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

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

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

"I am ready to take a time risk but never a price risk," explainsKuckian. He would rather wait for a stock that he can buy at a lowerprice than go for it when there is a rally in its price. A costaccountant by training, Kuckian has some impressive numbers behindhim. 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-capstocks.

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

This cricket buff loves travelling and takes his family on twovacations overseas every year. "When your family is happy, there iscomfort 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 stocksand stay with them

RUNNER-UP 1 : Swati Kulkarni, UTI Dividend Yield

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