Two outsiders

They are very different people. Amit Tripathi, 35, had a passion for music as a young man and is still ready to sing if there is someone to listen. Ashwani Kumar, 41, on the other hand, likes to travel abroad and harbours a secret desire to explore every nook and corner of the world. Tripathi and Kumar manage the Reliance Monthly Income Plan, which aims to provide returns that are superior to fully debt-oriented funds. But their different personalities have not come in the way of delivering value to the investors.

Tripathi, who handles 80 per cent of the cash in the fund, has a simple funda - once you get the asset allocation right, the major job is done. He follows a few basic principles. First, investments are either liquid or illiquid, there is nothing in between. Second, interest rate strategies work best with liquid instruments like government securities. Third, a mediumterm strategy always works better than short-term trading.

Kumar, on the other hand, sees value in investing in companies with a sustainable competitive advantage. He says: "My biggest learning is that non-fundamental reasons can often have a significant impact on the performance of a stock and, therefore, we have to be aware of that."

Tripathi grew up in Bhubaneswar and Rishikesh while Kumar spent his early years in Khetry, Rajasthan. They both landed in Mumbai after finishing their management education in Delhi. Most of their free time is devoted to family and family vacations seem to be their favourite pastimes - but unlike Kumar, Tripathi has preferred to visit more places within India.

• WINNER: Amit Tripathi (Debt)
• FUND: Reliance MIP
• FUND TYPE: Hybrid MIP
• FUND MANAGER SINCE: October 2008
• INVESTING STRATEGY: Fund can be on autopilot once you have the positioning right
• INVESTING PHILOSOPHY: Matching assets with investors' risk profile
• GURU: Four or five people in the industry who I would not like to name

• WINNER:  Ashwani Kumar (Equity)
• FUND: Reliance MIP
• FUND TYPE: Hybrid MIP
• FUND MANAGER SINCE: November 2004
• INVESTING STRATEGY: Investing in companies with a sustainable competitive advantage
• INVESTING PHILOSOPHY: Changes in perception can provide significant opportunities
• GURU: Gurus have their place; I depend on my own philosophy

RUNNER-UP 1: Nishit Dholakia (Equity) and Satyabrata Mohanty (Debt), Birla Sun Life MIP II

RUNNER-UP 2: Anant Deep Katare (Equity) and Bekxy Kuriakose, L&T MIP