to invest back home, picking up stakes in banks, hotels, real estate. Pillai says his real home is the sky because "I'm always travelling."