Business Legends

Author: Gita Piramal
Publisher: Penguin
Year: 1999
Language: English
Pages: 654
ISBN/UPC (if available): 0140271872

Description

A wonderful examination of the lives of the four men who embodied the best of Indian business during the earlier decades of this century.

The golden age of Indian industry, as it now seems in retrospect, lasted from 1951 to '62, and industrialists of the time 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 this perhaps the closet look at these legends this far.

Thought-provoking and incisive, Business legends is a compelling account of ambition and achievement.

MEDIA COMMENTS:

Her Jeffrey Archereque style makes for compelling reading. - Outlook

The book is;, as was Business Maharajas, an extremely enjoyable and informative read. - Business India

Contents

Acknowledgements

Introduction

CHAPTER ONE
GHANSHYAM DAS BIRLA

PART ONE
Birla Park, Calcutta, 1925

PART TWO
The Rebel

PART THREE
Ghansyo

PART FOUR
Crashing the Jute Barrier

PART FIVE
From Business to Politics

PART SIX
Back in Business

PART SEVEN
Trade Talks

PART EIGHT
The Monkey Brigade

PART NINE
The Emissary

PART TEN
An Unidyllic Relationship

PART ELEVEN
The Autumn Years

PART TWELVE
Peple, Partha and Profits

PART THIRTEEN
London, 11 June 1983

CHAPTER TWO
WALCHAND HIRACHAND DOSHI

PART ONE
Delhi, 14 March 1923

PART TWO
Mr. Rightaway Now

PART THREE
Sholapur

PART FOUR
The Phatak Years

PART FIVE
SS Loyalty

PART SIX
Who's the Pirate?

PART SEVEN
'A Real Compliment'

PART EIGHT
Big Daddy

PART NINE
War Babies

PART TEN
Looking for a Pal

PART ELEVEN
Sumati Morarjee

PART TWELVE
The Firm

PART THIRTEEN
Gandhi, Nehru and All That

PART FOURTEEN
Siddhapur, 8 April 1953

CHAPTER THREE
KASTURBHAI LALBHAI

PART ONE
Bombay, 8 August 1942

PART TWO
The Builder

PART THREE
First Blood

PART FOUR
The Economics of Nationalism

PART FIVE
The Cotton Club

PART SIX
Khadi, Swadeshi and Boycott

PART SEVEN
Trade Wars

PART EIGHT
Heading West

PART NINE
An Incomparable Project

PART TEN
The Chetty Affair

PART ELEVEN
Paterfamilias

PART TWELVE
Ahmedabad, 20 January 1980

PART FOUR
JEHANGIR RATAN DADABHOY TATA

PART ONE
Santa Cruz Airport, 1 August 1953

PART TWO
Gentleman Jeh

PART THREE
The 'Frenchy'

PART FOUR
Climb to the Top

PART FIVE
India's Numero Uno

PART SIX
Temples of Modern India

PART SEVEN
'As I Wake Up'

PART EIGHT
Commonwealth

PART NINE
The Emperor Under Attach

PART TEN
Does Tata Mean Goodbye ?

PART ELEVEN
Striving for Perfection

PART TWELVE
Geneva, 29 November 1993

Appendix I

Appendix II

Notes

Chronology

Select Bibliography

Index