When it comes to multi-billion-dollar real estate moguls, Donald Trump pretty much wins the popularity contest. However, if people knew the story behind Kushal Pal Singh, they would be amazed to learn that this soft-spoken magnate blew more money in a year than Trump has made in his entire life - 5-times over.

2007 started out as a good year for Singh. He was worth an estimated $35-billion, and the sky was the limit on how much his upcoming deal would earn. Kushal lost a great deal of money on bad deals, so attempted to boost his share prices to make it up. This resulted in losing $27.2-billion in a single year. His current net worth is around $8-billion.

Kushal Pal Singh was born August 15, 1931 at Bulandshahar in Uttar Pradesh. He was a gifted student with a knack for business and a taste for money. He was also interested in science and space, and went to college to pursue a more astronomical experience

He graduated from Meerut College with a degree in science and then went to the UK to study Aeronautical Engineering. While pursuing an engineering degree, Singh was selected for the Indian Army by the British Officers Service Selection Board. He also excelled at military service, being commissioned into the Deccan Horse.

Singh joined the American Universal Electric Company in 1960, a joint venture between his own family, and Universal Electric Company. He then went on to promote another company - Willard India Limited in collaboration with ESB Inc. Together they manufactured industrial batteries in India.

Singh would soon become the Managing Director of the company. This is a title he held for nearly 20 years, earning a substantial sum of money in the process. This wouldn't compare to his ventures to come, however.

Singh joined DLF Universal Limited in 1979, and he would again become Managing Director when this company merged with American Universal. Singh always admired a piece of land on the outskirts of New Delhi. To everyone else, this was a barren village that only a fool would put faith in. To Singh, this was opportunity.

His foresight predicted a wealth of untapped potential, and in a risky move that would cost his reputation if he failed to succeed, Singh was now in the business of big time real estate. His real estate in Gurgaon became some the world's foremost properties.

To date, DLF has over 100-million square-feet of real estate currently under development in commercial, retail, and residential ventures all over the country. He is often considered a hero to the land for bringing it the attention that has given the economy a huge boost.

Singh has been recognized for his contributions and was the recipient of the Delhi Ratna Award. Singh also holds a large number of professional positions in India. At one time, he was the President of the ASSOCHAM and the PHD Chambers of Commerce & Industry. With his business sense, the losses incurred in 2007 will undoubtedly inspire him to create even more wealth with even larger projects in the future.