SB: After that you went on a world-wind spree. You started buying companies everywhere you started buying companies from Trinidad and Tobago to South Africa. How difficult was that? Because here you were somebody from India, with no international exposure. And then, just doing these huge global deals?

LM: It looks so big now, with everything step by step. After 14 years I ventured into the second company which was in Trinidad, which was I think the first important milestone in my career. I didn't have money, so I took this company on a lease basis, with option to buy after 5 years. So there was a challenge and there was urge to earn money to buy. Because for 5 years if you don't earn enough, you could not have bought it. So that drove me to continue to work hard and turn that company around. And then the next year it was Mexico, we also succeeded there. We also didn't have enough money to buy, so we borrowed from the bank and from the investors and that company turned around with a good team. And if you have one or two successes, you can take bigger challenges in your hand.

SB: One of the criticisms that have been leveled against you, Lakshmi, is that unlike Bill Gates and perhaps Warren Buffet, you haven not really done much for charity. Or your charitable acts, as some put it, haven't been highlighted. What would you like to say to those words?

LM: First of all I'm still young. I'm not like Warren Buffet, so I have still work. It is not true that we aren't doing enough for charities we have got a lot of initiatives in different countries where we have business. And all these companies are doing charitable work, are helping society and community. Now, recently we are going to form Arcelor-Mittal foundation so we are going to form all of our charity under this foundation and we will continue to work for society and community on a global basis.

SB: What one issue would you like to tackle in the world through this Arcelor-Mittal charity?

LM: I think we continue to focus on education and health. Because we have business in 27 countries and, if you look at our business, first we like to help those countries where we have business. Education is priority and in some countries health is priority, so we will divide our focus between health and education.

SB: What's your dream Lakshmi? 56 years old, what do you dream of? Whats next?

LM: Keep on working. Keep on working there is still a lot to do.

SB: Lakshmi Mittal. Thank you very much. Thank you for spending the afternoon with us. And that is Talk Asia for this week. I'm Satindar Bindra. Our guest today has been Lakshmi Mittal. Thanks for watching.

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