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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 |
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