Penny Wise

He is fanatical about waking up at 5:30 a.m. and hitting either the gym or the jogging track.

"The mornings are the happiest part of the day. My wife often says that if she asks me to do something in the morning, it gets done," says Omprakash Kuckian, 41. And he brings the same fanaticism to some of the things he does while managing the Reliance Regular Savings (Equity): one is to never chase a price momentum.

"I am ready to take a time risk but never a price risk," explains Kuckian. He would rather wait for a stock that he can buy at a lower price than go for it when there is a rally in its price. A cost accountant by training, Kuckian has some impressive numbers behind him. According to Value Research, the Reliance Regular Savings (Equity) fund showed a 40.5 per cent return in its best month in May-June 2009. The pure equity fund is a mix of large- and mid-cap stocks.

"We always try to pick up large caps when there is an aberration in their price. An external issue or a bad quarter can lead the markets to punish a large cap stock. I look at these as opportunities as you cannot write off these stocks on the basis of isolated events," explains Kuckian. For instance, the fund took a bet on the information technology sector and benefited when IT stocks bounced back.

This cricket buff loves travelling and takes his family on two vacations overseas every year. "When your family is happy, there is comfort in your mind," he adds.

WINNER: Omprakash Kuckian

FUND: Reliance Regular Savings (Equity)

FUND TYPE: Equity/ Multi Cap

FUND MANAGER SINCE: November 2007

3-YEAR ANNUALISED RETURNS: 19.56%

INVESTING STRATEGY: Wait for a decline to buy large-cap stocks and stay with them

RUNNER-UP 1 : Swati Kulkarni, UTI Dividend Yield

RUNNER-UP 2 : Atul Kumar, Quantum Long Term Equity