A 20-year category veteran that has remained rock-steady at a four-five-star rating for the last ten years, this fund has the track record of navigating both bull and bear phases really well. With a 65-75 per cent allocation to large-cap stocks, 20-30 per cent to mid caps and a tiny small-cap allocation of sub-5 per cent, this fund is managed in the classic bottom-up style. Only businesses with a strong return on capital and visible competitive advantages make it to the portfolio. The fund follows a blend of the growth and value styles. It focuses not only on the track record of companies but also on their future ability to generate wealth in a competitive business environment. The fund avoids cash calls, believing that its mandate is to find equity opportunities in every kind of market.

A 20-year CAGR of 20 per cent makes it a top wealth creator in the equity space. This record has been made equally over bull and bear markets, given the fund's ability to contain downside extremely well during bear phases, be it in 2008 or 2011. The fund's conservative approach to valuations has resulted in it taking exposures both to growth plays such as private banks and cyclicals such as industrials in the last one year. It is this mix that has helped it stay ahead of the peers in the last one, three and five year(s).

If you like to see the proof of the pudding before eating it, this fund, with its track record over three entire market cycles, provides it in good measure.