Business Maharajas

The inside track to India's most powerful tycoons The eight business maharajas profiled here are among Asia's most powerful industrial tycoons, Their combined turnover runs into billions of rupees, and between them they employ some 650,000 people, while indirectly affecting the lives of millions more. Sip a cup of tea, drive to work, listen to music, build a house and the chances are that in these and a myriad other ways you are using products that they manufacture or market. By any yardstick, the achievements of these men would rank among the great business stories of our time. How did these men build their enormous empires? What are their management secrets? How did they thrive and prosper even as others failed? What is their vision for the future? Top business writer and industry insider Gita Piramal draws on exhaustive interviews and in-depth research to discover the answers to these and related questions in her profiles of the men who will lead the country's push to become an industrial superpower in the 21st century.

The inside track to India's most powerful tycoons The eight business maharajas profiled here are among Asia's most powerful industrial tycoons, Their combined turnover runs into billions of rupees, and between them they employ some 650,000 people, while indirectly affecting the lives of millions more. Sip a cup of tea, drive to work, listen to music, build a house and the chances are that in these and a myriad other ways you are using products that they manufacture or market. By any yardstick, the achievements of these men would rank among the great business stories of our time. How did these men build their enormous empires? What are their management secrets? How did they thrive and prosper even as others failed? What is their vision for the future? Top business writer and industry insider Gita Piramal draws on exhaustive interviews and in-depth research to discover the answers to these and related questions in her profiles of the men who will lead the country's push to become an industrial superpower in the 21st century.

The Golden age of Indian industry, as it now seems in retrospect, lasted from 1951 to "62. and industrialists of the lime were not afraid to think ahead and plan big. Among the entrepreneurs who led this Industrial resurgence, four were particularly outstanding, G.D. Birla, Walchand Hirachand, Kasturbhai Lalbhai and, J.R.D. Tata. Gita Piramal, author of the acclaimed Business Maharajas, sensitively recreates the Lives and Times of these four titans of industry. She draws upon hitherto untapped sources of information to Sketch her profiles, making htis perhaps the closest Look at these legends this fair. Thought provoking and incisive. Business Legends is a compelling Account of ambition and achievement.

How did Dhirubhai Ambani build a polyester plant in record time? What made JRD Tata launch India’s first airline? How did Vijay Mallya wrest control of Shaw Wallace from Manu Chhabria? Why did Bhai Mohan Singh fall out with his favourite son and lose control of Ranbaxy? The Portfolio Book of Great Indian Business Stories contains excerpts from a selection of the finest business books published by Penguin Portfolio. This anthology features snippets from the lives of some of the most eminent business leaders India has seen—M.S. Oberoi, Ratan Tata, Aditya Birla and Rahul Bajaj, among others. There are tales of outstanding successes, crushing failures, extraordinary challenges and relentless determination, some of which chronicle the times when these legends were just simple businessmen trying to make a mark. The grit and ruthless persistence of these men defined who they were and the legacies they left behind.

With reference to India.

In the nineteenth century, a tiny community from the deserts of Rajasthan spread out to every corner of India. The Marwaris controlled much of the country’s inland trade by the time of the First World War. They then turned their hand to industry and, by the 1970s, owned most of India’s private industrial assets. Today, Marwari businessmen account for a quarter of the Indian names on the Forbes billionaires list.// What makes the Marwaris so successful? Is it their indomitable enterprise, or their incredible appetite for risk? In this new book, Thomas Timberg shows how the Marwaris rely on a centuries-old system for conserving and growing capital which has stood them in good stead, alongside a strong sense of business ethics which has earned them respect.// Family businesses in general and the Marwaris in particular might have a vital role to play in shaping India’s economic future.

Business Mantras, business at it best,Why are some people more successfull than others?,What drives super achievers?,How is their thinking radically diffrent?What does vision mean and how important are values?These are some of the issues covered in this punchy collection of Business WISDOM from the finest minds in industry and management. Including here are G.D. Birla, J.R.D. Tata, Azim Premji, N.R. Narayana Murthy, V. Kurien, Sumantra Ghoshal et al. Their perceptive Observations on management skills, growth and Motivation are of special relevance in the Context of a globalizing Economy and make this collection, carefully edited by leadin business athor Gita Piramal and Mukund Beriwala, a one-stop guide to business success.

Captivating, true stories full of intrigue, adventure, desire and romance from the royal households— stories of love and betrayal which have been retold across generations. The descriptions of the harems of these Maharajas in India and Europe, their royal palaces, queens and courtesans, horses and cavalries, Rolls Royce cars, lion-hunting, royal feasts and grand durbaars will keep you glued till the end. These are an insider’s account of a priceless past of extravagance and lavish expenditure.