A week before the Hindu festival of Diwali this month, Indian billionaire Anil Ambani took a helicopter to the Himalayas in a bid to reach an unusual out-of-court settlement.

Visiting a pair of sacred north Indian shrines, Mr Ambani prayed to Lord Shiva to resolve his family succession-related dispute with his elder brother, Mukesh, India’s wealthiest man, ahead of hearings this week in the Supreme Court. “Invoking the power of Lord Shiva from this most sacred of holy places, I am once again reaching out to Mukeshbhai and hope and pray that my feelings will be reciprocated,” Mr Ambani said.