The formidable duo

Arpit Malaviya has been a sportsman - he represented Rajasthan in sub-junior hockey - and is not daunted by a punishing schedule that begins well before daybreak.

"I want to compete in the Mumbai Marathon," he grins. And, in tandem with co-fund manager Omprakash Kuckian (who manages the equity portion), Malaviya has made the long hours in the office count too. The scheme the duo manages, Reliance Regular Savings - Balanced, is perched at the top of the charts for hybrid equity oriented funds, with a three-year return of over 20 per cent.

Malaviya, who manages the debt component, stays on top of his game even when he is not at his desk. For instance, in the days before the latest revision of repo rates by the RBI, Malaviya was in Singapore on a holiday but stayed in touch with his colleagues and parked away a little cash before the policy was announced.

When interest rates go up, the prices of bonds fall. With the Reserve Bank policy raising repo rates, Malaviya now has the cash to invest in new instruments that will fetch higher returns. Managing volatility is the top priority for the duo. Malaviya prefers high rated corporate bonds while Kuckian is "focused on large cap stocks".

As we know, it's not all work and no play. Malaviya, who is enrolled with a club called Striders in Ghatkopar, finds time for swimming, cycling and running. Clearly, he believes in balance in his life, too.

WINNERS: Arpit Malaviya & Omprakash Kuckian

FUND: Reliance Regular Savings - Balanced

FUND TYPE: Hybrid/equity-oriented

3-YEAR ANNUALISED RETURNS: 20.29%

INVESTING STRATEGY: Stable returns through money market instruments

RUNNER-UP 1 : Chirag Setalvad, HDFC Balanced

RUNNER-UP 2 : Prashant Jain, HDFC Prudence