Contemporary dilemmas, whether in business or politics, bear an uncanny resemblance to the predicaments witnessed in the ever-timely epic, the Mahabharata. Who else but Bhishma Pitamah then to the rescue of the modern-day manager, politician or bureaucrat! In the epic, Bhishma is the upholder of truth and dharma, his life shaped by the difficult choices he makes. He isn’t always infallible, but even where his decisions are questionable, he serves as a role model.
Prof. N. Balasubramanian uses this powerful figure and his selfless values as a guide to make the right choices in The Bhishma Way. He discusses the importance of values, dharma, truth, justice and governance in businesses and governments. Analyses of real-life cases — among them, Union Carbide and the Bhopal gas tragedy, James Hardie and asbestos in Australia, and Ok Tedi in Papua New Guinea — complement the mythological stories and insightful anecdotes in this illuminating and thought-provoking book. This serves as an instructive read for anyone striving for a higher moral code in day-to-day decision-making and leadership.
Archives: Books
What’s Changed
In 1991, an exciting journey began when finance minister Manmohan Singh initiated what came to be called the economic liberalization of India. It was the beginning of a bold new era that would redefine this country. India threw open its gates to outside businesses, embracing foreign products, competition and changing everything forever. Twenty-five years on, What’s Changed looks at how the country has metamorphosed since the first set of reforms were introduced. Experts like Kumar Mangalam Birla, Harsha Bhogle, Rama Bijapurkar, Siddharth Roy Kapur and many others write about the changes they have witnessed in their industries. This insightful book edited by Kartikeya Kompella casts a probing look at the quarter century of liberalized India and how it changed us all.
Pitch It!
Pitch It! is an innovative and delightful book consisting of enthralling anecdotes linking top cricketing giants and corporate moguls that will act as a catalyst for professionals to soar to top echelons in their respective fields. Peppered with fascinating case studies from an eclectic spectrum of industries ranging from IT, consumer goods, automotive, aerospace, banking, petrochemicals and food and beverages, Pitch It! provides the essential blueprint for creating and sustaining winning organizations. It has a foreword by Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw and an epilogue by former Indian cricketer and coach Venkatesh Prasad.
My Dateless Diary
At the age of fifty, when most people have settled for the safety of routine, R. K. Narayan left India for the first time to travel through America. In this account of his journey, the writer’s pen unerringly captures the clamour and energy of New York city, the friendliness of the West Coast, the wealth and insularity of the Mid-West, the magnificence of the Grand Canyon…Threading their way through the narrative are a host of delightful characters-from celebrities like Greta Garbo, Aldous Huxley, Martha Graham, Cartier Bresson, Milton Singer, Edward G. Robinson and Ravi Shankar to the anonymous business tycoon on the train who dismissed the writer when he discovered Narayan had nothing to do with India’s steel industry. As a bonus, there are wry snapshots of those small but essential aspects of American life-muggers, fast food restaurants, instant gurus, subway commuters, TV advertisements, and American football. An entrancing and compelling travelogue about an endlessly fascinating land.
A Century Of Trust
Long before India dreamt of industrial self-reliance, Jamsetji Tata envisioned India’s biggest industrial enterprise—its first steel plant. Long before the industrialized nations instituted worker friendly policies, an Indian company instituted an eight-hour day for its workers. Long before the term Corporate Social Responsibility was coined, a company in India chose to give upto 14 per cent of its profits to charity. That Indian company was none other than Tata Steel.
Established in 1907, the Tata Iron and Steel Company was born of the vision of Jamsetji Tata, an industrialist and patriot who foresaw India’s future as an industrialized power. Those who believed in his vision braved wild terrain, unimaginable danger and even risked their fortunes to build India’s first great steel works.
From then to now, Tata Steel has traversed a long and uneven road encompassing exceptional success and near bankruptcy to emerge as India’s largest steel producer. It is now 100 years old and with its takeover of the Anglo-Dutch giant Corus, it has become the sixth-largest steel producer in the world.
In this objective and well-researched biography, Rudrangshu Mukherjee brings to life the story of this remarkable company from its early days to its maturity, its struggle as also its triumphs, and its eventual transformation into a global giant. In the process, he chronicles critical aspects of India’s social and political history: the role of government in business, the restrictions on doing business in a planned economy and the role of business in society. He also provides insights into the remarkable social contributions of Tata Steel in the areas of labour welfare and legislation, education, health and the arts.
This in-depth history, though told from a corporate viewpoint, is an inspiring narrative of how the dedication, ingenuity and hard work of many came to create India’s first great industrial enterprise. An absorbing and inspirational biography, A Century of Trust is a gripping account of patriotism, enterprise and dedication.
Penguin Gandhi Reader
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869-1948) was born in Porbander on the western coast of India. His childhood and early upbringing were undistinguished but as an adult he initiated and was involved in a series of novel forms of peaceful protests which established him as one of the most important leaders of the twentieth century and one whose message and relevance transcended national boundaries. This meticulously edited volume culled from the Collected Works of Gandhi contains a representative selection of his writings focusing on themes which were central to Gandhi’s philosophy.
Guide, (With An Introduction By Pico Iyer)
Set in Malgudi, a corrupt tourist guide, together with his lover, the dancer Rosie, leads a prosperous life before he is thrown into prison. After release he rests on the steps of an abandoned temple when a peasant passing by mistakes him for a holy man. Slowly, almost reluctantly, he begins to play the part, acting as a spiritual guide to the village community. Raju’s holiness is put to the test when a drought strikes the village, and he is asked to fast for twelve days to summon the rains.
‘The best of R.K. Narayan’s enchanting novels’-New Yorker
‘A brilliant accomplishment . . . Narayan is the compassionate man who can write of human life as comedy’-New York Times Book Review
‘Narayan is such a natural writer, so true to his experience and emotions’-V.S. Naipaul
Remote Control
Television is the single most powerful and dynamic agent of change in India today. It is also the country’s most popular and accessible form of entertainment. Remote Control examines three kinds of programming-24×7 news, soap operas and reality shows-that have changed Indian television forever, and analyzes how these three genres, while drawing on different sources, are hybridized, indigenized and manage to ultimately project a distinctively Indian identity. Shoma Munshi’s book shows us how everyday reality in India in the twenty-first century shapes television; and how television, in turn, shapes us.
The Battle for Bihar
At the centre of India’s social churn and high political drama is Bihar, a state with great untapped potential. After bursting on to the scene in the late 1980s and becoming Bihar’s uncrowned ruler, Lalu Prasad Yadav was challenged by his erstwhile comrade Nitish Kumar. Unable to oust Lalu from power with his small, new party, Nitish made an alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). A quiet but canny politician, Nitish Kumar, as the chief minister, brought back law and order, roads, education and health to the fore of governance, aspects sorely lacking during Lalu’s long rule. But the entry of Narendra Modi into the national political scene in 2013 rocked the alliance’s boat. Nitish’s switching of alliance between the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the BJP around that time cost him enormously in terms of political goodwill.
Will Nitish be able to restore his esteem by making Bihar a model state for India’s post-Independence journey? In this riveting narrative, seasoned journalist Arun Sinha tells the intertwined stories of Bihar’s political theatre and Nitish’s rule with incisive candour and in-depth research. The Battle for Bihar is a clear-sighted study of the turbulent state that could show India’s politics its way forward.
The IIMA Story
How was IIMA born? Who were the key players? What has made its name synonymous with success?
Established in 1961, IIMA is the first Indian business school to achieve international recognition. In 2002, Economist Intelligence Unit’s list declared IIMA as the most selective management school in the world. And in 2011, IIMA was ranked at No. 7 in Financial Times’ global ranking of master’s in management programmes.
In this well-researched book, Prafull Anubhai charts the journey of this premier institution from its inception: the construction of its iconic campus by American architect Louis Kahn, the policies and processes that set the benchmark, the exemplary leadership exhibited by its various chairmen and directors, and its vision and future challenges. The IIIMA Story weaves all the threads together to present a vivid history of an iconic institution that has shaped many lives.