|
India
Unbound , Gurcharan Das
India Unbound is the riveting story of a
nation's rise from poverty to prosperity and the clash of ideas that
occurred along the way. Today's India is a vibrant free-market democracy,
and it has begun to flex its muscles in the global information economy.
The old centralized, bureaucratic state, which stifled industrial growth,
is on the decline; the lower castes have risen confidently through the
ballot box; and the middle class has tripled in the last two decades. This
economic and social transformation is one of the major themes of this
book.
India's recent leadership in information technology and
software design is just one facet of the country's economic transformation
and re-birth. Journalist, former CEO and Harvard graduate, Gurcharan Das
was born in India shortly before its independence. He moved to the United
States in the 1950s, then returned to India as a marketing executive. Das
deftly weaves history, cultural commentary and astute economic insight
into a page-turning tale, and then brings it to life with the connective
tissue of his personal story. We [...] were spellbound by his splendid
book, which details India's emergence into the global economy, while
delving deeply into why it took the country so long to come into its
own.
Dare To Dream , a Life of Rai
Bahadur Mohan Singh Oberoi by Bachi
Karkaria
The book is a fascinating read. It is the
story of a young boy from the village of Bhaun who dared to dream and
succeeded. Having no father he was raised by a mother who lovingly brought
him up and with her meagre resources launched him into the world. The boy
started his career as a clerk in Hotel Cecil in Simla is today the owner
of over forty luxury hotels in the world. The man M S Oberoi is as
respected as Hilton in the world of hotels and the book details his saga
of grit , determination and dreams fulfilled. The book has great insights
into the world of hotel management , business and also has moving
references to his family. The Australian racists swore they would not hand
over their national treasure besides the Parliament building to a
foreigner to restore and manage. Today the Hotel Oberoi in Melbourne is
more Australian than the Australians. And M S Oberoi a national hero for
restoring the pride of Australia. That is the quiet courage of the man. A
book to be read by all young men and women with ambition , by all
management students and by anyone interested in a fascinating BUSIstory.
One of them read: "The idea was never merely to make money. The
compulsion was to think big, and let it happen. The profits would
automatically come in." Other thoughts of Mr Rai Bahadur, ".....quality
costs money but it also brings in more money.", "...We do it every time."
and there are many more sprinkled throughout the book. Though my edition
is nearly 8 years old, the business lessons are as current as
yesterday.
Godrej , A Hundred Years ,
1897 - 1997 , Vol I , Rusi Karanjia
The book is a
fascinating history of one of India's top ten business houses , The Godrej
Group. The first volume is a particularly fascinating book with the
efforts of Ardeshir and Pirojsha Godrej to establish the Godrej empire
under British rule showing the whiners in today's competitive envirnoment
in India in poor light. The book shows how Ardeshir went on to become a
world leader in manufacturing safes and beat the Chubb safes in fame and
safety. The apocryphal tale of how four burglars took twenty four hours to
break open a safe with no security concerns remains in memory. Ardeshir
took on the Lever brothers to maufacture India's first vegetable oil based
soap. He struggled four years to manufacture typewriters in a hostile
environment and came on top once again. The book shows the growth , the
spirit and the kindness of the Godrej family. It is a stirring tale of one
of India's finest business houses and has information on Indian business,
management , entrepeneurship and determination. Must read for everyone.
The Creation of Wealth , R M Lala
This book is the history of the house of
TATAS , the most respected business house in India with assets of $ 10.2 b
dollars. The legendary story told and retold is that of the British
governor who said , " For every km of steel that Jamsetji Tata can make I
shall eat a pound". History has it that he must have had a lot of
indigestion. The book shows why this house is respected , how it created
its wealth pursuing enlightened management policies when management was
not even in the corporate lexicon. The companies had provident fund (
retirement plans) for employees when the western world had not even begun
to think about such things. The House of Tatas brought in professional
management into the country and their commitment to quality and their
professionalism is admired the world over. Their LCV took the Japanese
counterparts from Toyota , Mitsubishi and Nissan and won sixty percent
market share. More recently their car Indica is poised to enter Europe and
currently sells more than Fiat's Palio in India.
The Heartbeat of a Trust , R. M. Lala
This is the story of how the Tata Group
redistributes the wealth earned . Sixty percent of their main holding
company , Tata Sons , is owned by trusts. Rather than give people money as
charity , the group has believed in creating institutions that will foster
people and nurture excellence. Thus , the story is told of how they
founded the Indian Institute of Science that churns out even Nobel prize
winners . the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre , where India's space and
nuclear program got a start , the National Centre for Performing Arts
where the ancient arts of India are being preserved. The book recounts how
scholaships were established to send the best and brightest from India ,
overseas , to get a good education and come back and serve the country.
The book is an excellent read and a must read for anyone interested in
business, in India and the House of Tatas.
Business
Maharajas, Gita Piramal
Gita Piramal has clearly enjoyed
extraordinary access to seven of India's most powerful business leaders.
This access has allowed her to deliver a laudable report of the
personalities, their empires, and, at times, a sampling of the inertia
that drives them."Business Maharaja" is easy to read and offers a rare
look at tycoons whose reputations in India far surpasses either that of a
John D. Rockefeller or a Bill Gates.
HOME indianbooks@indiatimes.com
|
|