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Why a resurgent american economy matters for India Inc

Mon, 06 May 2013 11:55:37 +0530

Fall in Canada is splendid. Around September to early October, for a couple of weeks every year, the changing leaf colours attract thousands of visitors. Two years ago, Dow India chairman Vipul Shah and his wife decided to take a trip to see the sight. There is this one train that goes to this place in Ontario, where the colours are at their best. It leaves early in the morning and returns from the small town of Sault Ste Marie.

The evolving role of writers in Tamil cinema

Mon, 06 May 2013 11:29:13 +0530

In My Years with Boss at Gemini Studios, Ashokamitran recounts a poet's visit. "He was a tall man, very English, very serious and of course very unknown to all of us. Battling with half a dozen pedestal fans on the shooting stage, The Boss [film producer and publisher SS Vasan] read out a long speech. It was obvious he knew little about the poet."

Maharashtra drought: The worst man-made disaster in years

Mon, 06 May 2013 11:08:25 +0530

The usual dusty small-town India greets us as a small group of people associated with the NGO Caring Friends travel over two-and-a-half days through Aurangabad and Jalna to understand the problems in the region and what help could be given. On the face of it, people seem to be going about their normal life. Where are the signs of distress that we had read in the media? Don't girls and women in many parts of rural India carry water over long distances? Aren't water tankers a common sight in many towns and cities, including Mumbai?

Seva Cafe serves generocity on a platter

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 03:45:26 +0530

The milieu at Shantivan, a garden in Mumbai's tony Malabar Hill area, on February 17 was like a hangover from Valentine's Day. Placards displaying messages like 'Love is all we need' were tied to tree branches and hearts were chalked with bounty throughout the green sprawl.

Will electric vehicles finally take off in India?

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 11:41:48 +0530

Over the past five years, the clamour about electric vehicles (EVs) becoming a feasible transport option has become loud. "It has all come together", is the refrain.

How airlines are shaping up for high-fliers

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 04:17:07 +0530

High-fliers are picky. Bone china in business class travel is so last decade. And large carriers are working very hard to woo the first and business class traveller into ever newer, even more exclusive experiences. Millions of dollars are being spent in the effort to lure the big spenders away from the siren songs of corporate jets.

India's business environment deteriorating: GE's John Flannery

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 04:05:30 +0530

John Flannery tells Forbes India the environment for some of GE India's businesses has deteriorated, and government statements is yet to translate into activity.

Will AirAsia disrupt Indian aviation?

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 05:00:49 +0530

Indian representatives on the board and indeed in the airline's senior management. Whether AirAsia Bhd's aircraft can be brought in for operation into India, a measure that would certainly be cheaper for the airline, is still unclear. Though the government has cleared the investment, AirAsia will actually have to lobby for permissions at every step.

Is government's moves to force CSR diktat out of line?

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 04:45:46 +0530

These days, any conversation on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) tends to evoke a very strong response. That's because there is a large section of business leaders who believe that the government's move to force companies of a certain size to spend at least 2 per cent of their profits on CSR is completely out of line.

Why Strand Life Sciences wants doctors to genetically profile patients

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 05:50:52 +0530

We've all heard tragic stories about someone dying of cardiac arrest on the football field or during a board meeting. What we've heard next are related stories about what a stressful, over-leveraged lifestyle brings along with it. The fact is there are certain genetic mutations, highly prevalent in the Indian subcontinent, that increase the risk of chronic heart failures in individuals. But, what if there was a genetic test that people in the region could take that would help them prevent such catastrophes?

The charming museum of Thakur Amar Singh

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 05:45:38 +0530

A reading chair reclines at a comfortable angle. Spectacles lie within arm's reach. Old teak consoles with black marble tops line the room, which is dominated by book-crammed cupboards. Old frescoes of Hindu gods accentuate the sacred emotion of reading and growing with each book. An old hookah and an ebony-and-ivory chess board add to the personal sense of the space. Thakur Amar Singh could have just left his library for a spin around his estate at Kanota.

Can the Jaipur Foot survive after DR Mehta?

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 05:13:22 +0530

Devendra Raj Mehta was a career bureaucrat who rose to the top, advising prime ministers as the deputy governor of RBI and taking on big corporate names during his stint as the Sebi chairman. But as one sits in his 'office' of over a decade, at the Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti (BMVSS) in Jaipur, the absence of any trappings of power from that 40-year career is striking. Mehta himself arrives in a modest hatchback and carries his bottle of water as he enters the office, which is also not his alone.

Calling Ankit Fadia's bluff: Is he the hacker he claims to be?

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 01:00:51 +0530

Forbes India's Charles Assisi writes an open letter to Ankit Fadia questioning his credentials as a computer security expert.

Companies Bill to prescribe norms for class action suits

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 02:55:07 +0530

In January 2009, in what is widely referred to as 'India's Enron', 300,000 shareholders of Satyam Computer Services (now Mahindra Satyam) came together and sued the company. Satyam's founder Ramalinga Raju had confessed to misstating accounts, and the company stock plummeted. The shareholders claimed damages worth Rs 5,000 crore.

Some interesting facts about the Academy Awards

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 06:25:06 +0530

The origin of the name 'Oscar' is uncertain. While one biography of Bette Davis claims she named the statuette after husband Harmon Oscar Nelson, another story claims the Academy's executive secretary remarked that the statue looked like her "Uncle Oscar". The award was formally called by the name in 1939, a decade after its establishment.

Empower the fiscal, don't weaken it, says YV Reddy

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 04:12:22 +0530

Former RBI governor YV Reddy said that the government should increase fiscal expenditure, as the private sector cannot meet the rising demand for water, sanitation and public health.

Future may be about smart watches and key rings: UI guru Hampus Jakobsson

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 05:50:40 +0530

How will we change the way we interact with smartphones? As Apple popularised touchscreens in 2007, the mobile world has harmonised around a circa 4-inch mobile phone with few buttons. Before the iPhone and the first few years after it, designers in the industry were discussing hidden buttons, haptics [sense of touch], keyboards, add-on keyboards to improve the input functionality. But nothing really happened. Instead, Apple revolutionised the phone by focusing on ease of use instead of features.

Five radical designs for future smartphones

Fri, 22 Feb 2013 05:40:10 +0530

Wearable, augmented-reality Glasses: One of the most radical of all new designs, the Google Glass is a spectacle-like wearable computer that you control with your eyes and voice.

Xander's masterstrokes in a slumping market

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 04:00:38 +0530

In August 2005, Siddharth (Sid) Yog, a Class of 2004 Harvard Business School graduate, managed to raise $120 million for his realty fund. It looked like an achievement then. But, in hindsight, many young kids raised a lot of money to invest in India because India was hot.

Book review: 'Patriots and Partisans'

Fri, 15 Feb 2013 01:03:50 +0530

North, south; urban, rural; BIMARU, developed; Hindu, Muslim; left wing, right wing; upper caste, Dalit-these are just a handful of the 'million mutinies' brewing in India. Juxtapose this with the idea of unity, of one India and the difficulty of being a liberal person in India comes through. It is easier to simply pick a side, practise your arguments and get on with life.

A pick of the best, the latest, the most luxurious that money can buy

Fri, 15 Feb 2013 12:53:03 +0530

In the Mercedes SLS AMG Black Series, AMG has tuned the fabulous 6.2-litre V8 engine to produce 622 PS, up from 583 PS. The torque has dropped by 14 Nm, but Mercedes claims a 0-100 kmph timing of 3.6 second and a top speed of 315 kmph. Ceramic brakes with twin rotors provide the stopping force for this 1,550-kg marvel.

Footnotes from Jaipur Literature Fest

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 03:01:08 +0530

In 2012, going by the press coverage, the Jaipur Literature Festival had one guest who couldn't show up thanks to threats from fundamentalist Muslim groups, Salman Rushdie, and another guest, Oprah Winfrey, who did get there. This despite the very tangible presence of luminaries such as Michael Ondaatje, Richard Dawkins, Tom Stoppard, Lionel Shriver, Ben Okri, David Remnick, and a galaxy of others.

Malay Mukherjee's learnings from the metal industry

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 02:52:35 +0530

The worst thing to happen to the steel and mining sector was the boom. Some of the experienced CEOs never thought that a boom would last forever. All those companies that invested between 2006 and 2008 are the ones that are now suffering. Those who didn't fall for the boom are doing well.

Smartphones are more abundant in India than food

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 05:13:10 +0530

There are some numbers it takes the mind time to come to terms with. When this year ends, roughly 87 million Indians will have no access to telephones. That said, 250 million Indians will also go to bed, undernourished, every night.

No point spoon-feeding the investor: S Mahalingam

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 04:54:05 +0530

Seturaman says that TCS chose to be more transparent and keep the investor updated rather than guiding it.

What fame does to the famous

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 06:58:57 +0530

"There is a fame epidemic," Simon Cowell, the boorish judge of television talent show competitions such as Britain's Got Talent and American Idol, once declared. You may be one of the celebrities featured in the Forbes India Celebrity 100 list and know firsthand how it feels to be famous. Perhaps a few of you would even caution us from coming down with fame, a recalcitrant bug that like zoster can embed itself deep within the cells and painfully reactivate in later years. Michelle Pfeiffer once said that she acts for free but charges for the inconvenience of being a celebrity.

Shah Rukh: I have the guts because of repeated failures

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 06:46:24 +0530

He ambled in trailing charm and cigarette smoke. An assistant placed a glass of whiskey in his hand. And we began to talk. Or rather, he did.

5 ideas that could change entertainment as we know it

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 02:15:09 +0530

Imagine this: On your smartphone you notice that a friend has shared the latest episode of Grey's Anatomy. You start watching it, but then, realising your tablet is nearby, decide to watch it on the bigger screen. The episode seamlessly 'transfers' across devices, to the same minute you were watching. You get disturbed when something else comes up and forget about it. Later, you want to catch up on the remaining part of the episode, so you 'end' it to your LED TV at home.

Producers who scored at the Box Office

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 12:34:06 +0530

The Hindi film industry's producers have evolved over the decades: From being one-man banks to corporatised film studios. A handful of them churn out multiple blockbusters in a year, making significant contributions to the industry's annual revenues. Here's a look at some of the heftiest names and their recent releases*.

Salman Khan: The hit machine

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 12:59:52 +0530

Saat Rasta, known earlier as the Jacob Circle, is the vortex that joins five different areas of Mumbai. On that junction lies New Shirin Talkies, a non-descript theatre. Normally, the traffic on Saat Rasta roundabout is messy, but a week before Eid in 2010, at least three roads leading up to it were completely blocked.

Standup comedy is finding its feet in India

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 12:04:06 +0530

"My friend Imran Ahmed said to me, 'Man, Bal Thackeray dying is the worst thing he's done-now the Swedish House Mafia gig is cancelled!' I said to him, is that really the worst thing he could have done?"

A different stroke from Jeev Milka Singh

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 03:37:57 +0530

At the play-off hole of the 2012 Scottish Open, his position on the penultimate shot wasn't great and his fingers and wrists were hurting. His opponent Francesco Molinari, the Italian Ryder Cup star, who had led the European Tour event for the first three days, fluffed his putt. "Drive for show, putt for dough," they say. After the Who's Who of golf, including defending champ Luke Donald, Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els, failed to take their chance, Jeev Milkha Singh calmly stroked his way into history, becoming the first Indian to win four European Tour events.

Gul Panag: Does marriage still tie an actress's career in knots?

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 11:40:50 +0530

In the last few months, two of Indian cinema's leading ladies got married. They're both talented, in great health, very attractive and at the peak of their careers. Will they fall prey to the accepted wisdom that marriage deals a death blow to the career of an Indian actress?

Who will inherit Rajinikanth's throne?

Tue, 05 Feb 2013 12:15:41 +0530

There was a time in Tamil Nadu when these two songs would blare from every other tea shop loudspeaker, on All India Radio programmes (like Neyar Viruppam, or 'Audience Choice'), and on tape recorders in drawing rooms across the state. There were no similarities between the two, either in tune or in setting. One featured Rajinikanth, the undisputed superstar, and the other a five-year-old boy, the son of an ambitious producer, director and actor. But the first lines of both songs captured a reality and an aspiration that defined Tamil cinema in 1989, the year those films hit the screens.

Using star power for philanthropy

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 12:40:17 +0530

Sachin Tendulkar has been involved with Apnalaya, which works closely with children in Mumbai's slums. The Master Blaster sponsors the education of a number of kids and has auctioned his coaching to raise funds for the NGO. Besides, he has provided financial assistance to an archer of the army's Paraplegic Rehabilitation Centre and helped him represent India in the world championships in 2011.

MS Dhoni: Past perfect, future tense?

Sat, 02 Feb 2013 12:07:04 +0530

Forbes India Celebrity 100 No. 3: Watch any TV channel for an hour, at most, and you're sure to see at least a couple of suave cricketers in custom-made suits, hair styled, seasoned models with an attitude to match-nothing like their sweaty, muddy facades on the field-telling you why they prefer to ride a certain motorbike, drink a particular cola, brush their teeth with only that toothpaste, or use precisely that fairness cream.

Notables not on Celebrity 100

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 06:15:33 +0530

Javed Akhtar: He was hailed in creative circles for his efforts in getting the Copyright Act amended in May 2012. He also penned the lyrics for 'Ekk Deewana Tha'. But he doesn't feature in the Celebrity 100 because there was no specific category for lyricists.

Being Boman Irani

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 11:42:24 +0530

I do a lot of movies. I have done 63 movies in under 10 years. That's a hell of a lot. And the reason why I could do it is that I am not a lead actor, which means that my work in a film is 15-20 days' work, while a lead actor will work for about 45 days. That way, I can do more films but I am cutting down on it.

Anurag Kashyap's return to direction

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 10:52:09 +0530

"I just can't work anymore. I have no time," exclaims Anurag Kashyap as he walks into his Yari Road office in Mumbai on a lazy Sunday afternoon. I ask him how long can he spare for the interview. "Honestly, I just have three minutes for you," he says with a chuckle. For a man who did almost everything one can possibly do in showbiz (direction, production, screenwriting, acting) in the last one year, time is a luxury. Does he want to settle down now?

Fine tuning: Pick of best and quirkiest that money can buy

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 05:00:05 +0530

1. Smart Driving Parrot's Minikit Smart is a multifunctional Bluetooth car smart cradle designed to work like a universal car mount: It can be attached on to your car windshield or dashboard and can cradle your smart phone horizontally. It hooks up with the phone over Bluetooth. The cradle makes it quite useful for GPS navigation. It has retractable microphones, and can even power your phone when it's connected to the included car charger.

Letter from the editor: The magic of entertainment

Tue, 29 Jan 2013 04:44:14 +0530

People need to change focus towards growth areas

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 01:50:13 +0530

Q. Philips has repositioned itself from an electronics giant to a company that is focussed on health care, lighting and customer lifestyle. What role do emerging markets play in this transformation? In the transformation of Philips, we see what is relevant to the world, what we can do to contribute (in terms of innovation) and as we focus on the future, we see how we can differentiate ourselves from the laggards. A lot of this is happening in the emerging markets. Europe today generates 26 per cent of our revenues and Asia's share is almost 35 per cent. Five years ago, Europe was at 35 and Asia below 30. The European market is in trouble but there are opportunities in the Middle East, Russia and India; people need to shift gears and change focus towards the growth areas. And local relevance means that the whole might and power of the company shifts.

Investment mantra for 2013: Accumulate, but don't get too greedy

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 01:48:00 +0530

Stock markets have years that are horrible and years that are cheerful. For example, 2007 was cheerful, while 2008 was horrible. A rarity is a year that approaches the investor with the look of the Grim Reaper but turns out to be Santa Claus; 2012 was such a year.

What fixed income investors should look for

Wed, 23 Jan 2013 02:30:33 +0530

Over the last few years, there's been a trend of interest rates going up. Investors were generally happy investing in fixed deposits that offered a modest rate of interest. But now things are going to change. We are at an inflection point in the interest rate cycle; I am positive on the movement of interest rates and expect them to go down over the course of the next one year.

Rein in hopes of high returns on property

Wed, 23 Jan 2013 02:05:38 +0530

Depends on whether you like Queen Elizabeth or the author Christopher Koch, 2012 was Annus Horribilis or The Year of Living Dangerously for the real estate industry. The developers were done in badly. The financiers of real estate industry saw very little returns. Don't even talk about the buyers. In spite of low sales, prices refused to come down significantly.

Rural consumers will hold the key to stocks' success

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 07:54:39 +0530

From a macroeconomic perspective, 2012 for India was close to the worst that could have been forecasted in late 2011. Back then, it was called sensationalist to forecast a 5 percent GDP growth, a mid-50s steady-state value for the rupee against the US dollar, a sticky 7 percent-plus wholesale price inflation, close to double-digit consumer price inflation and almost no rate cuts from the RBI. It was feared that if these came to pass, the equity markets would crash.

Salman or Dhoni: Who will top Forbes' Celeb 100 list?

Sat, 19 Jan 2013 01:16:33 +0530

The gross earning of the celebrities in the period between October 1, 2011 and September 30, 2012 will be estimated.

GVK's big Australian bet

Sat, 19 Jan 2013 10:42:35 +0530

GVK has to raise $7 billion in debt to succeed in its venture to mine coal Down Under and fight off stiff competition.

Spending New Years Eve

Fri, 18 Jan 2013 12:53:54 +0530

Now that we are done with bidding 2012 adieu, we take a quick look at how people chose to do so. From a dip stick survey, it seems people are losing the taste for glitzy parties and are, instead, opting for house parties and short getaways. Just 16 per cent of respondents chose to ring in 2013 at parties held at clubs, restaurants and hotels, spending an average of Rs 2,000 per head. "Overcrowded, overpriced and over-rated" is how some respondents described celebrations at 5-star hotels and resorts.

Punjab Deputy CM has a plan for change

Fri, 18 Jan 2013 12:28:26 +0530

It is a chilly winter morning in Chandigarh. Pramod Kumar is in deep discussion with retired judge KS Grewal and Additional Director General of Police SK Sharma at a roomy office in the Institute for Development and Communications on how to stop harassment of women in public places. "Perhaps," he suggests, "we should suspend driving licences of those who harass women, or deny police verification for passports." Justice Grewal says that the issue is complex, but promises to think of ways to tackle it. Pramod Kumar is chairman of the Punjab State Governance Reforms Commission (GRC), currently the fount of ideas to improve governance in the state.

Inside the Direct Cash Transfer debate

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 11:53:51 +0530

Over the past three years, India has vigorously debated the merits of having a Unique Identity (UID) number for each citizen and, allied with it, the move towards direct cash transfers (DCT) of subsidies (like food, fuel and fertilizer) and social security endowments, like pensions and scholarships. On January 1, India took its first steps towards UID-enabled direct cash transfers. But the move has further stoked the debate on the wisdom of taking such a step.

13 books to add to your reading list

Thu, 17 Jan 2013 11:38:59 +0530

Dharavi, HarperCollins: Dharavi is arguably Mumbai's largest problem and its greatest opportunity. This collection demands attention as much for its topic as its contributors, who include Jerry Pinto, Sonia Faleiro, Hussain Zaidi and Anne Zaidi.

Letter from the editor: Why it pays to watch the rocky movies

Wed, 16 Jan 2013 12:41:55 +0530

Some of you might remember the cover image of the badly bruised face of a man staring at you from the Forbes India Investment Guide 2012, around exactly the same time last year. It wasn't a pretty sight, signalling the onset of a brutal year for investors. It did turn out to be a rough ride, at least for the first half of the year. The economy slowed down, the real estate market tied itself up in knots and the stock market went downhill for the first seven months. And then, something strange happened. If you were an investor who took the body blows, and still stayed on in the ring, the chances are that you'd be smiling by the time the year was over, what with the Sensex delivering a return of 27 per cent.

India is not a cheap technology destination

Wed, 16 Jan 2013 12:28:29 +0530

You cannot strip down versions of European products and introduce them in India, VK Viswanathan, Managing Director of Bosch India, tells Forbes India.

Three dictatorships on the brink

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 04:06:57 +0530

1. Kim Jong-un, North Korea In November 2012, Kim confirmed that small incidents against his regime had risen. His orders are to "mercilessly crush every one of them". Scholars say that Kim's popularity has fallen, especially among people in the countryside. While orders have been given to address these citizens, reports suggest they have not been executed. While the uprising is significant enough for Kim to address it publicly, scholars say it will not match the Arab Spring because anyone caught speaking against the government-the protesters and their families-will be killed.

Seven hottest emerging markets to live and work in

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 04:00:23 +0530

1. Chile Encircled by the imposing snow-capped Andes, it is the first South American country to sign up as an OECD member. Its government has invested in arts and entrepreneurship; in 2011, The New York Times called it the No. 1 destination to visit. Chile is stable and forward-thinking. The Start-Up Chile programme has attracted more than 220 foreign startups since 2010.

Will Unique Identification start to deliver?

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 12:29:52 +0530

The PMO has announced that the government will start UID-based cash transfers in 51 districts from January 1, 2013, and it will be expanded to 18 states from April 1, 2013. However, given the practical problems involved, as well as the time required to put in place the requisite infrastructure, I expect it will take time before significant benefits are being delivered in the coming year. Here's why.

Five sustainable practices India must make mandatory

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 12:09:36 +0530

1. Fishing Fishing stocks around the globe started dropping in 1988. In India, data on the availability of fish stocks and yield is poor, but given the prevalent ocean fishing practices, sustainable methods need to be implemented not only for the survival of marine biodiversity but the fishing industry as well.

Five fitness trends to watch for

Sat, 12 Jan 2013 10:57:16 +0530

Five fitness trends to watch out for - child obesity, women going toe to tow men, boot-camp training, senior citizen-specific activities and stay-at-home workouts.

5 coolest set of wheels to look forward to

Sat, 12 Jan 2013 10:31:34 +0530

Five coolest cars to look forward to - Jaguar F-Type, New Honda CR-V, Volvo V40 Cross Country, Audi S5, Mercedez-Benz A-Class.

Will digitisation improve media company economics?

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 12:34:28 +0530

The digitisation change in the Indian TV landscape brings to fore Darwin's theory of natural evolution by natural selection. Natural selection is a gradual, non-random process by which biological traits become either more or less common in a population as a function of differential reproduction of their bearers.

Will online freedom of speech decrease even further?

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 12:10:08 +0530

The internet's a brave new world in so many ways-driven by the young invigorating the old. About 150 million Indians are on the web now. Earlier, to express ideas publicly, you had to go through a newspaper, magazine, TV or a radio station before. The guardians of media regulated how such ideas were expressed, and published your ideas if you were important enough, if you followed the outlet's editorial line, and increasingly, if you paid them to carry your story. On the internet, you can find the only two persons-whether it's an auto-worker in Detroit or a policewoman in Thiruvananthapuram-who may be interested in your obscure idea.

Five game-changing ideas from academics

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 12:50:36 +0530

Dumping the 'junk' DNA theory: From the time the final draft of the human genome was published in 2003, it was believed that 98 per cent of our genetic material inside each cell was 'junk', with no known function. The rest, about 2 per cent of our DNA that make 20,000-odd genes, are coded for the proteins that govern our life. In 2012, that theory was consigned to history. Results from the five-year Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) project showed that nearly 80 per cent of that DNA has some biochemical function, 18 per cent of which regulates the genes, acting as switches to turn them on or off. While ENCODE proves that the genome is more complex than anyone thought, it offers hope to target individual differences in diseases for better treatment. As people get their genomes sequenced, this data can be used to map regulatory information. Something that took 450 scientists 300 years of computer time won't yield clinical results just yet, but it's a big first step.

How long does the book made of paper have?

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 01:07:31 +0530

The one thing that can be said with certainty about the state of the publishing industry in India is that nothing can be said with any certainty. After 1972, when the government commissioned the National Centre for Applied Economic Research to do a survey of book publishing in India, there has been no systematic study, so we have no reliable stats at all.

Will e-commerce companies finally start making profits in 2013?

Wed, 09 Jan 2013 03:36:04 +0530

There has been a lot of momentum behind e-commerce businesses in India over the past two years. In terms of investments, the sector has had a roller-coaster ride from very high valuations to what can now be called muted interest. I explore some of the key challenges Indian e-commerce players will need to navigate in 2013.

Will English continue to rule the Indian tongue?

Wed, 09 Jan 2013 03:15:47 +0530

Many years ago, more than I am willing to recount or reveal, I was returning from a school trip. The bus that had taken us primary school students of an 'English-medium' school pulled over outside the school, next to anxious parents waiting to receive their children. My mother also stood there, arms stretched out, calling out in her tongue/my tongue (Sindhi), "Ach, putta." I remember feeling some heat on my cheeks, almost as if an unpleasant and intimate part of my life had suddenly lain exposed. Why did she have to show that she didn't know English? She could have used some phrase or kept quiet.

19 people we will miss

Sat, 05 Jan 2013 04:28:18 +0530

Gore Vidal: An American author, playwright, essayist and an occasional actor, who also aspired to be the President. Few litterateurs have made their presence felt in public life as Vidal. He was witty and acerbic and his penchant for sharp, incisive statements put him at loggerheads with his contemporaries like Norman Mailer and Truman Capote.

Seven events not to miss in 2013

Sat, 05 Jan 2013 03:56:37 +0530

Steve Jobs had the genius to turn a product launch-even an upgrade-into an occasion that sent Apple fans into fits of ecstasy. If there's one product that they have been looking forward to more than any other, it's Apple TV. No one knows if or how it will be disruptive. But the launch is likely to happen in 2013. It will also be the first product in a new category since the death of Jobs.

Technology watchlist for 2013

Fri, 04 Jan 2013 11:49:52 +0530

Manufacturers are creating ever more intriguing portable computing devices. Graft a tablet onto a thin laptop and we have a strange and wonderful 'tabtop/laptablet' dual-screen device that functions interchangeably. On the high-end of the spectrum are packed-to-the-gills devices like the upcoming Asus Taichi-a Windows 8 Ultrabook with two full HD screens, one on the inside for use as a laptop and the other on the outside for use as a tablet.

Can private equity funds in India deliver returns for their investors?

Fri, 04 Jan 2013 11:43:12 +0530

Private equity funds invest over a seven to nine year cycle, so investments that were made in 2006 to 2008 will be the ones that will be ready for harvest. Unfortunately, many of those investments were made on business plans that don't look very achievable now. They all assumed a strong economic growth environment. This problem will be more for some sectors such as industrial goods as opposed to, say, the consumer sector.

3 regulatory changes that you should take note of

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 03:33:06 +0530

Frank-Dodd Act - the legislation is the US' response to the global financial crisis of 2008. The Act was signed into law in July 2010 by President Barack Obama. Some of the major aspects of the Act include regulation of mortgages, loans and credit cards, overseeing Wall Street and systemic risks that occur within, and regulate, risky derivatives.

Will the capex cycle return in 2013?

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 03:27:51 +0530

Excluding the possibility of any cataclysmic event, I believe 2013 will see some revival in the capex cycle given that investment spending is so low.

Will the US move forward to address climate change concerns?

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 03:20:41 +0530

In the US Presidential debates, zero minutes were spent discussing climate change and global warming. The issue is no longer a high concern among the US population; perhaps not surprising, given the lack of media coverage. I expect no change in US government policy in the coming four years. There will be a general push to help develop green technologies, but no significant treaties will be signed or ratified.

ReGen Powertech: Money from thin air

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 12:17:13 +0530

Started in June 2007, ReGen Powertech has become the largest player in the IPP (independent power producers) wind power segment. The company sources its technology from German company Vensys Energy AG, a global leader in wind turbine manufacturing. A lot of ReGen's success came as it chose the right technology partner. The second factor is the authority, independence and decentralisation given to managers. This has propelled the workforce of ReGen to grow from 25 people in 2007 to 2,300 now.

Quick Heal: Viral success

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 12:01:36 +0530

Quick Heal is a completely homegrown anti-virus software company that's not only beaten big, multi-billion dollar competitors like McAfee and Symantec, but is also taking back the fight to their turfs in other countries around the world. It has come a long way since 1995, when the first version was released for Rs 500, written entirely by Sanjay Katkar, 41, then fresh out of college. His brother, Kailash, 46, a computer repairs businessman, provided the funding and the support. In 2011, the profitable company brought in Rs 187 crore in revenue and employed over 550 people, including 120 in their own R&D centre. "They're growing like a weed while throwing out amazing cash flows. What a great business!" says Sumir Chadha, co-founder and managing director of Westbridge Capital, who is on the board of Quick Heal representing Sequoia Capital.

Arvind Kejriwal: Is he the emerging fourth front?

Thu, 01 Nov 2012 11:51:02 +0530

The activist-turned-politician has announced a new political party, which promises to change the way politics happens in India. But are Indians ready for a systemic change and is Kejriwal the right man for the job?

U-19 cricketers who made it to the Indian team

Mon, 24 Sep 2012 04:57:24 +0530

After Unmukt Chand led his team to the Under 19 World Cup trophy, there has been a lot of talk about youngsters breaking into the national team. We look at those who made it big, those who didn't, and those still hoping for another chance.

A new kind of sniffer dog

Mon, 24 Sep 2012 04:04:59 +0530

They are the gold standard in detection; new technologies haven't yet beaten a trained dog's olfactory abilities.

It's getting tough for migrants everywhere

Tue, 11 Sep 2012 10:56:50 +0530

Violence against migrants has surfaced across the map. Reasons vary from competition over jobs and homes to nationalistic sentiments.

Iceland on the wing

Tue, 11 Sep 2012 10:35:43 +0530

This Nordic nation is a natural nesting spot for several kinds of birds. It is also home to volcanoes you can't pronounce.

A lean production system is bad for workers

Fri, 07 Sep 2012 12:54:24 +0530

A Delhi professor's thesis reveals how the Japanese lean production system ends up reducing permanent employment and denying workers a better life.

India should deprioritise nuclear energy

Sat, 01 Sep 2012 09:36:22 +0530

MV Ramana tells Forbes India that despite the Indian leadership being committed to nuclear energy, he is not optimistic about its future in the country.

UP is an e-commerce incubator: Amod Kumar

Thu, 30 Aug 2012 06:25:14 +0530

Kumar heralded an era of successful e-governance initiatives in his district which were later scaled up to the national level

Rajeev Chawla: Breaking new ground

Tue, 28 Aug 2012 04:03:12 +0530

An IAS officer, Chawla was the principal secretary to the revenue department (Bhoomi and urban property registration) in Karnataka before being transferred as the Metropolitan Commissioner, Bangalore Metropolitan Region Development Authority.

Alex Menon: Braving Naxal kidnappings to develop one of India's most backward districts

Tue, 28 Aug 2012 03:15:24 +0530

Despite being kidnapped by Naxals, Alex Paul Menon has remained steadfast in his efforts to develop Sukma, Chhattisgarh's newest district and one of its most backward.

Heads of state and Twitter

Mon, 27 Aug 2012 12:36:44 +0530

US President Barack Obama, who was the first world leader to get on Twitter in March 2007, is also the most popular politician on the micro-blogging site with more than 17 million followers. But he ranks fifth on the overall list, right after Britney Spears.

IAS Officer who thinks like a Businesswoman

Mon, 27 Aug 2012 12:08:25 +0530

In 2003, Tulip, then a fledgling company, applied for a computer networking project in Kerala. It had no experience implementing big projects, having just entered this segment after starting out as a re-seller of software. Tulip's technology was untested in the dust and grime of the real world. Yet it was bidding for a state government project-a project it seemed to have no chance of winning.

'Eurozone can be rescued but needs political will'

Sat, 25 Aug 2012 12:30:17 +0530

Everything I say has to be prefaced by pointing out that Britain isn't a member of the Eurozone, so therefore, we don't want to dictate to the Eurozone membership what they do. But we nonetheless recognise that this crisis affects us.

Want to reduce time to setup a business: HK Mittal

Sat, 25 Aug 2012 11:29:38 +0530

Start a company in one day, close it in seven days. To expect such speed in India is more than utopian for entrepreneurs, but for HK Mittal this vision is a guiding force, even though he knows it takes three to six months to start a business and nearly seven years to close it. "Can we learn from Singapore; or even China where it takes 15 days to start a business?" he asks.

Ratan Tata's audacious philanthropic retirement plans

Tue, 21 Aug 2012 01:04:57 +0530

He grew the Tata group into a world-beater. Now, with the Tata trusts, Ratan Tata wants nothing less than to change the world.

State-led peace deals led to Assam violence

Sat, 18 Aug 2012 12:39:55 +0530

State-negotiated accords have only managed to empower ethnic elites, creating new fissures and shrinking democracy.

Low-cost Lifespring Hospitals saves mothers, new-borns

Thu, 09 Aug 2012 06:02:17 +0530

When Loretta Selvakumar was expecting her first child in 1994, she was elated. But nine months later, when she delivered a healthy baby boy in a government hospital in Bangalore, his life was cruelly cut short after he slipped off a table. She promised herself that no matter how costly, her next delivery would be at a private hospital with better care.

Large parts of the world are lazy

Wed, 08 Aug 2012 11:29:46 +0530

As many as 1.5 billion people, across the globe, could be affected by coronary heart disease, diabetes, some types of cancer, several other diseases, and even premature death; all because they lack physical activity.

Business, creativity have to exist together: Zarina Mehta

Wed, 08 Aug 2012 11:04:20 +0530

UTV's co-founder tells Deepak Ajwani and Abhishek Raghunath how the network kept hits coming.

RC Jain: Can't treat contract labour unfairly

Mon, 06 Aug 2012 12:21:48 +0530

Former Eicher vice-chairman RC Jain said the manufacturing industry needs to change its communication with workers.

A $10 million Mercedes goes under the hammer

Mon, 06 Aug 2012 11:54:55 +0530

Later this month one of the world's rarest cars will hit the auction block during California's Pebble Beach Classic Car Week. The 1936 Mercedes-Benz Von Krieger 540K Special Roadster is worthy of its own biopic.

Why Arvind Rao and OnMobile went down a dark road

Fri, 03 Aug 2012 12:29:52 +0530

On November 23, 2010, Arvind Rao, the 53-year-old co-founder and CEO of OnMobile, bought approximately 6 lakh shares of his company from the open market, representing a little over 1 per cent of the company's total shares.

Actor Nagarjuna gives his studio business a new look

Fri, 03 Aug 2012 12:00:13 +0530

It's not an easy time to be running a studio floor business in India. Kamalistan and Filmalaya in Mumbai, Gemini and Vijayavahini in Chennai, and Technician and Indrapuri in Kolkata have all sold out to builders or governments because no one's shooting in them anymore.

Book Review: Home

Wed, 01 Aug 2012 02:41:59 +0530

There comes a time in the life of a reader when every new offering from a favourite author is awaited more with trepidation than anticipation. Much as one would wish otherwise, creative powers are as subject to erosion as the hair on our head or tissue from our bones.

Rain gear's not selling this monsoon

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 06:27:11 +0530

Instead of singing in the rain and enjoying the monsoon, businessmen who run stores for rain gear have been hit the most by delayed rains.

A Kochi company satisfies Delhi's seafood cravings

Mon, 30 Jul 2012 06:14:58 +0530

Mathew Joseph did not hit upon the idea of selling fish online at the spur of the moment. It was a carefully thought out strategy to escape competition.

Tata's Clean Coal Tech close to a breakthrough

Sat, 28 Jul 2012 04:29:03 +0530

For a scientist who is passionate about history, Mark Denys appreciates the importance of the West Bokaro coalfields in the Indian clean coal technology space.

Real estate buyers can't accept that prices may fall

Thu, 26 Jul 2012 01:21:55 +0530

Knight Frank's Pranay Vakil tells Forbes India why property prices continue to be so stubborn.

Miele India's head on the art of selling high-end goods

Wed, 25 Jul 2012 02:56:38 +0530

They need to be more restrained and create a sense of timelessness, says Miele India's Dhananjay Chaturvedi

London doesn't have enough security for the Olympics

Wed, 25 Jul 2012 02:26:19 +0530

As the date of the Opening Ceremony draws closer, London is scrambling to get all things fixed-not least, the shortfall in security personnel.

Mayfield India's small, non-tech bets pay off

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 12:46:06 +0530

Mayfield India's Vikram Godse and Nikhil Khattau have been turning small investments into big rewards.

How to destroy an airline

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 12:33:14 +0530

Everything about Vijay Mallya is outsize: The fortune, the vintage cars, the yachts, the F1 team, the airline - and yes, the ambition. And now, it seems inevitable, the fall.

Making the Most of London 2012

Wed, 18 Jul 2012 03:56:52 +0530

Headed to London 2012? V Krishnaswamy has some tips for you.

New SEC tool to help marketers

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 01:45:31 +0530

Last month, when the latest Indian Readership Survey rolled out to all major advertisers and media groups, not too many people outside the marketing community may have realised its significance.

Bird flu is back in a stronger avataar

Sat, 14 Jul 2012 02:58:27 +0530

This may not be the influenza season, but news about the virus that causes the pandemic has been infecting us in the last few weeks. First, two academic groups published their much-debated research about a lab-engineered strain of bird flu (H5N1) that shows how it can acquire the ability to rapidly spread among humans, even though now it only hops from bird to bird.

India is an immature market: Neeraj Monga

Wed, 11 Jul 2012 11:18:43 +0530

Your recent report on RCom was called 'House of Cards', the one on UB Group was called 'Pie in the Sky', on RIL and RCom, 'Brothers in Arms', and on DLF, 'A Crumbling Edifice'. Is there an underlying connection between these names?

London Olympics: Carrying a torch

Wed, 11 Jul 2012 11:10:50 +0530

The Olympics is the greatest show on earth. At no other time do we see such a concentration of the world's best talent in so many fields. In ancient Greece, the Olympics saw nations cease battles to participate in harmony. The modern Olympics haven't been quite as successful in stopping wars: There were no Games during the World Wars, boycotts and international conflicts have sometimes robbed them of the lustre, at times violence has drawn a pall over the celebrations.

India is the future: L'Oreal India MD

Mon, 09 Jul 2012 11:53:29 +0530

The industry was already under transformation in 2008. The transformation was mainly due to what I call 'pre-premiumisation.' The Indian market was seeing an increasing aspiration for the slightly more expensive brands. In fact, there was a decline of the cheaper brands that had established themselves in the local market. At that time, L'Oreal was focused just on the consumer division and didn't have many brands.

Kingfisher crisis: How to kill an airline

Mon, 09 Jul 2012 11:35:18 +0530

Before we answer that question, let's first survey the grim reality. For the past five months, about 4,500 employees of the airline haven't been paid their salary. Many of them say they can't quit because they won't get a single dime out of their dues from their employer. Airports, which allowed the red and white aircraft to land and take off, haven't been paid either. Faced with the spectre of bounced cheques, they've now moved courts to recover their dues. No one has any clue how long it will take, though.

Profit in the era of scarcity

Mon, 02 Jul 2012 11:23:06 +0530

You've probably heard about Mitticool, the clay refrigerator from Gujarat, and Revolo, the plug-in system from KPIT Cummins that gives the benefits of a hybrid car. It's likely you've learnt that Embrace, the infant warmer that originated from Stanford's class of Entrepreneurial Design for Extreme Affordability, is now sold in India and elsewhere for one hundredth of the cost of incubators sold in Western markets.

Crude guide to fuel prices in India

Sat, 30 Jun 2012 12:46:52 +0530

Lower energy costs are always good news for growing economies. And international oil and coal prices have come down significantly in the past few months.

Everybody loves Chhota Bheem

Thu, 28 Jun 2012 10:21:34 +0530

The residents of Dholakpur are a resilient lot. They regularly brave demons, robbers, evil wrestlers and various other calamities, big and small. They have a timid, but benevolent king in Raja Indraverma and a beautiful princess in Indumati. And of course, they have Bheem because of whom they emerge unscathed from various assaults.

Garbage generated around the world

Wed, 27 Jun 2012 07:10:45 +0530

Economic growth might be teetering across the world, but the amount of garbage generated by global cities is only going up. Together, urban centres generate 1.3 billion tonnes of solid waste a year and it is set to grow to 2.2 billion tonnes by 2025, according to projections by the World Bank. Most of the waste is sent to landfills, or worse, to open dumps, raising concerns about air pollution, social unrest, impact on poverty and so on. Managing solid waste has costs-$205.4 billion at present-and it's growing. It is set to touch $375.5 billion by 2025.

Mahindra & Mahindra's American speed bump

Wed, 27 Jun 2012 10:51:33 +0530

The Indian auto biggie wanted to launch its trucks in the USA. But now it is embroiled in a legal spat in the country.

Garbage generated around the world

Wed, 27 Jun 2012 10:40:52 +0530

The amount of solid waste generated by global cities is growing each year. Not managing it efficiently now could lead to environmental and social problems.

India should not take growth for granted: Manoj Pradhan

Tue, 26 Jun 2012 02:46:32 +0530

Manoj Pradhan, emerging market economist at Morgan Stanley, talks to Forbes India and puts India and its economic situation in a global context.

Letter from the editor: Surviving the perfect storm

Sat, 23 Jun 2012 04:51:03 +0530

In the last edition, I had raised the issue of how we, as a nation, need to nurture many more first-generation entrepreneurs. There is an absolute dearth of such role models in India. Which is why Flipkart, founded by two friends from IIT-D - Sachin and Binny Bansal - is the poster-boy of India's internet economy.

'Licence Raj still exists in education sector'

Sat, 23 Jun 2012 04:35:42 +0530

Anand Sudarshan, 52, is the Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Manipal Global Education Services (MaGE).

What Is New For Your Baby?

Thu, 21 Jun 2012 04:44:11 +0530

Sweet Dreams: Your baby can catch a quick nap in this cosy Moses Basket from Mother Care which rests on a pine rocking stand. Price: Rs 4,999 (basket); Rs 2,199 (stand). mothercare.com

Are We Moving To the Cloud Yet?

Thu, 21 Jun 2012 04:37:21 +0530

Is it a good idea for you to shift your business to the cloud? Depends on which country you're talking about. Business Software Alliance (BSA), a global association of the software industry, has come out with a report on the adoption of cloud computing. While Japan and the US ranked at the top, India has been found to have a better regulatory environment for cloud computing. A host of parameters, from data privacy to privacy laws, have been used to arrive at the rankings.

How the Land Acquisition Bill will impact farmers

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 03:28:35 +0530

Passing through Bulandshahar, a rapidly urbanising district in Uttar Pradesh known for its rustic politics and dairying, this reporter chanced upon a group of farmers sitting in protest outside a newly constructed apartment.

'Need for integrating climate change in development policies'

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 03:04:32 +0530

The commonly used definition of sustainable development embraces development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. But there is also the need for integrating climate change in development policies and strategies.

Battle ready: Advice from Colin Powell for startups

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 03:23:33 +0530

Adopt a winning attitude. Like any football or basketball coach, you always - always - believe you're going to win. Disappointments, failures and setbacks are a normal part of the life cycle of a unit or company. A leader has to constantly say, "We have a problem; let's go and get it" - and convey that attitude with passion and intensity.

Online groceries: Will it click?

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 03:02:30 +0530

K Ganesh, 50, the Energizer Bunny of Indian entrepreneurship, is either angry, annoyed or sarcastic. I can't tell.

US: Rajat Gupta's last card

Mon, 11 Jun 2012 11:44:11 +0530

Rajat K Gupta is remarkably poised for a man who, if convicted of criminal conspiracy and securities fraud, could spend up to 20 years in jail.

Why we need to celebrate exits

Mon, 11 Jun 2012 11:06:28 +0530

Kishore Biyani can sometimes get overly aggressive in betting on the future. He's also prone to occasional flights of fancy-and to top it all, often fails to pass the test on execution.

Food in the mouths of babes

Sat, 02 Jun 2012 07:03:50 +0530

Eating in is quite as cool as restaurant-hopping. But when you are new parents, necessity rapidly takes second place to the thrill of educating a palate.

'L Capital focusses on layers below luxury'

Fri, 01 Jun 2012 04:48:31 +0530

Ravi Thakran, who is the managing partner of L Capital Asia-the LVMH sponsored private equity fund, says at L Capital they focus on aspirational consumption, meaning layers below luxury.

The other world of professional chess players

Wed, 30 May 2012 11:17:11 +0530

Chess players and their eccentricities could be as intriguing as some of their games.

Listen to people who disagree

Fri, 25 May 2012 01:14:06 +0530

In these times, it is very easy not to be confronted by opinions differing from your own.

Morality is not the responsibility of CEOs alone

Fri, 25 May 2012 12:55:28 +0530

Instead of rushing into more regulations, politicians and regulators should focus on removing ambiguity and advocating transparency.

We need simple, direct laws

Thu, 24 May 2012 11:29:46 +0530

Instead of fixing individual morality, we should fix the system using laws that are simple and direct; it is best when business is fixed by simple laws where everybody knows what can be done and what cannot.

Businesses need an image repair

Thu, 24 May 2012 11:08:23 +0530

The public has a narrow view of businesses; but they are the ones who solve most of society's problems.

Maximise customer value

Wed, 23 May 2012 12:43:05 +0530

Authenticity has the potential to drive ethical behaviour, long-term thinking and thoughtful decision-making. It enables the integration of one's personal and professional selves.

The moral dilemma in India

Wed, 23 May 2012 12:13:37 +0530

The right to govern is a moral right. It cannot be demanded, it is merely given. That precept is true of any political system. When politicians and bureaucrats choose to abdicate moral ground, business simply loves the concomitant result.

Free markets - The Indian way

Wed, 23 May 2012 11:58:47 +0530

The choice for policy makers is not between unregulated free markets and central planning but in getting the right mix of regulation.

Compulsory licencing of Bayer's cancer drug is a triumph

Sat, 12 May 2012 02:17:55 +0530

Communicable diseases remain part of the unfinished agenda for India, particularly those that are affecting mortality and morbidity of mothers and children as well as some of the others that prevent India from reaching its Millennium Development Goals. For children, respiratory diseases, vaccine-preventable diseases and tuberculosis are big challenges.

A whole new foundation for business

Sat, 12 May 2012 01:46:14 +0530

Be careful. Very careful. "Bad management theories are destroying good management practices". That is what Sumantra Ghoshal, one of the most respected voices in the world on what management ought to be like, argued in a path breaking paper by the same name. It was published shortly after he died in 2004 and continues to hold resonance even today.

The Japanese are a brand conscious people: Lupin MD

Fri, 11 May 2012 04:46:09 +0530

Kamal K Sharma, Managing Director of Lupin, in conversation with Samar Srivastava, speaks about the challenges he faced to enter in Japanese market.

I shouldn't be a producer: Anurag Kashyap

Thu, 10 May 2012 11:49:16 +0530

Anurag Kashyap Films is making it easier for independent films to be made in India.

The five firsts of Indian Cinema

Wed, 09 May 2012 02:31:09 +0530

It's been a hundred years of Indian screen time, and we've come a long way.

God in Namchi: ‘Caution, Work in Progress’

Tue, 08 May 2012 11:20:31 +0530

Nondescript Namchi in southern Sikkim is being rebirthed as a tourist-magnet. Sumana Roy traces the evolution of an artificial pilgrimage.

Bridging the gap in microfinance

Wed, 02 May 2012 12:07:12 +0530

Early in 2011, Baskar Babu, CEO of Suryoday Micro Finance, felt the heat of being in a sector that financiers didn't fancy. The sector's growth depended on supply of credit from banks, and that had dried out.

PVR vs Cinepolis: The multiplex war is on

Wed, 02 May 2012 11:50:32 +0530

Ajay Bijli's PVR and Mexican chain Cinepolis will be locked in a fascinating duel in the world's biggest market of moviegoers.

David Davidar: Aleph books will be competitively priced

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 06:35:36 +0530

David Davidar, co-founder of Aleph Book Company, tells Forbes India that his company hopes to fix the dearth of great books in history, science, politics, sociology and travel.

A pick of the best for health and home

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 10:54:59 +0530

A Pick of the best, the latest, the greenest, the quirkiest, the most luxurious... that money can buy.

Lafarge's binding force

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 01:37:14 +0530

Perched on the terrace of Lafarge India's six-storey construction development lab at Andheri East, Mumbai are two very incongruous huts. The structures look out of place in the grey, concrete landscape of the Mumbai suburb. Twenty tonnes of bright red mud and sticks were hauled up the stairs to build them. Here in the sea of dish antennae and mobile towers, they certainly stand out. One of them has been built the traditional way with a mix of red mud and cowdung and another of exactly the same dimensions, is made with mud and special binders that could enhance the life of the structure more than five times.

Shabana Azmi on classiness in cinema

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 01:33:55 +0530

I can't call myself classy, it's for other people to say that. I can only say that this is what I have seen, this is what I have imbibed, and this is how I am. Class is intangible, almost indefinable. It is a summing up of the parts so that they become more than the whole. It has to do with dignity, subtlety, with a layered subtext where much more is expressed because it is hidden. It's got very little to with wealth and money, and much more to do with an attitude that comes from being comfortable in your own skin.

Gujarat Pipavav: Profit in sight for this port

Sat, 21 Apr 2012 10:59:31 +0530

The port of Pipavav should have made money hand over fist ever since it started operations in 1998. After all, located deep in the Saurashtra region in south Gujarat, it is a gateway port that caters to landlocked regions like Delhi, the National Capital Region, Punjab and also the rich states of Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan.

At this eatery, it's a free for all

Sat, 21 Apr 2012 10:48:41 +0530

All Ajay Jain wanted was for people to buy his photographs. Though he was an engineer and an MBA and had worked in various industries ranging from IT to media, his passion lay in travel and photography.

Here is why JetLite does not exist any more

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 05:02:04 +0530

It's an airline in transition. And no one feels it more than Jet Airways' cabin attendant Sushmita D. Depending on her roster, it is, "What meal would you like to have sir?" on some days. And "What meal would you like to buy Sir?" on others. These days, it can be a bit confusing with both lines being delivered on different flights the same day. Sushmita has been with the airline for about four years and is getting used to either selling a vegetarian meal for Rs 200 on JetKonnect flights, or dishing it out gratis with a smile, on Jet Airways. Her dilemma, in some ways, reflects that of India's largest airline, as it tries to straddle the full-service and low-fare models-trying out, these days, a hybrid model along the way.

How Omkar Realtors redevelops Mumbai slums

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 04:45:16 +0530

"All she wanted was a different set of tiles to be used in her new house," remembers Babulal Varma, managing director at Omkar Realtors. "It was as simple as that."

Indian B-schools need to improve diversity: Jain

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 04:40:57 +0530

Dipak C Jain is the Dean, INSEAD and INSEAD Chaired Professor of Marketing and independent director, Reliance Industries. He was a former dean at Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Foreign shores beckon

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 12:35:39 +0530

It's the holiday season and most travellers have packed their bags to head to Europe, US, or UK; at least that's where folks from Delhi and Mumbai are headed. In Bangalore, thanks to the runway which is under repair, travel agents' bookings are down by 50 per cent.

How Rituraj changed the company his father started

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 11:56:47 +0530

At one stroke Rituraj Sinha was putting at stake a business his father had built over 30 years. RK Sinha had founded security service provider SIS (India) in 1974 in Bihar. Now in 2008, his son wanted the Rs 150-crore company to buy an Australian security firm Chubb that was over seven times bigger in revenues.

Get a kick out of summer

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 12:14:18 +0530

Last summer, Anushi Desai spent 20 days at a training camp for discus throwers in Portland, Oregon. Now the 15-year-old is looking forward to the next edition of the South Asian Games, where she will represent India in the event.

The Indian Army's largest public-private partnership

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 12:07:44 +0530

Four companies are battling for the largest ever public-private partnership project to build a light armoured carrier for the Indian Army-the Future Infantry Combat Vehicle (FICV).

Poverty line: Dialogue of the deaf

Sat, 07 Apr 2012 12:54:14 +0530

The great Mughal emperor Akbar once asked if there was any man in his court unbound by his wife's command. The huge mass of his courtiers and public was stunned and stood huddled together barring one meek-looking man, who stepped away and stood alone. Akbar was curious and asked how such a submissive fellow was the only one brave enough to defy his wife. "I am not defying my wife, sire. I am standing here because she has instructed me to never stand with the crowd!" the man explained.

Berlin: explore the city in 10 days

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 11:02:49 +0530

To attend to cross-border business, Jones Lang LaSalle has an office in Berlin. The things you notice about the city are its impeccable planning, its dignified grandeur, beautifully preserved architecture and bracing weather.

'Volatile govt Policy is a deterrent to investing'

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 10:50:52 +0530

Jayant Sinha, partner and MD, Omidyar Network India Advisors, tells Dinesh Narayanan that government trying to micro-manage the economy is not good.

The coming revolution on Indian roads

Sat, 31 Mar 2012 08:52:53 +0530

In the last decade, two enabling factors have begun to transform the logistics landscape in India. Better roads have reduced transit times. Technology is starting to play a role too.

'We continued to do well despite global crisis'

Sat, 31 Mar 2012 08:42:46 +0530

Standard Chartered's Neeraj Swaroop tells Forbes India about how the bank grew under his watch despite the global crisis.

The latest in automobiles and styles

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 04:49:54 +0530

A Pick of the best, the latest, the greenest, the quirkiest, the most luxurious... that money can buy.

What Is Pinterest?

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 11:10:09 +0530

A social photo-sharing website that some call (sigh) the new Facebook killer. Its users 'pin' photographs on virtual boards sorted by 'interests'. It's as easy to use as Twitter, except that it's visual. It's about photos, but unlike with Flickr, Pinterest users pin other people's photographs, not their own. It's like a Facebook page, but less personal.

AR Rahman and the art of focus

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 10:58:27 +0530

There, after all, could be a method to his genius. Charles Assisi finds out...

Amagi's new trick for broadcast advertising

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 10:57:42 +0530

Soon, while you are watching a show on national television, you might find yourself watching an advert for the mom-and-pop store down your road. In fact, even today while watching some channels, you might be watching advertising that is being aired only in your city. At the same time, your friend in another city who is watching the same show could be watching a different ad. The company behind this technology is the relatively unknown Bangalore-headquartered Amagi Media Labs. This four-year-old company is gradually disrupting the conventional wisdom and business model around TV advertising in India.

Heat and mangoes

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 11:09:23 +0530

Summer is almost upon us. And that means only one thing: Mangoes!

Will the Singh billionaire brothers make it?

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 11:01:14 +0530

It was early 2010, and Fortis Healthcare's board-chaired by the billionaire Singh brothers, Malvinder and Shivinder-was in session. One of the directors couldn't make it to Delhi, and instead called in. At one point, Shivinder made a point and the director on the call interrupted to clarify, "Who is it, Malvinder [the elder brother] or Shivinder?" The younger brother immediately quipped: "It doesn't matter, it's the same."

Book Review: Poriborton!

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 02:50:46 +0530

Poriborton! (Change) chronicles Mamata Banerjee's stunning success in the 2011 Assembly elections, when her one-woman party emphatically threw the Left Front out of power after 34 years.

Nikon V1 - The right click

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 04:43:23 +0530

Finally, a camera that is not promising the moon-that is, more pixels than we know what to do with-has hit the market. The maker, Nikon, a company that deals in serious professional cameras, has come up with an entirely new sensor format for the Nikon V1.

You can't be long on India, short on infra: Limaye

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 04:29:08 +0530

There is not much growth in the environment. Yet, we are clear that IDFC will focus on disciplined, profitable growth with no compromise on asset quality.

Sanjna Kapoor: Sheer madness kept Prithvi going

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 12:45:29 +0530

Sanjna Kapoor, Co-founder and director of Junoon, ex-director, Prithvi Theatre, says that determination kept Prithvi going.

What is your style

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 12:45:10 +0530

A Pick of the best, the latest, the greenest, the quirkiest, the most luxurious... that money can buy.

How Wipro learnt the virtues of patience

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 12:08:43 +0530

When one buys a company, it's wise to set aside the acquirer's mindset of 'let me show you how to do it', says Vineet Agrawal.

Iran-Israel conflict: India's diplomatic tight rope

Sat, 17 Mar 2012 01:47:50 +0530

There is nothing new about the Israel-Iran conflict. This has been going on since the early 1990s. India caught in the middle of it all is also an old story. There's no new development here.

Arvind Panagariya: The immediate steps to reform

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 12:37:04 +0530

The first thing the Government needs to do is cut the deficit because how the RBI formulates the monetary policy depends on what the deficits are, and deficits do crowd out private investments.

CFL bulbs dim out in Delhi

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 12:01:01 +0530

The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) had the right intentions. As incandescent bulbs use too much energy, it decided to replace them with compact fluorescent lamps (CFL).

Maruti helps its suppliers with a forex cover

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 11:34:05 +0530

Import-dependent automakers and their suppliers got bushwhacked by the Indian rupee in 2011 when it went into a tailspin after the country's trade gap began to widen and government policy drift kept investor dollars away.

Budget: Time to take fiscally prudent decisions

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 11:17:58 +0530

As this edition of Forbes India was going to bed, India's executive set-up was in intense negotiations with political decision-makers over the contents of the government's most-awaited policy pronouncement - the Union Budget.

Book review: What makes business rock

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 10:50:45 +0530

You wouldn't associate someone who commanded three nuclear bases at the height of the Cold War in the 1970s with running the world's largest entertainment businesses. But that's exactly what Bill Roedy has done, and this book chronicles that journey.

Will N Srinivasan save Indian cricket?

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 10:44:52 +0530

On the face of it, this may sound contrived. But fact is, to understand cricket and the skulduggery that now beleaguers the sport all of us Indians love so hopelessly, you ought to understand a bit of how the cement business operates in this country. This, for one simple reason: N Srinivasan - president of the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI), head of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association, and owner of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Indian Premier League (IPL) - is also managing director of India Cements.

Tata Motors focuses on going global

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 11:55:13 +0530

As they say, looks can often be misleading. At first glance, the Engineering and Research Centre (ERC) inside the Tata Motors' factory in Pimpri doesn't seem to be the kind of place where great ideas are born.

Water policy draft is convoluted

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 11:38:14 +0530

In February, an international water summit in Bangalore that discussed private sector participation in water delivery ended on a dry note when a show-closing Water Walkathon was abandoned after anti-privatisation activists stormed the streets.

Harry Bhadeshia's steel connects UK, France

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 11:15:48 +0530

Every year, 17 million people use the Channel Tunnel, the undersea rail network that connects the United Kingdom with north of France. Considered as one of the Seven Wonders of the modern world, 37.9 km of the 50.5 km-long tunnel passes under the sea.

New rules of online advertising

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 10:52:51 +0530

There's an old saying about newspapers: They aren't delivering news to readers, but readers to advertisers. But as many newspapers migrated to the web, where readers, in most cases, hate to pay for news at all, the saying evolved to: If you're not paying for it, you're the product.

Book review: 'Rahul', a book on the Gandhi scion

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 11:32:56 +0530

In October 2005, Rahul Gandhi made a surprise visit to a middle-class haunt in Chennai. With a few friends, he descended on Hotel Saravana Bhavan at Ashok Nagar, not far from the airport and spent the next hour or so getting a taste of south Indian cuisine.

Jayant Baliga's invention is a power saver

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 10:57:36 +0530

Jayant Baliga's invention has resulted in cost savings of over $15 trillion for consumers. His invention is forming the basis of the emerging smart grid. The electrical supply networks will replace large and less efficient components with small and efficient semiconductor equivalent.

Mriganka Sur reveals the mysteries of the brain

Sat, 25 Feb 2012 11:12:49 +0530

How is the brain wired? How does it code and decode information? What causes developmental disorders like autism and diseases like Alzheimer's? These are the questions that have occupied neuroscientist Mriganka Sur over the past 30 years.

Science's second coming to India

Sat, 25 Feb 2012 10:58:21 +0530

A couple of weeks ago, some of us got into an interesting conversation with Howard Gardner, who was on a visit to India to deliver a series of lectures. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential psychologists in the world today. Author of 25 books that have been translated into 28 languages and best known for his theory of multiple intelligences, in 1995, he mounted a study that lasted until 2006 and involved 1,000 American journalists and geneticists. The question he was seeking to answer was an intriguing one. Why are journalists an unhappy lot while geneticists a happy bunch?

Roses top the most selling flower list in India

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 10:59:46 +0530

It's springtime. Love is in the air. We decided to take a look at what flowers are selling the most during this period.

RTI queries don't affect goverment work

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 10:37:38 +0530

In August 2011, the Supreme Court made an observation which had some unintended consequences on the Right to Information (RTI) process. The judgement by Justice RV Raveendran is turning out to be a seemingly legitimate excuse for government officials to restrict information.

IIT-JEE will be missed

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 11:32:56 +0530

A former director of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, professor M.S. Ananth, recollects a dinner table conversation with an Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer. The IAS officer firmly believed that the IIT Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) could easily be replaced by any other exam in India.

First 1,000 days critical for a child's nutrition profile

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:58:32 +0530

Rohini Mukherjee of Naandi Foundation says that workers of Integrated Child Development Services are underqualified and overworked.

Sliding euro will impact sensex

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:42:20 +0530

Hedge funds and professional investors are always looking for countries with lower interest rates where borrowing is cheaper and then invest the same in countries with higher interest rates. Earlier, it was the Japanese yen that gave them this opportunity. After the Lehman crash, the dollar became the funding currency of choice. Investors sold dollars where interest rates were low and purchased currencies like the Indian rupee where the interest rates were high. This carry trade is now moving to the euro.

Alok Nanda and company's design store

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 10:34:59 +0530

Advertising company Alok Nanda and Company has now turned to retail with the launch of its first design store, Filter.

Leading the world in science

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 11:00:34 +0530

I wasn't the science teacher's pet in school. And I can't confess I know too many scientists either. Yet, over time, I've come to appreciate the role of science in our society. And I have often wondered why India produces so many brilliant minds in the world of science-each of whom leave their impact on our world, but choose to work out of laboratories many thousands of miles away.

Magazine readers are more engaged: Maheshwer Peri

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 10:40:11 +0530

Magazine readership has been on a decline over the last few years. Magazine publishers were to launch an impact research, what is the status for it? We presented our research findings at the recent World magazine congress held in Delhi.

A Himalayan trail on foreign shores

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 11:11:57 +0530

Himalaya Drug Company's Executive Chairman,Ravi Prasad took the company's range of therapeutic and personal care products to overseas markets.

What ails microfinance?

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 11:04:03 +0530

In the post-implosion analysis of the microfinance sector in Andhra Pradesh, one entity came out virtually unscathed-the idea that microfinance is basically a force for good. The argument was that microfinance has the potential to alleviate poverty and empower people, and the real problem is with a few unscrupulous or greedy microfinance organisations. The solution therefore was better regulations-such as capping the interest rates and increasing transparency.

Why India's best CEOs are not running scared

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 10:59:53 +0530

Mayank Pareek won't forget the crisis of 2008 in a hurry. In November that year, less than two months after the infamous Lehman Brothers crash, India's biggest passenger car maker, Maruti Suzuki, felt its blow straight in the jaw. By the end of that month, it suddenly lost a quarter of its sales compared to the previous year. December was no better. Sales fell by another 10 per cent.

India needs green muscle at Rio+20

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 12:55:54 +0530

Rio de Janeiro in Brazil will have a different kind of carnival this year. From June 20 to 22, the city will host the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, which is expected to bring together heads of states, ministers, senior officials, representatives from international organisations, civil society leaders and environmentalists.

Nations and innovation

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 12:18:00 +0530

The US, ranked number one, has always been a leader in innovation. However, after the recession, innovation has taken a backseat in the USA. This could possibly hamper job creation.

Nature's Basket: Double take

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 11:52:16 +0530

In October 2009, nine months after converting the floundering Nature's Basket into a gourmet food store, its team was pleasantly surprised. Its seven stores in Mumbai had seen sales grow at 70 per cent - a surprisingly quick validation of their change in strategy. Getting there, however, has been a rough ride.

Book review: Storming the World Stage

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 11:39:42 +0530

Part detective, part academic, part chronicler, Stephen Tankel provides what is arguably one of the finest and most detailed accounts of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), the terrorist group that represents the greatest threat to India.

Music festivals coming up

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 12:43:38 +0530

This spring, there is music in the air. Here are some music festivals that will leave you whistling a tune.

Electing hope in Punjab

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 12:28:18 +0530

While the Uttar Pradesh elections hog the lion's share of coverage in national media, the Punjab elections are proving to be the more colourful of the two. YouTube, Facebook, and other media platforms are full of the hilarious conversations between cartoon characters Jeeta and Jaggi created by the Congress, who take pot shots at the failings of the SAD-BJP (Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party) government. SAD has responded through their caricatures Jhootha and Thaggi.

The Ice Candy Man and how he built Coldex

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:50:47 +0530

How Gaurav Jain took Swastik Roadlines, a small trucking company in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, from nothing to one of the largest cold chain logistics company in India.

Know what to avoid while investing

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 01:46:45 +0530

The overwhelming majority of investment analysts belong to two basic camps when it involves predictions. The first tend to take themselves and their learned prognosis for the world pretty seriously. More often than not they are paid by their employers to predict the future. Funnily, these otherwise talented individuals do not appear to have come to terms with the futility of forecasting.

A salve for a taxing moment: The Vodafone story

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 01:18:37 +0530

The court hearings had gone on through all of August. On September 8, 2010, the Bombay High Court was packed to the rafters with newspaper reporters of all hues. There was a battery of lawyers representing the Government of India and telecom giant Vodafone. There were two judges who had been hearing the famous Vodafone tax case: DY Chandrachud and JP Devadhar. Though Devadhar was in Nagpur that day, he was 'virtually' present through a video link. Vodafone's tax spearhead Desmond Webb was there.

Letter from Indrajit Gupta: Celebrate the slowdown

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 11:39:02 +0530

No one is switching off lights at 6 pm or slashing salaries and headcount by a quarter and cutting back on travel budgets. Actually, there are very few Indian firms exhibiting those typical knee-jerk reactions that one associates with tough times.

D Shivakumar: Mobile biz not for the faint-hearted

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 11:27:42 +0530

D Shivakumar, who was the managing director of Nokia India, says that to win the Indian market, you need a good brand with scale and constant innovation.

Lant Pritchett: Service with a smile

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 04:13:27 +0530

For government services to improve, those providing them should want to do a better job, says Lant Pritchett, professor of economics, Harvard University.

India should re-wrap economic reforms

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 04:03:21 +0530

In the two decades since Manmohan Singh's hat-tip to Victor Hugo, and open markets, per capita income in India has grown from $309 to $1,477 (in today's dollars), outstripping that of 19th century US and 20th century Japan.

'Railway Board needs to shed some powers'

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 11:38:05 +0530

Former managing director of Delhi Metro E Sreedharan feels that the Railway Board needs to delegate authority to zonal railways to improve efficiency and safety.

Will cash-on-delivery last?

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:57:36 +0530

In the late 1990s, during the good old days of dotcom 1.0, many browsing centres across the country tried to marry email with snail mail. They targeted old people who were comfortable reading on paper, but whose children preferred the speed of email.

Affordable Southern remedies for better health

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 10:17:28 +0530

When can a baby girl born in Madhya Pradesh expect to live as long and healthy as a baby girl born in Kerala, overcoming the six-fold higher risk of dying before her first birthday? When will a rural Indian have the same level of satisfaction about the healthcare he or she receives, as a foreign medical tourist featured in the brochures of corporate hospitals? Will the 40 million Indians, who are annually pushed into poverty because of unaffordable healthcare costs, be relieved of the crushing burden of catastrophic health expenditures in a country where private, out-of-pocket spending accounts for 71 per cent of all health financing?

You make more money if you go green: Casey

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 10:01:04 +0530

It is a product of that particular time. We had conversations around sustainability and design and people kind of coalescence around it. Now we find far more sophistication in the way people in the field think about environment and sustainability. We started out talking about buildings and materials, passive cooling systems and so on, all very mechanical. Now we ask how can we solve policy issues? Now, the movement is ready to move on. But the network built through it, in business and academics, will continue to have a presence, and continue to collaborate and challenge each other.

Nandini Sundar: The path to a conflict-free state

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 11:13:58 +0530

Peace talks and punishing erring Special Police Officers are the key to solving the Naxal problem, says Nandini Sundar, Head of Department, Sociology, Delhi School of Economics.

RTI: Right to U-turn

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 11:00:17 +0530

Kiran Bedi is convinced that the UPA government's reluctance to give the proposed citizen's ombudsman, the Lokpal, control of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the country's premier investigation agency, is due to skeletons that lie buried deep in the agency's cupboards.

Mohandas Pai: Skill searching

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:50:37 +0530

India will have a GDP (gross domestic product) of close to $2 trillion by March 2012. She is expected to more than double her GDP in the next 10 years. With a formal-sector employment of over 80 million, more than 100 million jobs in the formal sector will be created in the next 10 years not only due to growth, but also to fill in the large-scale retirement in the government and public sector over this period.

Rediscovery of India

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:18:20 +0530

In the late 1950s, Ved Mehta, a blind writer from Oxford, spent a summer in India, a good part of it going around the country with the poet Dom Moraes. One of the high points of his trip was a meeting with the then prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. He had lunch with Nehru and his family (his daughter Indira Gandhi and his 'two quiet grandsons in their teens') and a long chat later on. His account of that conversation published in a book 'Walking the Indian Streets' is marked by youthful optimism.

Forex and the RBI: For a few dollars more

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:15:14 +0530

The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL), when it buys reactor components, settles bills partly in dollars and partly in rupees. These days it has been trying to convince component suppliers like Areva to take the payment entirely in rupees. This is largely to cut out the rupee depreciation and volatility risk. The component suppliers aren't in a mood to oblige. They don't want the foreign exchange volatility risk either.

Warren Buffett: The sage of Omaha

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 09:45:28 +0530

Much mimicked, never matched, his investing style has been an enigma.

Dealing with the young at art

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 09:25:51 +0530

Many art experts feel the next four to five years present a solid opportunity to invest in the next generation of Indian artists.

Andrade: Look at firms that shrink balance sheets

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 01:09:25 +0530

Kenneth Andrade has worked in the Indian mutual fund industry for more than 15 years. He picks tomorrow's blue-chip stocks from today's numerous mid-cap companies.

Sanjay Dutt: On firm ground

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 12:45:10 +0530

Sanjay Dutt, the CEO of Jones Lang LaSalle, India, has 22 years of experience as entrepreneur and services sector professional.

Gold still has some shine left in it

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 01:18:16 +0530

The precious metal is in the last stage of a bull market. Once global economies get back on track, it will lose its glow. Gold prices have come off a high of $1,900 per troy ounce reached in September 2011. For some time now, prices have been moving in a $200 range between $1,600 and $1,800.

'India remains hostile to entrepreneurship'

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 03:39:20 +0530

Lawrence Summers has served as US treasury secretary under Bill Clinton, a post currently held by his protegee Timothy Geithner. Presently, he teaches economics at Harvard University, where he was formerly the president. He comes from a family of economists. His parents are economists and he is a nephew of Paul Samuelson and Kenneth Arrow, both Nobel Laureates in economics.

'Tough times have put companies at greater risk'

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 11:42:00 +0530

Greg Case is the president and CEO of Aon Corp. Prior to joining Aon, Case was with management consulting firm McKinsey & Company for 17 years. Most recently, he served as head of the Financial Services Practice. He was previously responsible for McKinsey's Global Insurance Practice, and was a member of McKinsey's governing Shareholders' Committee.

John Mauldin: The great European adjustment

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 03:32:31 +0530

Europe will see hard decisions and emerging markets like India will have to grow on their own, says financial expert John Mauldin.

Stephen Roach: Disturbing the peace

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 12:35:18 +0530

The crisis has taught us the importance of monitoring asset and credit markets rather than just inflation and growth.

Debt crisis will help emerging mkts: Mark Mobius

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 12:21:00 +0530

Dr Mark Mobius, executive director, Templeton Emerging Markets Group, tells Pravin Palande and Shishir Prasad that he is optimistic about India and in many cases, a weak rupee may actually benefit some companies in the country.

Satyajit Das: Capital preservation key to survival

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 01:36:22 +0530

As a gloomy New Year for investors starts off, here are some home truths about risk and returns.

'Media industry will take off with digitisation'

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 01:20:35 +0530

Outgoing CEO of M&M's automotive division Rajesh Jejurikar tells Forbes India why he is excited about moving to Zee Entertainment.

Will molecular gastronomy go out of fashion?

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 01:02:46 +0530

Ferran Adria of El Bulli restaurant and Heston Blumenthal of Fat Duck are considered the experts of this style of food, where the lab meets the kitchen. But with El Bulli closing down and the world in economic slowdown, will people still want experimental cooking?

Will 2012 belong to wind power or solar power?

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 12:46:10 +0530

Both these industries are sensitive to global technology changes and, therefore, pricing. India has undertaken a solar mission and is also looking at wind energy. The year 2012 will see how these two shape up.

Will 2012 be more peaceful than 2011?

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 12:27:44 +0530

The year 2012 will see change of guard in China, Russia, Mexico, US, France and even Egypt; the Arab Spring is expected to reach Sub-Saharan Africa. Will it all be peaceful?

Will broadband make content streaming viable?

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 12:10:11 +0530

With broadband and wireless auctions in India over, services are expected to roll out in 2012. As more consumers adopt broadband, multimedia content will get a fillip. This will change the media industry dynamics. Haresh Chawla

Will Apple continue its dream run without Jobs?

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 03:24:45 +0530

To answer this question, it's important to look to Pixar. (Pixar, founded by Jobs, is a hugely successful animation film studio that has turned out one box office hit after another.) After Pixar, Jobs moved to Apple. Pixar is now a part of Disney and is working just as it had earlier. There hasn't been any noticeable change in the quality of output. Now, the question should be: Is Pixar similar to Apple?

Will Rahul Gandhi throw his hat in the ring?

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 02:36:15 +0530

The year 2011 saw the emergence of Rahul Gandhi as one of the rare politicians unscathed by scandals. As the nation enters another cycle of elections in 2012, his decision will impact the fortunes of the Congress.

Will the electric car be closer to mass market?

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 03:30:44 +0530

Over the past few years, car makers have been looking for an eco-friendly substitute to the internal combustion engine. Many now agree that the car will go all electric - powered by batteries. Some concerns remain, though.

Four big corporate moves to watch

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 03:23:44 +0530

For those who take their cup of caffeine seriously, there's good news. Starbucks, the world's biggest coffee brand, is likely to make its Indian debut in the first half of 2012.

Will Indian HNIs sign the giving pledge in 2012?

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 01:18:58 +0530

In response to Warren Buffett and Bill Gates's initiative, many billionaires, including Facebook founders Mark Zuckerberg and Dustin Moskovitz, have committed to donate the majority of their wealth. Will India's rich follow suit?

Will petrol prices cross Rs 100 a litre mark?

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 12:47:17 +0530

The way petrol prices are going up, Rs 100 a litre isn't improbable. Easier car loans and new models could further fuel demand and push petrol towards the century mark.

11 startups to watch In 2012

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 12:09:44 +0530

PubMatic: When Google announced in June this year it was spending $400 million to acquire AdMeld, the ad platform targeted at digital publishers, the picture only got brighter for PubMatic.

Will the e-Commerce bubble burst in 2012?

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 11:54:46 +0530

The excitement around e-commerce companies today is eerily similar to that in 1999-2000. Are the fundamentals different this time?

Will the N-power industry regain public trust?

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 11:29:10 +0530

India is experiencing, for the first time, what many other countries have experienced for years - a demonstration of how easy it is for anti-nuclear activists to rouse public opinion to fever pitch by playing on the mysteries of the atom and the nature of radiation.

Six Forbes India calls in 2011 that were right

Sat, 31 Dec 2011 10:49:18 +0530

Seven new, promising stars of 2011

Sat, 24 Dec 2011 08:54:38 +0530

Aman Sethi is a journalist who won the International Committee of the Red Cross award for the best Indian print media article on humanitarian issues. His report covered police atrocities in Chhattisgarh villages, as the government finds it increasingly tough to fight the Maoists.

Will Occupy Wall Street movement fizzle out?

Sat, 24 Dec 2011 08:38:03 +0530

Before making any prognostication on what will happen to Occupy Wall Street, we have to remember that it's not an isolated movement.

Will Obama make it to a second term?

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 02:22:01 +0530

The reason why (President Barack) Obama will win the re-election - if he wins - will be because there is no alternative. The Republican Party lacks a strong candidate and so far the people who have been getting all the media coverage, or rather ridicule, are on the fringe: Such as Michele Bachmann and Herman Cain (who has withdrawn his candidacy).

11 reasons why the West should outsource Christmas to India

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 01:58:06 +0530

Since 1984, a company called PNC has been doing the PNC Christmas Price Index by tracking costs of items mentioned in the folk song The Twelve Days of Christmas. Though light-hearted, it does its research seriously and gives important insights.

3 scientific breakthroughs that could change our lives

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 04:05:44 +0530

When chemistry professor Daniel Nocera at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology showed that a device the size of a poker card could split water into hydrogen and oxygen, he was merely taking a leaf out of Mother Nature's playbook, except that he called it 'artificial leaf'.

Is the Eurozone heading towards a breakup?

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 03:59:01 +0530

The health of the Eurozone is dire. What started out as a sovereign debt crisis in a minor periphery economy of the Eurozone, Greece, has now morphed into a full-fledged crisis involving the giants - Italy and France. It was always clear that if the crisis spread to these bigger economies there would be very few credible tools to prevent a meltdown. But here is where we are now. So which way forward?

Can Infosys make a comeback?

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 11:00:42 +0530

He is principal analyst & CEO of Offshore Insights Research and Solutions. He has been tracking the Indian IT industry and Infosys for 15 years.

Tata Sons: passing the baton to Cyrus Mistry

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 10:47:22 +0530

The passing of a crown is always a delicate affair. In 1991, when JRD Tata handed his to Ratan Naval Tata, his courtiers had rebelled. It took time for RNT to subdue the satraps and prove JRD's decision on his successor was perhaps his finest. But then JRD was always renowned for his ability to pick men. The circumstances around anointing RNT's successor exactly two decades later were rather different. The world and the Tatas had changed.

Football - the passion play in Kolkata

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 10:32:12 +0530

It all began with a kick of the ball. In 1877, when Calcutta was still capital of British India, 10-year-old Nagendra Prasad Sarbadhikari was mesmerised by a ball game being played by Europeans in the vast open grounds in the heart of the city. He descended from the carriage taking his mother to the riverfront and watched from the sidelines. At some point, when the ball rolled over to him, Nagendra Prasad picked it up and, on being encouraged by a European player, kicked it back to the playing arena. That, it is said - if apocryphally - was the first time an Indian kicked a football. The Indian, it so happened, was also a Bengali.

Think it through with Google

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 03:14:02 +0530

Think With Google is where you get a bit of many things: A glimpse into the minds of experts from various fields, insights and experiences from a range of leaders, trends, and predictions. If it is happening somewhere out there, you will likely find a bit of it here. It has been launched by the team that brought out Google Think Quarterly, the search engine's answer to the McKinsey Quarterly.

A brave comeback for comic book hero Bahadur

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 03:01:37 +0530

It is said that Chambal is the valley where the lions breed.' This is the opening line from The Red Brick House, the first Bahadur comic which was released by Indrajal comics on December 1, 1976. The comic was an instant hit during those days because it was a realistic portrayal of the situation in India. The presence of dacoits, the absence of individuality and the general atmosphere of the country was ripe for the birth of a superhero. Abid Surti did that with style. He created Bahadur, the reformed son of a dacoit, who initially wants to avenge the death of his father, but eventually converts; sides with the police to fight evil for the rest of his life.

The Indian education of Renault-Nissan's CEO

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 10:58:10 +0530

Joseph Campbell, in his The Hero with a Thousand Faces, explained the making of a hero. The hero starts out ordinary; gets a call to adventure; undergoes severe tests and on survival gets a great boon. After this, he returns to an ordinary life and uses that boon to improve the world. In the past 40 years, the world of business would have produced a handful of leaders who can truly fiRenault-Nissan's CEOt the concept of a hero. These would be Lee Iacocca, Jack Welch, Lou Gerstner, Steve Jobs and perhaps Ratan Tata.

People don't hold back in India: General Motors MD

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 01:30:39 +0530

I came here four years ago from South Korea. In my old job, I was in charge of quality for the APAC [Asia Pacific] region, which included India and that meant a visit for the first time [to India] during that job. However, when we visit on business, it is very different from living in the place. We go from airport, hotel, factory, and that's it. Whereas, it is very different when you are living here.

Low cost not a good way to build a brand: Acer

Sat, 03 Dec 2011 08:50:53 +0530

When Acer entered the Indian market, it faced a lot of hurdles. What were some of the initial challenges you faced and how did you address them? When we came in into this country, people did not even pronounce Acer properly. Some confused it with Essar, some called it 'occur'. These were some of the challenges we had when the brand was completely unknown.

Tata Sons: A step in a new direction

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 03:01:07 +0530

Just minutes before the world heard the news of the new chairman-in-waiting, Ratan Tata had individually called each of his leading CEOs in Bombay House on the phone to inform them about the board's decision. Many were stunned.

Afghanistan is emerging out of the rubble

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 01:29:16 +0530

There is no hint in Mahammod Khan's boyish face and gentle demeanour that he is a member of Parliament from Kandahar, a province in southern Afghanistan where ordinary citizens have blind dates with violent death almost every day.

JCB reaches the top; defies odds in India

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 01:19:36 +0530

About an hour's drive from South Delhi lies Ballabgarh, the industrial belt just inside Haryana. Among the scores of manufacturing units there, is the world's largest plant to make backhoe loaders (a tractor-like vehicle with an arm and bucket mounted on the back and a loader mounted on the front). The plant, which can produce up to 100 of these two-tonne machines a day, is a prized possession of the UK-based construction machinery maker JCB. And every morning when Vipin Sondhi, the managing director and CEO of JCB India, takes the one-hour drive from his house to the unit, he remembers a tough decision that he and his boss in London, JCB Chairman Anthony Bamford, took three years ago. And every morning he feels vindicated about it.

FCCB: Debt in the time of recession

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 10:52:34 +0530

In January 2007, Subex, a software products company that grew mostly through acquisitions, was all set to make its most daring purchase; this time a Canadian company called Syndesis for $165 million in an all-cash deal.

The silent power of Sonia Gandhi

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 02:38:50 +0530

Yet again, in 2011, Sonia Gandhi features in the top 20 of the Forbes Power list. How did a girl, born in a small town in northern Italy, rise to the position of being one of the most influential people in the world - and stay there, year after year? Having established an unassailable position in the Indian National Congress Party, she is now empowering her son Rahul with more authority to move to the front. If her delicate succession plan works out, it could add a whole new twist to Sonia's enigmatic leadership style.

26/11: Recounting the horror at the Taj Hotel

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 12:15:20 +0530

It was near sunset on November 26, 2008. Somewhere off the west coast of Mumbai, a group of young men were waiting for darkness, in a boat without lights, waiting so they could land, unobserved, at a fishing village near the southern tip of the elongated island city.

Parliament's Winter Session doesn't hold much promise

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 12:01:46 +0530

A look at the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government's legislative performance over the last three parliamentary sessions explains why everyone seems to be up in arms against the breakdown of decision-making at the Centre.

Treatment for cancer costs less now

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 11:28:37 +0530

We tried to find out how much cancer treatment costs have gone up, and were surprised to find that the cost of a single cycle of basic chemotherapy for stage 1 cancer has actually gone down over the past 10 years.

How real can artificial intelligence get?

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 11:24:31 +0530

Every year or so, a new version of an Apple product is announced, with claims that it is better than its predecessor. This year, the '4S' version that Apple trotted out featured 'Siri', a voice-driven personal assistant that users could talk to as though they were talking to their personal assistants.

A Kotecha contributes towards India's universities

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 12:25:55 +0530

Just inside the office of Pashmina Realty in Worli, there's an entire wall covered by a poster of LIFE, an NGO (non-governmental organisation) whose Mumbai chapter focusses mainly on health, education and low-cost housing under the Asit Kotecha Foundation. The poster is full of slogans written by Pashmina employees who participate actively in the NGO.

The power of saying 'no: Ram Shriram

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 10:36:55 +0530

So you don't know who Ram Shriram is? That is because he'd rather have it that way and prefers you know companies like Netscape, Amazon and Google instead. In the first two, he was a core member of the top management team and in the last, he was the one to write a cheque for half a million to the two Google founders even as the Google name itself was not settled and no one really knew what a search engine was all about. Today, that investment alone makes him a billionaire angel investor in the Silicon Valley. But Ram Shriram is reticent about his astounding personal success and does not like being in the news.

The world's most powerful people

Sat, 19 Nov 2011 09:04:12 +0530

Chess is a brilliant game for one powerful reason- there are no outcomes that can be achieved through compromises. Instead, the endgames are overwhelmingly non-negotiable. Pause now for a moment and give the game a thought.

'Foreign airlines can erode Indian airlines' share'

Sat, 19 Nov 2011 08:29:03 +0530

Early in the life of the airline, the first call was about coming into the Indian skies to provide a completely different level of service. Indian Airlines was then in a monopoly position and there was a huge potential for a new player in the market. We were able to succeed at that, a lot of help came from [Naresh] Goyal and his friends and partners from the global airline industry. Some of the basic rules we set then are still in place in the airline.

Auto & Style - the best that money can buy

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 11:20:37 +0530

Harley-Davidson is adding to its 14-member line-up in India by launching the Fat Boy Special, a special version of the iconic original, remembered by many for its appearance in the Arnold Schwarzenegger-starrer Terminator 2. The changes in the special edition are only aesthetic, and the bike retains the regular Fat Boy's 1584cc V-twin engine with a torque rating of 125Nm at 3,500rpm.

Less faith in concept of free market: Arun Maira

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 11:14:23 +0530

"There comes a tide in the affairs of men," Shakespeare cautioned. Tsunami warnings are now ringing about the global economy. The global financial system is under stress. Economic growth is stumbling. Confidence in governments is decreasing everywhere. Multilateral institutions like the WTO (World Trade Organization) and IMF (International Monetary Fund), created to promote global integration and stability, are ineffective. Communism was declared dead with the fall of the Berlin Wall. Now, there is less faith in the concept of the free market, even amongst Western economists. Why has liberal, free market capitalism, the victor of the Cold War of ideologies, also stumbled?

Lost and never found treasures through the ages

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 11:04:59 +0530

In the 16th and 17th centuries, Europeans started believing in El Dorado, a place of untold wealth in the Americas. A South American tribe is believed to have had kings who would cover themselves in gold dust and jump into Lake Guatavita during their coronation. Precious stones and gold were also thrown in to appease an underwater god. The treasure was never found.

The highs and lows of the richest Indians

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 10:51:08 +0530

Reflecting the global turmoil, the fortunes of a majority of the richest Indians fell this year. Even then, 15 individuals managed to break into his exclusive club.

The rebirth of Afghanistan's banking system

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 10:47:46 +0530

Nearly nine million Afghans are living in extreme poverty because of a lack of investment in farming, Mohammad Asif Rahimi, Afghanistan's minister for agriculture, livestock and irrigation, said on October 16, World Food Day.

Banking at high velocity: Uday Kotak

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 10:25:48 +0530

To see how far Uday Kotak has come, you don't have to go to his office at Nariman Point, Mumbai. Go instead to the eastern sliver of central Mumbai called Cotton Green. More than 150 years ago, it was home to the first cotton exchange in India. Cotton trade was where Uday Kotak's family made its initial mark and money. But when he turned entrepreneur in 1985, the Indian textile sector was in a shambles. A young Uday moved into financial services and has now taken Kotak Mahindra Bank (KMB) to a market capitalisation of Rs 34,655 crore.

Arab Spring inspired 'Occupy Wall Street' protest

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 10:19:39 +0530

This is a movement against corruption, criminality, cronyism, and regulatory capture. Decisions are made by the rich in order to enable their thievery. Returning to a democratic capitalism would be an improvement.

Big fat Indian wedding: How to marry a millionaire

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 10:55:44 +0530

It isn't called a big fat Indian wedding for nothing. It is when families - regardless of their social or economic standing - apply the full force of their bank accounts and social networks. It is when even the most tight-fisted and austere loosen their purse-strings. It is often a show of pomp a family prepares for years to put up.

It's a race against time: Hero MotoCorp CEO

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 10:45:32 +0530

Pawan Munjal is the quintessential behind-the-scenes operator; the kind who's more comfortable on the shop floor than at the launch of his latest motorbike. The shy, introverted 57-year-old elder son of Brijmohan Lall Munjal is today deeply involved in a closely guarded project to quickly chivvy up Hero's technological capabilities. After parting with the Honda Motor Company, technology is Hero's Achilles heel. Munjal and his top team are on a mission. In the past six months, the research and development team has already been beefed up with 250 engineers.

Real estate was an accidental entry for Razack

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 12:33:18 +0530

The Razack family got into the real estate business while looking to buy property to avoid being taxed after the sale of their family home in the 1980s. It was 4:20 pm on an October evening in 2008, in Bangalore's Whitefield suburb, when Irfan Razack's world almost came crashing down. Steel frames holding up the recently laid concrete floor on the 15th storey of a commercial tower in Prestige Shantiniketan, a 105-acre township being built by Razack's company, gave way. The floor slab that the frames were holding up went crashing to the floor below, which in turn gave way. Within minutes, six floor slabs had crashed, and before half an hour, almost all the floor slabs for the entire building.

Ajay Kalsi: A self-made man unafraid to take risks

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 12:12:36 +0530

Ajay Kalsi of Indus Gas is known in Indian oil and gas circles as a maverick with passion. The story of his neighbours in a tiny locality off NH8 in Delhi, waking up to see a huge oil rig parked in his backyard has by now been retold several times to much mirth. He used his farmhouse to keep the oil equipment for several months, giving the neighbours a lot to mull about. The new entrant to our India Rich List is known for his non-conformist ways.

'The Messenger Is More Important than the Process'

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 12:43:40 +0530

At TeamLease, we hire somebody every five minutes, but we hire only 5 percent of the kids who come to us. It means rejecting 30,000 kids. It's a bad business; it breaks our hearts. The issue, in fact, is bigger.

Fabindia's Tightrope Walk

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 12:31:40 +0530

In 1993, while holidaying in Australia, William Bissell once ran into an experienced surfer who shared an invaluable lesson with the 27-year-old. Don't just surf the course, but keep a constant watch on where the next wave is coming from, he advised him.

No problem if there's growth: Murugappa Group

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 11:38:14 +0530

Sometime in 1945, AMM Vellayan, the second son of AM Murugappa Chettiar, went back to Burma to take stock of the wealth his family and his community left behind during the Japanese occupation. One evening, after a meeting, Vellayan walked back to his house. It was dark, there was no power. As he reached the door, a young man, who was waiting for him, pulled out a gun, shot him and sped away. Vellayan died immediately. He was 40.

Tata Steel has an unbeaten track record

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 11:20:29 +0530

Name: Tata Steel Why they won: For operating with a higher organisational purpose beyond just maximising profits. For aligning the interests of multiple stakeholders - customers, employees, partners, investors, the community and the environment. For successfully balancing doing well with doing good.

Margins better than revenues: Narayana Murthy

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 02:28:18 +0530

Name: NR Narayana Murthy Profile: Chairman Emeritus, Infosys Technologies Age: 65 Why he won: For extraordinary leadership skills that have had a profound impact in building an enduring enterprise with a beneficial impact on the wider community. He has also pushed India Inc. to improve standards and helped raise its profile in the international arena.

HSBC Mutual Fund's gear up for global collaboration

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 02:12:15 +0530

After a lacklustre performance in the last three years in the equity category, HSBC Mutual Fund is gearing up for some serious changes. Tushar Pradhan, the chief investment officer (CIO) of HSBC Mutual Fund, has been given the responsibility to manage the HSBC Equity Fund along with three other equity funds. His task is to make HSBC Equity one of the best performing funds in the country.

Digital wills: how to log out permanently

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 10:42:10 +0530

Gautam John, 32, is well prepared. On the professional front, he has done well. He dabbled in professions like law and even tried his hand at business, but stumbled onto Pratham Books and Akshara Foundation, where he works for the new projects division. On the personal front, he is all set to get married in January next year. And five years ago, he prepared himself for something else: Death.

No looking back: Britannia Managing Director

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 10:32:35 +0530

Name: Vinita Bali Profile: Managing Director, Britannia Industries Age: 56 Why She Won For transforming a stodgy old biscuit company into a fast growing food brand in the face of tough competition and galloping commodity prices. She has also developed a track record that has made her a role model for women executives.

Rajiv Bajaj: Being original to succeed

Sat, 29 Oct 2011 10:01:28 +0530

Making a successful product is often a case of being original in a new segment.

CAG audit on NREGA will not help

Sat, 29 Oct 2011 09:53:36 +0530

Union Minister for Rural Development Jairam Ramesh's recent decision to ask the CAG (Comptroller and Auditor General of India) to audit MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) funds has created a buzz among social sector observers.

BP Rao: On maintaining the growth momentum

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 10:39:11 +0530

B Prasada Rao's multi-pronged approach helped BHEL win back customers despite intense competition from the Chinese.

Understand breast cancer to beat it

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 11:45:20 +0530

First Lady Betty Ford beat cancer in more ways than one. In the 1970s, when the c-word was fearfully whispered and only weeks moving into the White House, Ford announced she had cancer. Her motivation was to increase awareness to save 'at least one person - maybe more'. She had a huge effect on early breast cancer detection, something epidemiologists call the "Betty Ford blip". She went all out to treat her cancer, and lived another 37 years until she died this year at 93, of natural causes.

I needed to learn something new: V Raja

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 11:30:10 +0530

After spending 14 years at GE, with seven years in healthcare, I realised I needed to learn something new and reinvent myself. Jack Welch [former GE CEO] used to say when the going is good, that's when you've got to shake the system and re-organise. In some ways, it is my personal life that I am applying his philosophy to. The proof of the pudding [that it was my decision to quit] lies in the kind of farewell I got, from none other than the chairman [Jeff Immelt] himself and in the presence of key customers. (You can check with Azim Premji.)

The most luxurious things that money can buy

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 11:42:17 +0530

A pick of the best, the latest, the greenest, the quirkiest, the most luxurious things that money can buy.

The Reliance juggernaut on the move, again!

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 11:23:15 +0530

India, for Paul E Jacobs - CEO of $ 11-billion telecom research and hardware company Qualcomm - has been like a box of chocolates, in a very Forrest Gump way. The good surprise came on June 11, 2010, when Qualcomm won the licence to offer broadband wireless access (BWA) in Mumbai, Delhi, Haryana and Kerala for $ 1 billion. The nasty one arrived on September 7, 2011, when the Department of Telecommunications rejected its application on flimsy grounds. "It was a silly technicality and the message being sent out by the government was: Even if you commit to investing $ 1 billion in India, you will be uncertain of your fate," says BK Syngal, a 40-year veteran of Indian telecom and a principal with advisory firm Dua Consulting.

In India, BlackBerry's not just a corporate phone

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 11:45:41 +0530

A few months after she joined Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Delhi, Ayesha Rachel became an addict. She just couldn't get enough of her BlackBerry Curve. "I was a Nokia user but this thing is addictive, and no other phone gives me this value for my buck," she says while sending messages on the BlackBerry Messenger (BBM).

Everyone wants a piece of the Formula 1 pie

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 11:19:04 +0530

Sports' greatest travelling circus the Formula One comes to India. Here's Some news from the ringside.

It's war when it comes to the liquor industry

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 11:14:04 +0530

"All is fair in love and war and when it comes to the liquor industry, it is war." This was an extract from a note signed by none other than the man they called the 'King of Good Times'. It landed on the table of Ramesh Vangal, the Asia-Pacific head of liquor giant Seagram and Param Uberoi, the head of Indian operations. United Breweries Group Chairman Vijay Mallya was seething with rage. And there was a very good reason for it. This was the first time that his attempt to cobble together a joint venture (JV) with global liquor firm Seagram had been rebuffed. Back in 1998, no one would have dared to spurn Mallya.

'The Service of the State' is lucidly written

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 11:42:32 +0530

Former secretary to the Government of India Bhaskar Ghose's latest book comes at a time when there is increasing public anger against politicians and bureaucrats for being corrupt and insensitive. As such, the title of the book and the tagline promised to shed some light on the burning question about the relevance of an IAS officer in today's India, where inequalities and social unrest are growing faster than the economy.

Runway on the sea

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 10:57:32 +0530

At this time last year, Siddharth Verma was scouring the world for an airplane that could land on water - except in pictures he'd never even seen one. He had just launched Mehair, an aircraft venture that had big plans with small planes.

How the volatile rupee has fallen

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 11:00:31 +0530

A sudden wave of volatility in the Indian rupee has increased the degree of risk for companies and the financial system as a whole. Over the past three months, the rupee has fallen 12 per cent against the dollar and could even slip to the 52 mark if European debt worries persist. Though many analysts foresee the currency clawing back to around 46, they believe that will take a while.

Europe has a superiority syndrome: Richter

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 11:10:16 +0530

Frank-Jurgen Richter Age: 44 Designation: Chairman, Horasis Education: Diploma in Business Administration and Mechanical Engineering, Doctorate in Business Administration Career: 1994-2000: Robert Bosch GmbH (four years as CFO China, based in Beijing), 2001-2004: Director, World Economic Forum Interests: Travelling the world, learning languages, reading (classics, post-modern writing, history and economy), sports

Prized road projects on Delhi-Mumbai route

Fri, 07 Oct 2011 12:00:28 +0530

DHRGM may read like the acronym of an upcoming Bollywood flick, but, in reality, stands for the states - Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra - through which runs the country's most profitable stretch of highways.

Indian banks healthy but stress signals showing

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 11:42:03 +0530

The past three months have been tough for Indian banking. High interest rates and threats of a global recession have taken their toll on bank stocks. The NSE banking index fell 15 per cent compared with the Nifty's 11 per cent slide in the past three months. Indian banks, ironically, have never been in a better state of health in the past 10 years.

Social power of the republic of India

Tue, 04 Oct 2011 12:59:02 +0530

Once upon a time, big business and big government monopolised any communication there was. They had the reach, the resources - and yes, the impact - to command media coverage or to buy exposure through advertising. That hasn't changed.

Is health insurance good for you?

Tue, 04 Oct 2011 12:56:01 +0530

Is health insurance good for your health? One way to answer this would be to randomise people into a group that receives insurance and another that doesn't, and see which group is healthier over time. The only such study was done back in the 1970s by the RAND Corporation in the US. Participants were randomised into a number of insurance schemes that had zero to 95 per cent co-payments on health costs (with a cap on the total health spend across groups).

Ford Evos Concept: A personal asssistant

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 10:31:40 +0530

The Ford Evos Concept car, showcased at the Frankfurt Motor Show, has - apart from awesome looks - "customer-focused and intuitive technologies".

Hong Kong: Asia's world city

Thu, 29 Sep 2011 11:25:46 +0530

Hong Kong can truly be called 'Asia's World City'. It is bustling, vibrant and dynamic, with a unique blend of eastern and western influences. It is only five hours from half the world's population and is a buzzing centre of international trade and business.

Balancing high-performance teams

Thu, 29 Sep 2011 11:21:11 +0530

Why do high performing teams 'suddenly' perform poorly? What model can we reference to find the answers of what to do about it? The answer is that they hardly ever 'suddenly' change, unless there has been a change of leadership, people, systems or goals; and even then 'sudden' poor performance normally takes a period of time to gradually become significant enough to be noticed, unless there are some significant contributing factors.

The power of mind over money

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 10:48:01 +0530

Benjamin Graham once famously said, "The investor's chief problem - and even his worst enemy - is likely to be himself." So, what is it that drives these frequent blips in investment behaviour?

Indian Cricket team's pointers for businesses

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 12:58:14 +0530

Ok, ok, so you do remember it all, don't you? That Dhoni six that sealed the World Cup. Those stories that appeared soon after about team spirit and leadership. And the paeans of praise for a leader who could do no wrong. Ah, those were the days.

Gautam Rajadhyaksha: the man who saw beauty

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 12:19:14 +0530

A few weeks ago, I was being photographed by one of today's hot shot lensmen. The new breed. The guys in designer gear who arrive with an entourage of more than eight assistants and demand star treatment from magazine editors who hire them. At the end of the impersonal, brisk shoot with hardly a single meaningful exchange of words between the moody, scruffy photographer and moi, I turned to the stylist on the shoot and said, "That's it? Are we done?" I didn't want to linger for a single extra moment or even ask to see the images on the computer. I could as well have been shot by a robot. I don't remember the man's name. I wonder if mine registered with him. It was a job. We'd got it done. Finished. No time for small talk. No time for gup-shup. No time for something as basic as politeness. Time most certainly is money for this lot. Pack up was announced. The assistants fluttered around, putting away reflectors and lights that weren't used (but paid for).

In F1, being fast is just part of the equation

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 11:11:37 +0530

Karthikeyan says one needs to be at the right place at the right time to earn the big bucks.

The rebirth of stem cells

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 10:41:12 +0530

A decade after George Bush set the clock back for stem cell research, the science is showing signs of regeneration. Stem cells are mother cells that give rise to other cell types in the body. One of the more visible and vocal proponents of human embryonic stem cells (ES), Stephen Minger, says that the number of trials that are currently on suggests that the field is emerging from the shadow of skepticism and experimentation.

How memory works

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 10:54:07 +0530

In screenwriter Charlie Kaufman's 2004 romantic fantasy whose title was inspired by the above poem, two lovers choose to erase their memories to free themselves of one another. They undergo targeted memory erasure by a fictitious company, Lacuna Inc. "Don't forget, with Lacuna, you can forget." The film - 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' - was critically acclaimed.

Can't stop the music of Nirvana

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 11:26:56 +0530

It was the end of November 1991. Michael Jackson's eight studio album 'Dangerous' debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 charts. But within four weeks, it was replaced by 'Nevermind', an album by a Seattle-based band called Nirvana that released two months before 'Dangerous'.

'Js & The Times of My Life' has a witty raconteur

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 11:17:58 +0530

There are two terrible things about Jug Suraiya's cleverly-named memoir. One is the - sigh - clever name, with the word's 'js' and 'The Times' set in the typefaces of the logos of the long-departed and still lamented JS (alias, The Junior Statesman), and the still-thriving Times of India, just in case you didn't get it. The other is the ghastly cover design. Thankfully, everything beyond these is a delight.

Second wind for Gamesa

Sat, 17 Sep 2011 12:35:45 +0530

In early 2009, Ramesh Kymal got a phone call that changed his life. Kymal was then the managing director of the Indian subsidiary of Vestas, the biggest wind turbine maker in the world. For the past five years, Kymal had tried and failed to convince his bosses in Denmark that he needed new investments in India. Eventually, he gave up and decided to move on. Yet, after six long months of negotiations, just when he was on the verge of joining Siemens, he received a call from Richard Chocarro.

People's power - Anna Hazare was not the first

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 10:58:31 +0530

In 1215, fed up with King John losing his lands, men and money in France, the barons of England made a deal with him. They wanted to protect their liberties and privileges while limiting the king's powers. It was the first document that English subjects forced on their king. Three of its clauses remain part of the country's unwritten constitution.

Comic Convention in Mumbai

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 11:41:07 +0530

Mumbai is all set to host its first Comic Convention in October. And going by the fact that 15,000 fans attended the first of these annual meets in Delhi last year, expectations are high.

How to handle the Delhi's influx of migrants

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 11:30:33 +0530

In his award-winning documentary 'Last Train Home', director Lixin Fan draws attention to the plight of migrant Chinese workers living in far-flung industrial cities and the strain they inflict on the country's infrastructure when some 130 million of them make their annual journey back home for the Chinese New Year.

What if we had the right to recall our leaders?

Wed, 14 Sep 2011 10:59:45 +0530

Imagine having the power to recall your MLA or MP if he stopped paying attention to his constituency. That is the power of the Right to Recall, the next item on Anna Hazare's agenda.

Book Review: Noon

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 11:24:52 +0530

'Noon' is the story of Rehan Tabassum and his discovery of an India he is not familiar and comfortable with and a Pakistan he did not know.

Manipal University's new course of action

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 11:19:33 +0530

Ranjan Pai first met Mohandas Pai in the late 1990s at the Infosys campus in Electronic City, Bangalore. Ranjan's father Ramdas Pai was impressed by the bright chief financial officer (CFO) of a promising IT company and wanted his son to meet him. At first Ranjan didn't quite take to him. But on his father's insistence, kept in touch with Mohandas.

Rising demand for Ganpati idol

Sat, 10 Sep 2011 10:12:37 +0530

With experts worried about another slowdown, the average Mumbaikar seems to have taken the doomsday prediction to heart and is rearing up to please the remover of obstacles, Ganpati.

Celebrating India's entrepreneurial renaissance

Sat, 10 Sep 2011 10:04:10 +0530

October 21, 2011 will be a red letter day for us. A galaxy of India's best known entrepreneurs and CEOs will vie for the first Forbes India Leadership Awards that evening at The Trident in Mumbai.

FedEx tries to catch up in India

Fri, 09 Sep 2011 10:56:18 +0530

The Tortoise and Achilles both stood at the starting point for a race. The puny tortoise looked at Achilles, the mighty and powerful Greek warrior, and asked, "Do you think you can give me a 10-metre lead; it would make the race interesting, don't you think?"

Can space elevators be a reality in 2100?

Thu, 08 Sep 2011 11:27:46 +0530

Think of a day in the year 2100. The walls of your room light up like screens and your chosen software program, a familiar face named, say, Molly, wakes you up in the morning and lays out the day's plan. As you enter the bathroom, DNA and protein sensors in the mirror, toilet, and sink swing into action, looking for any unhealthy signs. Then, you wrap some wires around your head and telepathically control the temperature in the house, a robotic cook in the kitchen, a magnetic car in the garage, instructions to your assistant. You put on your contact lenses (or glasses, if you wish), blink, and connect to the Internet. You scan the news, emails, or plunge into workspace meetings.

Book review: 'Hello, Bastar'

Thu, 08 Sep 2011 11:14:55 +0530

This is a book ripe with promise. Rahul Pandita has done something few others have the dedication or courage to do: Spend time with Naxalites - somewhere along the Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh border - getting a glimpse into their lives and ways. Heady stuff.

Rahul Gandhi: His tryst with dynasty

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 11:09:53 +0530

I'll be upfront about this and I am reasonably sure you'll agree with me. Deep down, most of us nurture disdain towards those who come to occupy positions of power by virtue of birth. Quite honestly, that has, at least until I started researching this story on Rahul Gandhi, been my stated position. And because there is no other polite way to say it, I'll say it as it is: Respect for those in power who inherit it, usually comes from the unwashed, illiterate masses that can be manipulated. This, to my mind, is a truth leaders have always acknowledged throughout history. That explains why, as his power grew, Alexander the Great perpetuated the myth that he was sired by the god Jupiter Ammon and not Philip II of Macedon, who incidentally, used prudence as a tool to rule and outgrow the shadow of his father Philip I of Macedon, a paradigm of boundless energy.

Long weekend and discounts lure shoppers

Mon, 05 Sep 2011 12:07:57 +0530

Over the last three years, Indian retailers have been assiduously trying to convert August 15 into a mega sale event, hoping to entice shoppers with discounts.

Symphony orchestra of India to perform in Mumbai

Mon, 05 Sep 2011 11:53:22 +0530

Come September, book your seats to experience some of the best in Western classical music. The 11th Celebrity Concert Season of the Symphony Orchestra of India (SOI) is in Mumbai and will perform at the Tata Theatre and Jamshed Bhaba Theatre.

Gupshup: short message, big dreams

Mon, 05 Sep 2011 11:43:13 +0530

When Anna Hazare began his protest against the government's refusal to accept the Jan Lokpal Bill, phones across the country were inundated with SMSes gathering support for the next march or demonstration.

He's on a search, find and fund mission

Sat, 03 Sep 2011 09:54:14 +0530

Jia Jain was devastated. In his business, either you have it or you don't and the judgment comes pretty early. After all, he'd seen so many swanky restaurants come up on busy streets and as many vanish without a trace. Now, his own fine-dining restaurant idealistically named 1947 seemed to be headed towards a painful closure, people didn't come.

Do we need judicial activism?

Fri, 02 Sep 2011 11:06:46 +0530

In recent times, the Indian public has often seen the judiciary taking the Executive to task, even taking over some of its functions. But are judges overstepping the limits of their power?

I have not known life except in 'The Hindu': Murali

Sat, 27 Aug 2011 01:15:13 +0530

I felt vindicated. CLB indicted that it was in bad faith; there was lack of probity and so on. But really, after all that happened, I didn't get into the nitty-gritty of it all. I was the one who proposed that all directors should retire from active role at 65, and there were only eight months to go. Though I felt vindicated, I didn't get into my role as before.

Medicines for a better moral society?

Sat, 27 Aug 2011 01:00:44 +0530

Your colleague doesn't show up when a big deliverable is due. He is not answering his phone or responding to messages and the entire team needs to scramble to make up for his absence. He claims he was ill, though he has done this a number of times before. He is witty and masterful at manipulating emotions, thus able to maintain his position at the company. We all have our favourite words for these kinds of people. Clinically, this person is not all right and has a personality disorder. Let's test your people reading skills. Would you say he is (a) paranoid, (b) obsessive compulsive, (c) anti-social or (d) avoidant?

Alienation: business in the Red Corridor

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 12:39:57 +0530

The motorcyclists honk incessantly on the empty path. Following a slippery, rain-soaked mountain trail, winding through a dense Sal forest, we are heading into the 'liberated zone' - a part of the Maoist fiefdom in the Saranda jungles of Jharkhand's restive West Singhbhum district.

The siege of Android: How Google lost the OS war

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 01:44:22 +0530

In a narrative beginning in 2016 and ending today, Forbes India recalls how the once irrepressible Google lost the mobile OS war.

Rumination: gains of growth in India

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 10:54:28 +0530

The process of economic reform that India embarked upon 20 years ago was expected to produce immense churning. Most of India's citizens are too young to even remember the India before reforms. State control was pervasive. Growth, even when it took place, was not sustained for significant periods. The spectre of mass poverty was overwhelming, and till the mid-90s it was still plausible to question the viability of the Indian Union.

Gandhi out of Africa

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 01:46:50 +0530

The name rang a faint but distinct bell. Familiar, but why? The photograph shows a dapper young man wearing a buttoned-down jacket with angled lapels, hair parted neatly on the left, head tilted ever-so-slightly to the right. This was Nagappen Padayachee, from 1909.

Ultra mega steel plants: do we need them?

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 01:21:07 +0530

The slow pace of capacity addition ails the Indian steel industry and PK Misra, the top bureaucrat at the countr's steel ministry, is trying hard to find a solution. For the past few weeks, Misra's team is weighing the pros and cons of what could be a one-shot solution, ultra mega steel projects or UMSPs. On paper, these mega steel plants look promising.

We're very much alive: Vijay Mahajan

Sat, 13 Aug 2011 09:51:58 +0530

The only correction to the Mint story (daily business newspaper) is that it seemed to think we are dead. All we're saying is, if things don't happen, we'll certainly die. There's a difference between the two. We're very much alive and we're trying our best to avert death, but we're realistic enough to predict it. Merely because someone is confronting the reality, it's seen as a prediction of doom. It's not. It's looking the situation in the eye and then doing what we can.

Exploring the fault lines

Sat, 13 Aug 2011 09:39:42 +0530

Last year, when we released our Independence Day Special edition, India was in a different state of mind. In keeping with our growing global aspirations, our special edition, brought out in collaboration with ICRIER, the leading New Delhi-based think tank, focussed on India and its expanding relationship with the rest of the world on a host of strategic issues like energy, water, access to markets and technology, international terrorism and security.

Canon smiles for the camera

Fri, 12 Aug 2011 11:26:35 +0530

Like many corporate honchos, Kensaku Konishi likes his game of golf. The 58-year-old believes it relaxes him and makes him competitive. In 2007, when he took over as the president and chief executive of Japanese camera-maker Canon's Indian operations, he knew he would need to dip into every bit of his competitive reserve to stay over par. When he arrived, Canon India was a distant third in the camera market and behind HP and Epson in printers. It was third in the small but lucrative digital SLR camera segment where Nikon ruled, followed by Sony.

Fight or Flight for Indian Broking

Wed, 10 Aug 2011 10:53:32 +0530

Other conditions being equal, if one force is hurled against another 10 times its size, the result will be the flight of the former, says the ancient Chinese philosopher Sun Tzu in his classic military treatise The Art of War.

Footloose in Egypt

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 11:29:37 +0530

The receptionist has throat cancer and must keep a finger on the tiny hole at the top of his chest when he speaks, "Welcome to..." and as his fingertip slips there's a deflated wheeze instead of "Alexandria". My room is one of those typical budget accommodations with a 'sideways sea view', meaning that I glimpse a strip of the Mediterranean from behind the back of the more posh 1920s' Hotel Cecil (where a literary hero of mine, Somerset Maugham, once stayed). My head is boiling over with preconceived imagery of the colourful city.

The manual of counter-terrorism

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 11:13:08 +0530

Mumbai and Oslo are two very different cities. Apart from being the financial centre and the international face of their respective countries, they have little in common. Mumbai is a city of nearly 20 million people, where billionaires vie with some of the world's poorest people for potholed road space. The Norwegian capital is a tiny city with less than one-tenth the people in Mumbai, low-rise buildings and world-class infrastructure where most places can be reached on a bicycle.

The Goods Samaritan of Reverse Logistics

Mon, 08 Aug 2011 01:59:36 +0530

Hitendra Chaturvedi wants to find new homes for millions of damaged and used electronics items.

Minds returning to India

Sat, 06 Aug 2011 09:42:59 +0530

The United States has always been a featherbed for scientists and researchers, irrespective of their origins or nationality. That is because of its unique institutional ecosystem that keeps the ground fertile for creativity, as well as individual entrepreneurship and commercial success. The contribution of these scientists in helping the global superpower keep its nose ahead of any other country in the world - technologically, economically and politically is significant.

I don't socialise without my family: Pawan Goenka

Fri, 05 Aug 2011 12:33:38 +0530

M&M's Pawan Goenka speaks about why his busy schedule has left him with no time for friends.

Finland: The owl and the financier

Fri, 05 Aug 2011 12:17:31 +0530

The voles, Leena's email says, are numerous. It's what we've been waiting to hear all through the Northern winter. Her earlier reports on Finland's vole population contained a map of the country, colour-coded to indicate the vole density. We are happy for the voles (small mouse-like rodents), but what we're really interested in is their predator: Owls.

How A UK shoe company came to India

Thu, 04 Aug 2011 11:53:16 +0530

"You must be mad," thundered 82-year-old Catherine Paver when her son Stuart broached the idea of selling shoes in India in 2007. "Why can't you concentrate on what we know works?," she asked.

A taste of Cognac

Tue, 02 Aug 2011 12:38:26 +0530

The right turn-off to Domaine des Etangs is sharp. My husband, Jaidev, is driving at a clip down the narrow country road and we miss the turn and have to double-back. The tires kick up gravel as he makes a tight U-turn in our rented ice-blue Peugeot.

Ayurveda: nothing divine, just science

Tue, 02 Aug 2011 11:40:58 +0530

For Bail Bharath, life had never been better. At 47, he ran his own environmental engineering company and drove a Hyundai Elantra. But his perfect world came crashing down one Monday morning when his back began to hurt. At the hospital, the doctors recommended surgery and physiotherapy.

India's new warehouses

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 11:25:46 +0530

One issue, other than corruption, that has troubled the UPA government since its first term, is inflation, especially food price inflation. But most analysts believe that though India needs to improve its productivity, there are enough food grains in the country to feed the teeming millions. The real worry is about the supply chain or the lack of it, to be precise.

Book Review: The Tulleeho! Book of Cocktails

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 12:22:45 +0530

It's impossible not to feel a little tipsy while reading The Tulleeho! Book of Cocktails.

WorldSpace radio is back

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 12:11:58 +0530

If you missed WorldSpace - satellite radio network that streamed pre-programmed music 24 hours a day through about 40 genre-specific stations - here's some good news. In September, WorldSpace will be back.

Singur is still the waste land

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 11:32:06 +0530

On the night of June 21, around 10 pm, the police of West Bengal's Hooghly district descended on Tata Motors' half-built Singur plant and threw out the private guards there. In about half an hour, the new government in West Bengal, under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee, took over the 997 acres that had proved to be the Waterloo of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and its allies.

Why tinsel town is 'Haunted' by an Indian

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 05:04:08 +0530

Sanjay Gaikwad has challenged Hollywood's monopoly with a technology that enables cinema halls to show 3-D movies at a fraction of the cost.

VG Siddhartha is Branching Out

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 05:23:55 +0530

In 1983, if someone had told coffee baron VG Siddhartha that one day he would own an impressive multi-storied office on Vittal Mallya Road, Bangalore's tony residential and shopping address, he would have called them crazy. Siddhartha was then just a rookie analyst at JM Financial and Investment Consultancy.

World’s Youngest Nations

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 05:19:35 +0530

With South Sudan voting for independence from the North, it is set to become the world's youngest country on July 9. Here are some of the most recent additions to the world map

Indian Telecom Operators' Bundle of Joy

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 12:34:04 +0530

College students around the world know the meaning of the acronym 'BYOB'. Often accompanying party invitations, it tells the person being invited to 'Bring Your Own Booze'.

Between East and West: Turkey Elections

Mon, 20 Jun 2011 10:58:12 +0530

An interesting exercise in the wired era is to type two words into Google search - 'Turkish' and 'model'. As one quickly sees, the world's commentariat has found common cause in proposing Turkey as the elixir for strife in just about every place between East Europe's Carpathian Mountains and the Hindu Kush.

I leave behind a mature leadership: Wim Elfrink

Sat, 18 Jun 2011 11:52:26 +0530

would call it an evolution. I came here as a corporate entrepreneur with the objective to create a new campus, the second headquarter, to move from cost arbitrage to quality work to innovation and find some new business opportunities. We've achieved that. We delivered on our promise in moving 20 percent of the top executives here. What I leave behind is a mature leadership and market moving opportunities.

Coke Studio comes to India

Sat, 18 Jun 2011 11:48:08 +0530

Almost the first thing we asked Wasim Basir, Coke's director of marketing, was: What took you so long? He laughed. "There are a lot of reasons why now is the right time to bring it here, but I guess the best way to apologise for the delay is by giving you some great music!"

Reading made easy: Why just books libraries work

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 12:59:42 +0530

Sunder Rajan, founder of Just Books, is using technology to bring libraries back to the people.

Zip Up! - What's With Powerful Men and Sex?

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 12:42:42 +0530

But what is it about powerful positions that makes these men unzip their trousers outside their homes? Testosterone, excessive risk-taking, a feeling of invincibility and need for novelty, say psychiatrists and psychoanalysts.

Basic research is about agility

Wed, 08 Jun 2011 11:23:21 +0530

Rick Rashid Age: 59 Designation: Senior Vice-President, Research, Microsoft. Role: Has been heading Microsoft's research division since its inception in 1991. Walks the research tightrope of defending Microsoft's blockbuster product portfolio while creating disruptive new ones. Heads the Ph D army that is behind many of Microsoft's new successes - XBox, Windows Phone, Bing and Kinect. Prefers the serendipity of letting smart researchers go loose, than pinning everyone down with agendas.

In Bihar Cops Are the Problem, Not Goons

Wed, 08 Jun 2011 11:10:10 +0530

In May, Bihar saw its first ever conference on entrepreneurship. Gyaneshwar Pandey, operating for four years in Bihar, tells Forbes India what it is like to be an entrepreneur in a state that has the manpower, but not the mindset, yet.

Noida's new landlords

Tue, 07 Jun 2011 11:31:30 +0530

Since 2008, residents of the National Capital Region (NCR) have had to contend with a very annoying problem: Endless text messages about yet another upcoming real estate project in the Noida and Greater Noida region.

Don't get into the stock market now

Tue, 07 Jun 2011 11:18:24 +0530

Investing, much like contract bridge, is a loser's game which means that the best performers succeed by minimising their own errors and taking advantage of other people's mistakes. The behaviour of most investors today suggests that risk is not uppermost on their minds. Since future returns are driven by perceived risk, the equity market today is not priced for above average returns during the next 12 months. The Sisyphean lure of the mantra that higher risk means higher return is inescapable in the current risk-tolerant, fully valued investment landscape.

The $1 Trillion Paradox

Mon, 06 Jun 2011 03:12:43 +0530

Indian infrastructure remains one of the biggest opportunities for the next 10 years. Yet some of the best private entrepreneurs in the country are being denied a fair rate of return.

Tiger knows customers better: Pramod Bhasin

Mon, 06 Jun 2011 03:03:19 +0530

Pramod Bhasin Designation: President and CEO, Genpact Career: Founded Genpact in 1997. Prior to this, worked as an officer for GE Education:Chartered accountancy, London; Bachelor of Commerce from SRCC, Delhi University Interests: Loves to read and is an ardent cricket fan

A look back: A rich harvest

Fri, 27 May 2011 12:04:51 +0530

Ranjan Sharma is changing the way lakhs of farmers get credible information. In the process, his partners IFFCO and Airtel are increasing their reach in rural markets

Faith accompli: it's no longer good vs evil

Fri, 27 May 2011 11:58:38 +0530

No country lives with so many religions as India does. The founders of some of the greatest and oldest religions in the world walked this land. The conflict in the world today is between one man's belief and another's. It is not good versus evil as it is often projected to be.

Assam, don't hold your breath

Tue, 03 May 2011 11:23:26 +0530

In spite of successful elections, it's too early to declare that the troubled state is on the road to recovery. Here are signs that the Assam elections mark the beginning of a new phase in the state's politics.

It's Not About the Car: Mika Hakkinen

Thu, 28 Apr 2011 01:34:58 +0530

How you organise the Grand Prix for the fans, for the teams, for the drivers depends... this is your shot. I would not recommend a mentality that says, 'Oh we have a Grand Prix, that's nice'.

Mumbai: Municipal schools focus on better learning

Thu, 28 Apr 2011 01:26:00 +0530

The children, in blue and white uniforms, sit in groups of six, with their desks arranged in circles. They compare the sheets they hold and amid whispers and giggles, they tick off the right answers with pencils. This is how the students of Class 1 at the Hutatma Prabhakar Keluskar (HPK) Urdu Medium School 2 in Kurla answer their evaluation questions.

Why is Hillary peeping into Indian kitchens?

Thu, 07 Apr 2011 02:32:42 +0530

The US Secretary of State helped launch a global initiative to provide poor women with cleaner cookstoves. India is not convinced about the motives.

My Washington and Spanish food

Sat, 26 Mar 2011 12:02:32 +0530

I visit Washington D.C. at least once every quarter on business, for investor and government meetings. The most prominent landmark of the city is the Washington Monument which is an obelisk built in the 19th century in honour of the first US President, George Washington.

Letter from the editor: How to be a billionaire

Sat, 26 Mar 2011 11:48:48 +0530

This annual edition that you hold in your hands - referred to as the Billionaires Edition - is always worth waiting for. Over the years, it has emerged as the authoritative signpost of the wealth created by the biggest entrepreneurs around the world.

The Indian railways' carrier of shame

Fri, 25 Mar 2011 03:47:12 +0530

or those who regularly follow the Railway budgets, the contrast between the boastful optimism of former minister Lalu Prasad Yadav and the candid honesty of the incumbent, Mamata Banerjee, is unmistakable. Take, for instance, her confession on the excruciating shortage of goods wagons.

The explorers - Reliance and British Petroleum

Thu, 24 Mar 2011 12:35:55 +0530

Reliance helps BP break into its next frontier - India. In return, the company hopes to get an entry into energy's big league.

State elections: Gunning for the NRI vote

Thu, 24 Mar 2011 12:22:51 +0530

Expat Indians are permitted to vote in the upcoming Assembly elections. However, expecting them to fly down just for that may be too optimistic.

India's Middle-East challenge

Tue, 22 Mar 2011 11:05:36 +0530

The Arab World is in a state of flux. Leaders are going out, leaders are coming in. It is an opportunity for India to renew its ties to the region.

Are direct cash subsidies better?

Tue, 22 Mar 2011 10:04:53 +0530

After dithering on the matter for more than a decade, the government has announced that it will provide direct cash subsidy for fertiliser, kerosene and LPG. It will start by running a pilot based on the recommendations of a task force formed for this purpose, and headed by Nandan Nilekani. It is due to submit its report by June this year.

Spring is in, festivities too

Sat, 19 Mar 2011 02:52:32 +0530

Nature's rejuvenation after the winter cold is an excuse for festive indulgence.

Holding the foreign hand - FIIs in mutual funds

Sat, 19 Mar 2011 02:41:34 +0530

The floodgates might just have opened for the Indian mutual fund industry. Indian markets have always been considered to be very attractive for investors in developed markets, but mutual funds in India were never allowed to tap retail investors from abroad.

Greater expectations for plump increments

Fri, 18 Mar 2011 10:45:38 +0530

It's that time of the year when employees think of the future of their pay packets. And given the optimism in the air, they are expecting them to get plumper than last year's.

Documentary films pitching India to the world

Fri, 18 Mar 2011 10:32:12 +0530

Ally Derks remembers the day she was having a drink with Michael Moore in a small bar in Washington D.C. in 1989. Moore had just made Roger and Me, a searing documentary on the economic devastation of Flint, Michigan, after General Motors shut its plant there leaving thousands of workers jobless overnight.

The human factor - an interview with Homi Bhabha

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 10:50:06 +0530

Within the circles of literary theory, he is arguably as talked about as his atomic scientist namesake. Homi K. Bhabha is the Anne F. Rothenberg professor of the Humanities, the director of the Humanities Center at Harvard and author of many publications on cultural and literary theory.

Magic Bullets to keep you in shape?

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 10:41:28 +0530

"I like magic bullets," Dr. Rox Anderson declared while describing the latest fat dissolving technology that he invented. Apparently so do you. In response to my previous column on the types of fats we have in the body, readers wrote asking for more ways to quickly lose weight.

At Air India, the New Order Changeth

Wed, 16 Mar 2011 12:03:48 +0530

When Austrian Gustav Baldauf, a former pilot with 14,000 hours of flying experience, took over as chief operating officer at Air India in the troubled times of 2008, many thought it was the turning point that the beleaguered airline had been waiting for.

The Real Meaning of Pranab Mukherjee’s Plan

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 06:39:19 +0530

Before Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee presented the Union Budget for 2011-12, many political observers felt that he may just use it as an opportunity to shore up the government's diminishing equity.

BBC Hindi's Last Broadcast

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 06:04:22 +0530

When BBC said it will close down its Hindi service it led to such an outcry among its fans in India that the broadcaster was forced to retract its decision.

Manmohan Singh - The Feeble Patriarch

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 05:41:58 +0530

In a disarming and seemingly innocuous tone, the prime minister of the world's largest democracy tried to achieve the impossible in his chat with editors on February 16, in the middle of the worst crisis of confidence that his government has faced in its second term. He both accepted and denied responsibility for corruption in his government in that one sentence, adding fuel to an already raging fire.

Experts don't always read the stock market right

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 10:58:37 +0530

hough few are willing to accept that experts can often be as clueless as a novice in the markets, experts err predictably and often under conditions of uncertainty.

The B-Town Doctors: Big Hospitals In Small Towns

Sun, 27 Feb 2011 03:42:09 +0530

Hospitals are creating segments in tier II cities for patients and profits.

Beyond the Nile: Egypt

Sun, 27 Feb 2011 03:33:49 +0530

Egypt is perhaps one of the most documented regions of the world.

E-Reader: Kindle 3G

Sat, 26 Feb 2011 12:32:09 +0530

It's not a tablet, but if your main interest in buying a tablet is to read, you'd be foolish to ignore the Amazon Kindle. This new one is 21 percent smaller than its predecessor and at 241g the most portable device here.

Should have responded to innovation sooner: Ravi

Sat, 26 Feb 2011 11:56:04 +0530

Ravi Venkatesan, outgoing chairman of Microsoft India, tells Forbes India that his biggest regret is that he will not be a part of the big wave that will hit India in the next 18 months.

B-Town Doctors: Big Hospitals In Small Towns

Fri, 25 Feb 2011 11:28:34 +0530

Hospitals are creating segments in tier II cities for patients and profits. While big chains have the muscle, small entrants have a niche.

Beyond the Nile: Egypt

Fri, 25 Feb 2011 11:07:08 +0530

Egypt is perhaps one of the most documented regions of the world. But there's always something more to a place.

Indian Railways face a massive finance crunch

Thu, 24 Feb 2011 10:52:08 +0530

When Mamata Banerjee presents the Railway budget in Feb, the mood is likely to be sombre.

Jaipur: The Hub For Dental Tourism

Fri, 18 Feb 2011 10:03:49 +0530

In search of cheap, reliable treatment, foreign tourists are combining sightseeing with doctor's appointments in Jaipur.

The fats of life: What weight should you lose?

Fri, 18 Feb 2011 02:30:25 +0530

Fat is not just a bland storage depot but also an active source of signaling proteins.

Bhimsen Joshi: Voice that crossed the Vindhyas

Wed, 16 Feb 2011 10:50:41 +0530

Pandit Bhimsen Joshi is the male voice that transcended India's north-south musical divide and captured popular imagination.

Know your onions

Mon, 14 Feb 2011 08:18:03 +0530

Rising prices are threatening to put onions in the realm of the exotic.

Letter from the deputy editor: How to build a winning team

Mon, 14 Feb 2011 07:53:35 +0530

Rajasthan won the championship not merely on the field but through administrative reforms off the field as well.

Know Your Onions

Sat, 12 Feb 2011 12:29:42 +0530

The myths about onions have given them a place in the sun.

The slow death of the RTI Act

Fri, 11 Feb 2011 05:44:35 +0530

Pendency of RTI cases is growing gradually making it difficult to obtain information.

India Wants to Catch the Nanoelectronics Revolution

Wed, 09 Feb 2011 04:34:07 +0530

India realises it can't afford to miss the unfolding revolution in nanoelectronics.

Book Review: Perfecting Sound Forever

Wed, 09 Feb 2011 01:07:45 +0530

Review of Greg Milner's latest book 'Perfecting Sound Forever - The Story of Recorded Music'.

Discovering the Internet through social networks

Tue, 08 Feb 2011 05:51:21 +0530

On the Internet, however, search has long been the predominant way of finding information. Because of the sheer number of Web sites, search engines have traditionally been the lens through which users narrowed down answers from the billions to the tens or hundreds.

Faces that've made India

Fri, 04 Feb 2011 05:16:20 +0530

Raghu Rai, India's living photographic legend's latest book has the best of India captured.

Faces that have made India

Fri, 04 Feb 2011 12:08:27 +0530

Photographic legend Raghu Rai brings together entralling images in his latest book.

Bribeless in Bihar

Fri, 04 Feb 2011 11:41:35 +0530

Bureaucrats in India's most corrupt state are facing the heat from their own CM.

Intel gets another shot at the Indian consumer

Fri, 28 Jan 2011 03:25:45 +0530

Intel new hand held device could now revolutionise banking in villages.

Learning from the past: Market trends

Fri, 28 Jan 2011 03:11:26 +0530

Retail investors have often been caught investing at the peak of bull markets.

Bindu Hari's six lessons for parents

Fri, 21 Jan 2011 04:50:29 +0530

Bindu Hari talks about how children can become the CEOs of their own lives.

Amarjeet Sinha: Regulation is not a bad word

Fri, 21 Jan 2011 04:42:33 +0530

Amarjeet Sinha says that public health cannot be left to the markets alone.

The Japanese city of Hamamatsu

Fri, 21 Jan 2011 04:25:44 +0530

Maruti Suzuki's I V Rao thinks shopping for electronics still makes sense.

Medical entrance in India faces a test

Fri, 21 Jan 2011 04:17:25 +0530

A single exam for medical admission will ensure that merit will not be sidelined.

Commodities: Back to barter

Fri, 21 Jan 2011 03:59:08 +0530

Commodities have entered the Indian investor's psyche opening up oppurtunities.

World Web Wars

Fri, 21 Jan 2011 03:48:24 +0530

A quick guide to the battles that shape cyberspace.

Dr Reddy's rejuvenation

Fri, 21 Jan 2011 03:36:55 +0530

Audacity pushed Dr Reddy' Lab from its perch as one of India's top drug makers.

Telangana: Divided we stand

Fri, 21 Jan 2011 03:30:19 +0530

Business in AP have reasons to worry after the fallout of the Srikrishna Report.

Trilochan Sastry gets to the heart of the matter

Fri, 21 Jan 2011 03:11:24 +0530

Trilochan Sastry, IIM-B dean, created a new co-operative model for farmers in AP.

Apollo's play in Europe

Fri, 21 Jan 2011 02:49:25 +0530

The Kanwars want Apollo to be among the top 10 tyre brands in Europe.

Jamming in February

Fri, 21 Jan 2011 01:58:34 +0530

The musicians, from dissimilar backgrounds and with different styles, will perform in Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Bangalore.

Free Hits: The Fight Over Indian Hockey

Fri, 21 Jan 2011 01:49:18 +0530

A disgraced national hockey body and its wannabe replacement are fighting it over for the rights to host an IPL-like league for India's national game.

Commodities: Back To Barter

Fri, 14 Jan 2011 12:08:34 +0530

Commodities have firmly entered the Indian investor's psyche. And the flood of liquidity expected in 2011 will open up an unprecedented opportunity.

Master Card: The UID Faces Opposition

Thu, 13 Jan 2011 05:34:20 +0530

The unique identity (UID) numbers being issued with much fanfare have no legal sanctity. This may surprise many who casually know about the UID scheme and believe it represents a progressive and transparent new India.

Art Market Is Back

Thu, 13 Jan 2011 05:24:39 +0530

After a gut-wrenching correction that has largely eliminated the wannabe money throwers, the art market is back on a surer footing.

Bullion: The White Revolution

Wed, 12 Jan 2011 05:10:34 +0530

Gold has shown all the signs of scaling new peaks, but still silver may outperform the yellow metal in 2011.

The X Chromosome: Women in the Workforce

Wed, 12 Jan 2011 04:59:18 +0530

Sylvia Ann Hewlett, economist, author, teacher and speaker tells Forbes India that women need new role models and should take risks to build a flourishing career.

Jindal's Steely Resolve

Fri, 07 Jan 2011 02:58:53 +0530

Sajjan Jindal's Ispat deal is the biggest consolidation move in the Indian steel industry. His next challenge: Make the company profitable in a year.

Fixed Income: The 3 'I's Of Investing

Fri, 07 Jan 2011 02:51:05 +0530

Inflation and interest rates make fixed income an attractive option in the New Year.

Private Equity: Pricing Imagination

Thu, 06 Jan 2011 10:45:50 +0530

The private equity scene has made a decisive turnaround and HNIs are pouring money in decade-long bets.

Oh for the perfect potato: McDonalds in India

Thu, 06 Jan 2011 10:28:17 +0530

Soon after setting shop in India, McDonalds' Vikram Bakshi knew he had a problem - the signature French Fries weren't right. It took him nine years and several experiments to get it right.

2011: 10 stocks we recommend you invest in

Tue, 04 Jan 2011 10:45:44 +0530

At a growth rate of 4-5 pc, agriculture is expected to play a crucial role in GDP growth.

The time for cloud computing has arrived

Tue, 14 Dec 2010 01:20:22 +0530

This might appear like a cheap trick till you find out that he has managed to reduce IndiaInfoline's annual IT costs by a factor of five in a time span when the company's revenues increased 36 percent. What's more, his boys in the IT department are no longer procurement experts whose claim to fame is to know the ways of organisational bureaucracy. They are, if you allow for a little exaggeration, much like commodity traders. They scour for events when the need for computing power will surge and buy it just before the spike.

Foodgrains - Stemming the Rot

Sat, 11 Dec 2010 03:26:43 +0530

Increased private sector involvement in warehousing could halve the amount of grains that gets wasted.

How The PDS Is Changing in Chattisgarh

Sat, 11 Dec 2010 02:44:37 +0530

The Chhattisgarh model offers some key lessons on how to make the public distribution system deliver.

Book Review: Somebody Else's Century

Thu, 09 Dec 2010 12:52:54 +0530

The book discusses the post-western world with a focus on China, India and Japan.