JRD Tata

Born: Jul29,1904
Died: onNovember29,1993
Achievements: He had the honor of being India's first pilot; was Chairman of Tata & Sons for 50 years; launched Air
India International as India's first international airline; received Bharat Ratna in 1992.

JRD Tata was one of the most enterprising Indian entrepreneurs. He was a pioneer aviator and built one of the
largest industrial houses of India.

JRD Tata was born on July 29, 1904 in Paris. His mother was a French, while his father was Parsi. JRD's full name
was Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata and he was popularly known as Jeh to his friends. JRD's father Ratanji
Dadabhoy Tata and Sri Jamsetji Tata shared their greatness from the same great-great-grandfather, Ervad
Jamsheed Tata, a priest of Navsari.

JRD Tata was the second of four children. He was educated in France, Japan and England before being drafted into
the French army for a mandatory one-year period. JRD wanted to extend his service in the forces but destiny had
something else in store for him. By leaving the French army JRD's life was saved because shortly thereafter, the
regiment in which he served was totally wiped out during an expedition in Morocco.

JRD Tata joined Tata & Sons as an unpaid apprentice in 1925. He has great interest in flying. On February 10, 1929,
JRD became the first Indian to pass the pilot's examination. With this distinctive honor of being India's first pilot, he
was instrumental in giving wings to India by building Tata Airlines, which ultimately became Air India. His passion for
flying was fulfilled with the formation of the Tata Aviation Service in 1932.

In 1938, at the age of 34, JRD was elected Chairman of Tata & Sons making him the head of the largest industrial
group in India. He started with 14 enterprises under his leadership and half a century later on July 26, 1988, when he
left , Tata & Sons was a conglomerate of 95 enterprises which they either started or in which they had controlling
interest.

JRD was the trustee of Sir Dorabji Tata Trust from its inception in 1932, which remained under his wings for over half
a century. Under his guidance, this Trust established Asia's first cancer hospital, the Tata Memorial Center for
Cancer, Research and Treatment, Bombay, 1941. It also founded the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, 1936 (TISS),
the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, 1945 (TIFR), and the National Center for Performing Arts.

In 1948, JRD Tata launched Air India International as India's first international airline. In 1953, the Indian Government
appointed JRD as Chairman of Air-India and a director on the Board of Indian Airlines-a position JRD retained for 25-
years. For his crowning achievements in Aviation, JRD was bestowed with the title of Honorary Air Commodore of
India.

In 1956, JRD Tata initiated a program of closer "employee association with management" to give workers a stronger
voice in the affairs of the company. He firmly believed in employee welfare and espoused the principles of an eight-
hour working day, free medical aid, workers' provident scheme, and workmen's accident compensation schemes,
which were later, adopted as statutory requirements in India.

JRD Tata cared greatly for his workers. In 1979, Tata Steel instituted a new practice; a worker is deemed to be "at
work" from the moment he leaves home for work till he returns home from work. The company is financially liable to
the worker if any mishap takes place on the way to and from work. Tata Steel Township was also selected as a UN
Global Compact City because of the quality of life, conditions of sanitation, roads and welfare that were offered by
Tata Steel.

JRD Tata received a number of awards. He received the Padma Vibhushan in 1957 on the eve of silver jubilee of Air
India. He also received the Guggenheim Medal for aviation in 1988. In 1992, because of his selfless humanitarian
endeavors, JRD Tata was awarded India's highest civilian honor, the Bharat Ratna-one of the rarest instances in
which this award was granted during a person's lifetime. In the same year, JRD Tata was also bestowed with the
United Nations Population Award for his crusading endeavors towards initiating and successfully implementing the
family planning movement in India, much before it became an official government policy.

JRD Tata died in Geneva, Switzerland on November 29, 1993 at the age of 89. On his death, the Indian Parliament
was adjourned in his memory-an honor not usually given to persons who are not Members of Parliament.
Dhirubhai Ambani

Born: December28,1932
Died: July6,2002
Achievements: Dhiru Bhai Ambani built India's largest private sector company. Created an equity cult in the Indian
capital market. Reliance is the first Indian company to feature in Forbes 500 list

Dhirubhai Ambani was the most enterprising Indian entrepreneur. His life journey is reminiscent of the rags to riches
story. He is remembered as the one who rewrote Indian corporate history and built a truly global corporate group.

Dhirubhai Ambani alias Dhirajlal Hirachand Ambani was born on December 28, 1932, at Chorwad, Gujarat, into a
Modh family. His father was a school teacher. Dhirubhai Ambani started his entrepreneurial career by selling
"bhajias" to pilgrims in Mount Girnar over the weekends.

After doing his matriculation at the age of 16, Dhirubhai moved to Aden, Yemen. He worked there as a gas-station
attendant, and as a clerk in an oil company. He returned to India in 1958 with Rs 50,000 and set up a textile trading
company.

Assisted by his two sons, Mukesh and Anil, Dhiru Bhai Ambani built India's largest private sector company, Reliance
India Limited, from a scratch. Over time his business has diversified into a core specialisation in petrochemicals with
additional interests in telecommunications, information technology, energy, power, retail, textiles, infrastructure
services, capital markets, and logistics.

Dhirubhai Ambani is credited with shaping India's equity culture, attracting millions of retail investors in a market till
then dominated by financial institutions. Dhirubhai revolutionised capital markets. From nothing, he generated billions
of rupees in wealth for those who put their trust in his companies. His efforts helped create an 'equity cult' in the
Indian capital market. With innovative instruments like the convertible debenture, Reliance quickly became a favorite
of the stock market in the 1980s.

In 1992, Reliance became the first Indian company to raise money in global markets, its high credit-taking in
international markets limited only by India's sovereign rating. Reliance also became the first Indian company to
feature in Forbes 500 list.

Dhirubhai Ambani was named the Indian Entrepreneur of the 20th Century by the Federation of Indian Chambers of
Commerce and Industry (FICCI). A poll conducted by The Times of India in 2000 voted him "greatest creator of
wealth in the century".

Dhirubhai Ambani died on July 6, 2002, at Mumbai.

Jamsetji Tata

Born On: March 3, 1839

Born In: Navsari, Gujarat, India
Died On: May 19, 1904
Occupation: Industrialist, Entrepreneur
Nationality: Indian

Whenever we think of the name Jamsetji Tata, we think of the expansive Tata Group of companies which continue to
rule the industrial world of India till today. Jamsetji Tata founded the vast industrial empire that has received an
identity today all over the world. Jamsetji Tata belonged to a trading family and business ran in his blood, therefore it
was quite natural that he chose to be a businessman very early in his life. However, little did anybody know that
Jamsetji Tata would be successful in redefining the concept of industries in India and would be listed in the pages of
history as the 'Father of Indian Industry'!

Early Life
Born as Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata on March 3, 1839, Jamsetji Tata was the son of Nusserwanji Tata, the only
businessman in a Parsi family that earned its living as Zoroastrian priests. Along with his wife Jeevanbai Tata,
Nusserwanji Tata had moved out of his family to carry on his passion of business in Bombay. Nusserwanji Tata
started off as a small trader, but nevertheless did quite well. Jamsetji Tata completed his graduation at Elphinstone
College in Bombay, where he was known as such a bright student that the principal decided to refund Jamsetji Tata's
fees once he completed his degree. Jamsetji Tata took up trading at a very early age of 14, a time when he was still
studying. Since child marriage was practiced during those days, the future business tycoon got married at the tender
age of sixteen to the ten year old Hirabai Daboo.

He graduated from college in 1858 and joined his father's trading firm. It was a turbulent time to step into business as
the Indian Rebellion of 1857 had just been suppressed by the British government.

Career As A Businessman
Though Jamestji Tata started off working ever since he was 14, his real contribution came only after he had
graduated in 1858. He became actively involved in his father's export business at a time when the business scenario
in India was far from prosperous, largely because of the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, which had been suppressed by the
British Raj and had taken India by storm. Nevertheless, Nusserwanji Tata sent his son on a trip to Hong Kong in 1859
to expand his business interests there, a work that Jamsetji Tata completed successfully. Jamsetji Tata remained in
Hong Kong for the next four years, trying to fulfill and realize his father's dream of setting up a branch of the Tata &
Co. office there. The establishment of the new Tata & Co. office in Hong Kong was the beginning of the expansion of
the Tata empire throughout Asia and the first step towards the creation of Tata & Sons.

By the year 1863, there were Tata offices not only in Hong Kong, but also in Japan and China. Following the huge
business success in Asia, Jamsetji Tata now traveled to Europe, but unlike in Asia, he faced with a drawback in the
initial stages. Part of Jamsetji Tata's aims in visiting England, apart from increasing the number of contacts for his
father's export business based in India, was to establish an Indian Bank in London. This project, however, proved
highly unsuccessful for the Tatas because it was not a favorable time for the banking sector, with a financial crisis
hitting the markets in several parts of India. The Tata companies in India and all over Asia faced huge monetary loss
after the failure of the establishment of the Indian bank.

Later Stages of Career

Jamsetji Tata worked with his father until the age of 29, after which he started a trading company of his own. This
was in the year 1868, following which Jamsetji Tata gradually acquired and established several cotton mills of his
own. The Empress Mill set up in Nagpur in 1874 brought Jamsetji Tata huge amounts of money. The name of the mill
was so inspired after Queen Victoria became the Empress Of India. The mills made large amounts of profit, but were
thereafter sold off by Jamsetji Tata for a higher sum of money. Jamsetji Tata's cotton mills produced cloth which were
used in India and also exported to countries of Japan, Korea, China and several parts of the Middle East. The mills
were largely established to satisfy Jamsetji Tata's business acumen, but it may be recalled that the Dharamsi cotton
mill which was later renamed to Swadeshi cotton mill kept the nationalistic sentiment in mind and made use of only
Indian products, particularly promoting the non-use of British raw material.

Just like it is today, even in the pre-independent era, Jamsetji Tata made it a point to look after the best interests of
the workers in Tata & Sons. The Tata companies were then also known to provide the best working atmosphere for
its workers. Policies which were unheard of during those times, like medical facilities for the sick and for women with
children, provision of pensions, accident compensations and on the job training, were a part of the companies owned
by Jamsetji Tata. It was Jamsetji Tata who appealed to the Japanese Steam Navigation Company to reduce freight
charges, a factor which was largely diminishing his profits. Though it was for the benefit for the entire nation, Jamsetji
Tata made it a point to spend his own money to get the case solved when his demands led to huge upheavals in
Japan. Eventually, Jamsetji Tata did emerge successful in reducing freight charges and thereby increasing profits for
Indian traders.

Business Legacy
The cotton mills did satisfy his business acumen, but to remain stuck on the production of cloth was not the aim of
Jamsetji Tata. His vision was to establish an iron and steel plant, a world class hotel, a learning institution and a
hydro electric power project. Among his four wishes, only the second was fulfilled during Jamsetji Tata's lifetime when
the Taj Mahal Hotel was established on December 3, 1903. In 1901, Jamsetji Tata traveled to Europe and America to
educate himself on the making of steel. In addition, he made it a point to educate himself on the latest technological
progress that had taken place over the years all around the world so that he may use it for the betterment of the
industries under Tata & Sons. Sadly, Jamsetji Tata could not stay alive to realize his dream of establishing an iron
and steel plant in India.

Death
Jamsetji Tata breathed his last on May 19, 1904. He was the sole inspiration behind a group that today is one of the
biggest industries of not only India but of the world also.

Legacy
Post Jamshetji Tata's death, The Tata Group was succeeded by his two sons, Dorabji Tata and Ratanji Tata. One of
the most affluent, prosperous and well-to-do organizations, the Tata Group is today amongst the largest and most
respected companies of the world. A pioneer of his field, the vision and aim of Jamsetji Tata came to life with time as
his family gave wings to each of his dream projects. In fact, such was his contribution that the city of Jamshedpur in
Jhakhand is today popularly known as Tatanagar, because of the many facilities that the group has endowed the city
with. Today, the group boasts of being the founder of projects like Tata Steel, the Indian Institute of Science, the Tata
Power Company Limited, the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research and many
more.

Timeline
1839: Jamsetji Tata was born on March 3.
1853: He married Hirabai Daboo.
1858: Joined his father's trade firm.
1868: Established his first independent company.
1874: Set up the Empress Mill.
1901: Traveled to Europe and America to receive education on making of steel.
1903: Established the Taj Mahal Hotel.
1904: Died on May 19.
Adi Godrej

Achievements: Chairman of Godrej Group

Adi Godrej is one of the icons of Indian Industry. He is the chairman of Godrej Group. .Adi Godrej was born in a
business family. His father's name was Burjorji Godrej and his mother's name was Jai Godrej. More than a century
age, the Godrej's were into manufacturing locks and vegetable-based soaps. The Godrej products were among the
first indigenously manufactured products to displace entrenched foreign brands.

Adi Godrej left India at the age of 17 to enroll at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Though he planned to
study mechanical engineering but he later on switched to management. After his return to India, Adi Godrej joined the
family business. He modernized and systematized management structures and implemented process improvements.
Adi Godrej took the Godrej Group to great height during controlled economy era.

After the liberalization process, Adi Godrej restructured company's policies to meet the challenges of globalisation. In
the early 2000s, the Group completed a 10-year restructuring process through which each business became a stand-
alone company with a CEO/COO from outside the Godrej family.

Under Adi Godrej's leadership, the group is also involved in philanthropic activities. Godrej is major supporter of the
World Wildlife Fund in India, it has developed a green business campus in the Vikhroli township of Mumbai, which
includes a 150-acre mangrove forest and a school for the children of company employees.
Anil Amban

Born: June4,1959
Achievement: Chairman of Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group; Chosen as the 'CEO of the Year 2004' in the Platts Global
Energy Awards and MTV Youth Icon of the Year' in September 2003

Anil Ambani is one of the foremost entrepreneurs of Independent India. He is the Chairman of Anil Dhirubhai Ambani
Group. Earlier, before the split in the Reliance Group, Anil Ambani held the post of Vice Chairman and Managing
Director in Reliance Industries Limited (RIL).

Born on June 4, 1959, Anil Ambani did his Bachelors in Science from the University of Bombay and Masters in
Business Administration The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Anil Ambani joined Reliance in 1983 as Co-Chief Executive Officer. He pioneered India Inc's forays into overseas
capital markets with international public offerings of global depository receipts, convertibles and bonds. Starting from
1991, he led Reliance in its efforts to raise, around US$2 billion from overseas financial markets. In January 1997, the
100-year Yankee bond issue was launched under his stewardship.

After the split in Reliance Group, Anil Ambani founded Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group. He is the Chairman of all listed
Group companies, which include: Reliance Communications, Reliance Capital, Reliance Energy and Reliance Natural
Resources Limited.

Anil Ambai was elected as an independent member Rajya Sabha MP in June 2004. But he resigned voluntarily on
March 25, 2006.

Anil Ambani has won several awards and honours. Major among these include: 'CEO of the Year 2004' in the Platts
Global Energy Awards, 'MTV Youth Icon of the Year' in September 2003, 'The Entrepreneur of the Decade Award' by
the Bombay Management Association, and 'Businessman of the Year Award' by leading Business Magazine,
Business India in 1997.
Dr. K. Anji Reddy

Achievements: Founder-chairman of Dr Reddy's Group of Companies; Awarded with Padma Shri in 2001.

Dr. K. Anji Reddy is a pioneer in the pharmaceutical research in India and is founder-chairman of Dr Reddy's Group
of Companies.

Dr Kallam Anji Reddy did his B.Sc in Pharmaceuticals and Fine chemicals from Bombay University and subsequently
completed his PhD in Chemical Engineering from National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, in 1969. Dr. K. Anji Reddy
served in PSU Indian Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Limited from 1969 to 1975. Dr. Reddy was the founder-Managing
Director of Uniloids Ltd from 1976 to 1980 and Standard Organics Limited from 1980 to 1984.

In 1984, Dr. K. Anji Reddy founded Dr. Reddy's Laboratories and soon the company established new benchmarks in
the Indian Pharmaceutical industry. Dr. Reddy's Laboratories transformed Indian bulk drug industry from import-
dependent in mid-80s to self-reliant in mid-90s and finally into the export-oriented industry that it is presently. In 1993,
Dr. Reddy's became the first company to take up drug discovery research in India and in April 2001 it became the
first non-Japanese Asian pharmaceutical company to list on NYSE. By the end of fiscal year 2005, Dr. Reddy's
Laboratories was India's second largest pharmaceutical company and the youngest among its peer group.

Presently, Dr. Reddy is a serving member of the Prime Minister's Council on Trade & Industry, Government of India,
and has been nominated to the Board of National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER).

Dr. K. Anji Reddy is also a philanthropist. He is the founder-Chairman of Dr. Reddy's Foundation for Human & Social
Development, a social arm of Dr. Reddy's, which acts as a catalyst of change to achieve sustainable development.

Dr. K. Anji Reddy has received many awards and honors. These include Sir PC Ray award (conferred twice, in 1984
and 1992); Federation of Asian Pharmaceutical Associations (FAPA)'s FAPA-Ishidate Award for Pharmaceutical
Research in 1998; leading business magazine Business India voted him Businessman of the Year in 2001;
CHEMTECH Foundation bestowed on him the Achiever of the Year award in the year 2000 and the 'Hall of Fame'
award in 2005, for his Entrepreneurship, Leadership and thrust on Innovation; and in 2001, he was awarded the
Padma Shri by the Government of India.
Azim Premji

Born: July 24, 1945

Achievements: Chairman of Wipro Technologies; Richest Indian for the past several years; Honored with Padma
Bhushan in 2005.

Azim Premji is Chairman of Wipro Technologies, one of the largest software companies in India. He is an icon among
Indian businessmen and his success story is a source of inspiration to a number of budding entrepreneurs.

Born on July 24, 1945, Azim Hashim Premji was studying Electrical Engineering from Stanford University, USA when
due to the sudden demise of his father, he was called upon to handle the family business. Azim Premji took over the
reins of family business in 1966 at the age of 21.

At the first annual general meeting of the company attended by Azeem Premji, a shareholder doubted Premji's ability
to handle business at such a young age and publicly advised him to sell his shareholding and give it to a more mature
management. This spurred Azim Premji and made him all the more determined to make Wipro a success story. And
the rest is history.

When Azim Premji occupied the hot seat, Wipro dealt in hydrogenated cooking fats and later diversified to bakery
fats, ethnic ingredient based toiletries, hair care soaps, baby toiletries, lighting products and hydraulic cylinders.
Thereafter Premji made a focused shift from soaps to software.

Under Azim Premji's leadership Wipro has metamorphosed from a Rs.70 million company in hydrogenated cooking
fats to a pioneer in providing integrated business, technology and process solutions on a global delivery platform.
Today, Wipro Technologies is the largest independent R&D service provider in the world.

Azim Premji has several achievements to his credit. In 2000, Asiaweek magazine, voted Premji among the 20 most
powerful men in the world. Azim Premji was among the 50 richest people in the world from 2001 to 2003 listed by
Forbes. In April 2004, Times Magazine, rated him among the 100 most influential people in the world by Time
magazine. He is also the richest Indian for the past several years. In 2005,Government of India honored Azim Premji
with Padma Bhushan.
Bhai Mohan Singh

Born: December30,1917
Achievement: Founder of pharmaceutical giant Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd; Awarded with Padma Shri

Bhai Mohan Singh can be called as the doyen of pharmaceutical industry in India. He is the founder of
pharmaceutical giant Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd.

Bhai Mohan Singh was born on December 30, 1917 in Rawalpindi district. His father Bhai Gyan Chand was a Hindu
and his mother Sunder Dai was a Sikh. Bhai Mohan Singh began his business career in the construction business
during the Second World War. His firm bagged a contract to build roads in the North East. After Partition, he left
Rawalpindi and settled down in New Delhi.

Bhai Mohan Singh started business as a moneylender. Ranbaxy was started by his cousins Ranjit Singh and Gurbax
Singh. Ranbaxy's name was a fusion of Ranjit and Gurbax's names. They were distributors for A. Shionogi, a
Japanese pharmaceutical company manufacturing vitamins and anti-TB drugs. When Ranbaxy defaulted on a loan,
Bhai Mohan Singh bought the company on August 1, 1952, for Rs 2.5 lakh.

Bhai Mohan Singh collaborated with Italian pharma company Lapetit Spa and later on bought it. Bhai Mohan Singh
made his mark in the pharmaceuticals industry in the late 1960s when he launched his first superbrand, Calmpose.

Calmpose was an imitation of Roche's valium. But Roche had not patented it in India. In early 1970s when Indian
adopted a regime of process patents in the Bhai Mohan Singh quickly realised that one could make any product in
the world through reverse engineering. He established an R&D facility at Mohali and launched one blockbuster pill
after the other, such as Roscillin, Cifran etc.

Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd went public in 1973. At this time Bhai Mohan Singh introduced his eldest son Parvinder
Singh in the company, who later on became the company's Managing Director in 1982. Bhai Mohan Singh also co-
founded Max India with his youngest son, Analjit Singh.

With liberalisation differences arose between Bhai Mohan Singh and Parvinder Singh over the expansion and
professionalisation strategy of Ranbaxy. Subsequently, in 1999 in a boardroom coup of sorts Bhai Mohan Singh was
forced to bow down and Parvider took over the company. This broke Bhai Mohan Singh's spirit and he retired from
active company affairs. He died on March 27, 2006.

Bhai Mohan Singh was a former vice president of the New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) and was awarded
the Padma Shri for his contribution in civic matters. For his contribution to the industrial development of Punjab, the
Punjab Goverment had named an Industrial Township near Ropar after Bhai Mohan Singh.
B.M. Munjal

Achievement: Chairman of the Hero Group; Honored with Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2001

B.M. Munjal (Brij Mohan Lall Munjal) is the Chairman of the Hero Group. He is a first generation entrepreneur who
started very small and through sheer hard work and perseverance made it to the top. Today, Hero Group is the
largest manufacturer of two-wheelers in the world and Brij Mohan Lal Munjal is the man widely credited with its
success.

B.M. Munjal's journey began in 1944 at the age of 20. Brij Mohanlall along with his three brothers, Dayanand (32),
Satyanand (27) and Om Prakash (16) moved from his birthplace Kamalia in Pakistan to Amritsar. The brothers
started supplying components to the local bicycle business. After partition in 1947, the family was forced to move to
Ludhiana. The town of Ludhiana was already a major hub of the Indian bicycle business and an important textile
center. The Munjals slowly spread their bicycle component distribution network in other parts of the country and
became one of India's largest bicycle parts suppliers. In 1952 Munjals made a shift from supplying to manufacturing.
They started manufacturing handlebars, front forks and chains.

In 1956, the Punjab state government announced the issue of twelve new industrial licenses to make bicycles in
Ludhiana. The Munjal brothers cashed on this opportunity. Helped by the Punjab government financing of Rs 600,000
to supplement their own limited capital resources, the Munjals set up Hero Cycles. Hero Cycles was registered as a
'large-scale industrial unit' and it initially produced 7,500 units per year.

Soon Hero Cycles started giving well-established players such as Raleigh, Hind Cycles, and Atlas Cycles a run for
their money. The hero cycle was comparatively cheaper and was sturdy and reliable. It gave the customers value for
their money.

In January 1984, Japan's Honda, the world's largest manufacturer of motorcycles, elicited interest in collaborating
with the Hero Group to manufacture motor cycles in India. An agreement was signed and on 13 April 1985, the first
Hero Honda motorbike was rolled out. Today, the company is the largest manufacturer of motorcycles in the world.

For his outstanding contribution to the success of Hero Group, B.M. Munjal was honored with Ernst & Young's
Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2001.
Ekta Kapoor

Born: June 7, 1975

Achievement: Creative Director of Balaji Telefilms; Awarded with Ernst & Young (E&Y) Startup Entrepreneur Of The
Year award in 2001.

Ekta Kapoor can be aptly called as the reigning queen of Indian television industry. The serials produced by her
company Balaji Telefilms are a great hit with the masses and are dominating all the major T.V. channels in India.

Born on June 7, 1975, Ekta Kapoor is daughter of former Bollywood superstar Jeetendra and sister of current
Bollywood hero Tusshar Kapoor. Ekta Kapoor did her schooling from Bombay Scottish School and later on joined
Mithibai College. She was not interested in academics and on the advice of her father ventured into TV-serial
production at the age of 19. And soon she changed the face of Indian television industry and completely dominated
it.

Today, Ekta Kapoor is the creative director of Balaji Telefilms. Her company has produced more than 25 serials and
each one is being shown, on an average, four times a week on different television channels. Ekta Kapoor's serials
have captured the imagination of masses. She broken all previous records of TV serial production and popularity in
India. Her most famous television venture has been "Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi" which began in 2000 and is
still leading the TRP ratings in India. Her other famous serials include "Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki", "Kahiin To Hoga",
"Kavyanjali", "Kyaa Hoga Nimmo Kaa", "Kasamh Se", "Kahin Kisii Roz", "Kasautii Zindagi Kay", "Kkusum", "Kutumb",
"Kalash", and "Kundali".

For her entrepreneurial skills and achievements Ekta Kapoor was awarded with Ernst & Young (E&Y) Startup
Entrepreneur Of The Year award in 2001.
Ghanshyam Das Birla

Born: April10,1894
Achievement: Laid the foundations of the Birla Empire; founder of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce
and Industry (FICCI).

Ghanshyam Das Birla is considered as a doyen of Indian Industry. He was the man who laid the foundations of the
Birla Empire. G.D. Birla was a multi-faceted personality. He was a close associate of Mahatma Gandhi and advised
Gandhiji on economic policies. He was the most important pre-Independence contributor to the Indian National
Congress. Ghanshyam Das Birla was the founder of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry
(FICCI). He is also popularly known as the builder of Birla Mandirs.

Born on April 10, 1894, G.D. Birla, was a native of Pilani. His grandfather Shiv Narayan Birla was a traditional
marwari moneylender. Ghanshyam Das Birla entered the business arena during the time of First World War. He
established a cotton mill in Sabzi Mandi, and later on established Keshoram Cotton Mills. Along with cotton mills he
diversified to jute business and shifted his base to Calcutta city in Bengal, the world's largest jute producing region.
He established Birla Jute Mills in Bengal, much to the consternation of established European merchants.

In 1919, with an investment of Rs. 50 lakhs, the Birla Brothers Limited was formed and a mill was set up in Gwalior.
In 1930s, G.D. Birla set up Sugar and Paper mills. In 1940s, he ventured into the territory of cars and established
Hindustan Motors. After independence, Ghanshyam Das Birla invested in tea and textiles through a series of
acquisitions of erstwhile European companies. He also expanded and diversified into cement, chemicals, rayon and
steel tubes.

Ghanshyam Das Birla also founded several educational institutions. Birla Institute of Technology and Sciences (BITS)
Pilani has today evolved into one of India's best engineering schools. He also established many temples,
planetariums, and hospitals. Ghanshyam Das Birla died in 1983 at the age of 90. In his honour, G.D. Birla award for
scientific Research has been established to encourage scientists for their contribution in the various fields of scientific
Research.
Karsanbhai Patel

Achievement: Man behind the hugely successful brand, Nirma.

Karsanbhai Patel is the man behind the hugely successful brand, Nirma. His' is a legendary rags to riches journey
during which he shattered established business theories and rewrote new ones.

Karsanbhai Khodidas Patel (K.K. Patel) came from a humble farmer family from Mehsana, Gujarat. He worked as
Lab Assistant in the Geology and Mining Department of the Government of Gujarat. In 1969, at the age of 25, Karsan
Bhai Patel started a small-scale enterprise. He offered a quality detergent powder, using indigenous technology, at a
third of the prevailing price, without compromising on the product. Karsanbhai named the detergent powder Nirma
after daughter Nirupama.

At that time domestic detergent market was limited only to premium segment and was dominated by MNCs.
Karsanbhai Patel started door-to-door selling of Nirma and priced it at Rs. 3 per kg. The next available cheapest
brand in the market at that time was Rs.13 per kg. Nirma revolutionized the whole detergent powder segment and in
a short span of time created an entirely new market segment in the domestic detergent sector market. It gave the
bigger established brands a run for their money and soon occupied the top market share. To add to all this, Nirma
was made of an innovative formulation, which global detergent giants were later on compelled to emulate, it was
phosphate free and hence environment friendly, and the process of manufacturing was labour intensive, which
offered large scale employment.

Karsanbhai notched up one success after another. After establishing its leadership in economy-priced detergents,
Nirma foray into the premium brand segment, in cakes and detergents was equally successful. It built up a 30%
market share in the premium detergent segment and achieved a greater than 20% share in the premium soaps
market.

Karsanbhai Patel has won many accolades on his way to success. The Federation of Association of Small Scale
Industries of India, New Delhi, awarded him with the 'Udyog Ratna'. The Gujarat Chamber of Commerce felicitated
him as an 'Outstanding Industrialist of the Eighties'. The Govt. of India twice appointed him Chairman of the
Development Council for Oils, Soaps & Detergents.
Kiran Mazumdar Shaw

Born: March 23, 1953

Achievement: Chairman & Managing Director of Biocon Ltd; Felicitated with Padmashri (1989) and Padma Bhushan
(2005).

Kiran Mazumdar Shaw is the Chairman & Managing Director of Biocon Ltd, India's biggest biotechnology company.
In 2004, she became India's richest woman.

Kiran Mazumdar Shaw was born on March 23, 1953 in Bangalore. She had her schooling at Bishop Cotton Girls
School and Mount Carmel College at Bangalore. After doing completing her B.Sc. in Zoology from Bangalore
University in 1973, she went to Ballarat University in Melbourne, Australia and qualified as a master brewer.

Kiran Mazumdar Shaw started her professional career as trainee brewer in Carlton & United Beverages in 1974. In
1978, she joined as Trainee Manager with Biocon Biochemicals Limited in Ireland. In the same year, Kiran Mazumdar
Shaw founded Biocon India in collaboration with Biocon Biochemicals Limited, with a capital of Rs.10,000. She
initially faced many problems regarding funds for her business. Banks were hesitant to give loan to her as
biotechnology was a totally new field at that point of time and she was a woman entrepreneur, which was a rare
phenomenon.

Biocon's initial operation was to extract an enzyme from papaya. Under Kiran Mazumdar Shaw's stewardship Biocon
transformed from an industrial enzymes company to an integrated biopharmaceutical company with strategic
research initiatives. Today, Biocon is recognised as India's pioneering biotech enterprise. In 2004, Biocon came up
with an IPO and the issue was over-subscribed by over 30 times. Post-IPO, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw held close to 40%
of the stock of the company and was regarded as India's richest woman with an estimated worth of Rs. 2,100 crore.

Kiran Mazumdar Shaw is the recipient of several prestigious awards. These include ET Businesswoman of the Year,
Best Woman Entrepreneur, Model Employer, Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Life Sciences &
Healthcare, Leading Exporter, Outstanding Citizen, Technology Pioneer, etc. Government of India also felicitated her
with Padmashri (1989) and Padma Bhushan (2005).
K.P. Singh

Born: August15,1931
Achievement: Chairman of DLF Group; Recipient of the 'Delhi Ratna' Award for his valuable contribution to Delhi

K.P. Singh is the Chairman of DLF Group and can be christened as the real estate baron of India. DLF has a strong
leadership presence in Indian real estate industry and the company is credited with developing the modern township
of Gurgaon.

K.P. Singh (Kushal Pal Singh) was born on August 15, 1931 at Bulandshahar in Uttar Pradesh. After graduating in
Science from Meerut College, he went to UK to study Aeronautical Engineering. While pursuing engineering in UK,
K.P. Singh was selected to the prestigious Indian Army, by British Officers Services Selection Board, UK. He joined
the Indian Military Academy at Dehradun and was later on commissioned into The Deccan Horse-a renowned cavalry
regiment of The Indian Army.

In 1960, K.P. Singh joined American Universal Electric Company, a joint venture between Universal Electric
Company of Owosso, Michigan and his family. Thereafter, K.P. Singh promoted another company, i.e. Willard India
Limited in collaboration with ESB inc of Philadelphia for manufacturing automatic and industrial batteries in India and
became its Managing Director.

In 1979, K.P. Singh joined DLF Universal Limited. When American Universal Company merged with DLF Universal
Limited, K.P. Singh became the Managing Director of the new company. K.P. Singh had the vision to buy land in
Gurgaon, which was then a barren village on the outskirts of Delhi. He had the foresight to saw the untapped
potential of the place and today Gurgaon is one of the real-estate hotspots of the country. Presently, DLF has 100
million square feet under development in residential, commercial and retail projects all over the country.

Kushal Pal Singh also held a number of professional positions in India. He was the President of the ASSOCHAM
(Associated Chamber of Commerce and Industry of India) and the PHD Chambers of Commerce & Industry. K.P.
Singh is also the recipient of the 'Delhi Ratna' Award for his valuable contribution to Delhi.
Kumar Mangalam Birla

Born: June 14, 1967

Achievement: Chairman of the Aditya Birla Group; Chosen as Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year - India in
2005.

Kumar Mangalam Birla is the Chairman of the Aditya Birla Group. The group is India's third largest business house.
Major companies of Aditya Birla Group in India are Grasim, Hindalco, UltraTech Cement, Aditya Birla Nuvo and Idea
Cellular. Aditya Birla Group's joint ventures include Birla Sun Life (Financial Services) and Birla NGK (Insulators). The
group also has its presence in various countries such as Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Egypt, Canada,
China and Australia.

Born on June 14, 1967, Kumar Mangalam Birla spent the early of his life in Calcutta and Mumbai. He is a Chartered
Accountant and did his MBA (Masters in Business Administration) from the London Business School, London. Kumar
Mangalam Birla took over as Chairman in 1995, at the age of 28, after sudden demise of his father, noted industrialist
Aditya Birla, after whom the group is named.

When Kumar Mangalam Birla assumed the mantle at the Aditya Birla Group, Doubts were raised about his ability to
handle a giant business house with interests spanning viscose, textiles and garments on the one hand and cement,
aluminium and fertilisers on the other. But Kumar Mangalam proved his skeptics wrong. He brought in radical
changes, changed business strategies, professionalised the entire group and replaced internal systems. Kumar
Mangalam reduced his group's dependence on the cyclic commodities sectors by entering consumer products.

Under Kumar Mangalam Birla's leadership, the Aditya Birla Group, apart from consolidating its position in existing
businesses, also ventured into sunrise sectors like cellular telephony, asset management, software and BPO.

Kumar Mangalam Birla also holds several key positions on various regulatory and professional boards, including
chairmanship of the advisory committee constituted by the ministry of company affairs for 2006 and 2007,
membership of the prime minister of India's advisory council on trade and industry, chairmanship of the board of trade
reconstituted by the union minister of commerce and industry, and membership of the Central Board of Directors of
the Reserve Bank of India.

Kumar Mangalam Birla has won several honors. Major among them include The Business Leader of the Year (2003)
by The Economic Times, Business Man of the Year - 2003 by Business India, and The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur
of the Year - India in 2005.
Lalit Suri

chievement: Chairman of the Bharat Hotels chain and the single largest hotel owner.

Lalit Suri, born on 19 November 1946, can be called the uncrowned hotel king of India. He was the Chairman of the
Bharat Hotels chain and the single-largest hotel owner with over 1600 rooms. Bharat Hotels chain comprises seven
hotels which include the flagship InterContinental The Grand in Delhi, and six Grand hotels in Mumbai, Goa,
Bangalore, Srinagar, Udaipur and Khajuraho.

Lalit Suri was an alumnus of St Columbus and Sri Ram College of Commerce, New Delhi. He represented both his
school and college in swimming and athletics at the state level. Lalit Suri was trained as an automobile engineer and
started his career manufacturing vehicle bodies. He commissioned his first hotel in Delhi in 1988. After that there was
been no looking back.

In a few short years Bharat Hotels invested Rs 500 crore on its properties in Mumbai and Goa. In addition, the group
spent Rs 42 crore on a 30-year lease on the former Bangalore Ashok, and a further Rs 40 crore on renovations. Lalit
Suri was in an expansion mode. Sites for hotels had been identified and negotiated in Amritsar, Ahmedabad and
Jaipur, while the search was on for the right locations in Chennai and Hyderabad. In the first phase hotels were to be
constructed in Amritsar, Ahmedabad, and Jaipur adding 400-600 rooms to the Grand chain, while the next phase in
Chennai, and Hyderabad, was to take the tally up by another 500 five-star deluxe rooms.

Apart from being a successful businessman, Lalit Suri was also an avid traveler and an art lover. He was also a Rajya
Sabha MP. During a visit to London, for the GMR Express Travel World Awards, Lalit Suri fell ill and started
complaining of chest pains and was quickly admitted to the London University Hospital. Unfortunately, the day after
his hopitalisation, 10 October 2006, he passed away at the age of 59.
M.S. Oberoi

Born: August 15, 1898

Achievement: Founder of the Oberoi Group of Hotels; Honored with Padma Bhushan in 2001.

M.S. Oberoi can be aptly termed as the father of the Indian hotel industry. Rai Bahadur Mohan Singh Oberoi was
among the first to recognize the potential of the tourism industry, its ability to contribute to India's economic growth
and generate direct and indirect employment. He worked tirelessly to put Indian hotel industry on global tourism map.

M.S. Oberoi was born on August 15, 1898, in the erstwhile undivided Punjab, now in Pakistan. He did his early
schooling in Rawalpindi and completed his graduation from Lahore. In 1922, to escape the epidemic of Plague, he
came to Shimla, and got a job of front desk clerk, at The Cecil Hotel at a salary of Rs 50 per month.

M.S. Oberoi was a quick learner and shouldered many additional responsibilities along with the job of desk clerk. M.
S. Oberoi's diligence prompted Mr. Clarke to request Mohan Singh Oberoi to assist him when he acquired Clarkes
Hotel. At the Clarkes Hotel, M.S. Oberoi gained first hand experience in all aspects of hotel operations.

In 1934, M.S. Oberoi acquired The Clarkes Hotel from his mentor, by mortgaging his wife's jewelry and all his assets.
In 1938, he signed a lease to takeover operations of the five hundred room Grand Hotel in Calcutta, which was up for
sale following a cholera epidemic.

In 1943, Rai Bahadur Mohan Singh Oberoi, acquired the controlling interest in the Associated Hotels of India (AHI)
which owned the Cecil, and Corstophans in Shimla, the Maidens and the Imperial in Delhi, and a hotel each in
Lahore, Murree, Rawalpindi and Peshawar. He thus became the first Indian to run the largest and finest hotel chain.

In 1959, The Oberoi Group became the first group to start flight catering operations in India. In 1965, M.S. Oberoi
opened the first modern, five star international hotel in the country, The Oberoi Intercontinental, in Delhi. In 1966 he
established the prestigious Oberoi School of Hotel Management, recognized by the International Hotel Association in
Paris. In 1973, The Oberoi Group opened the 35 storey Oberoi Sheraton in Mumbai. Rai Bahadur M.S. Oberoi was
the first to employ women in the hospitality sector.

Today, The Oberoi Group owns or manages 37 luxury and first class international hotels in seven countries.

M.S. Oberoi was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 1962 and in 1972. He was also elected to the Lok Sabha in 1968.

M.S. Oberoi was recipient of many awards and honours. In 1943, he was conferred the title of Rai Bahadur by the
British Government. Other honors include admission to the Hall of Fame by the American Society of Travel Agents
(ASTA); Man of The World by the International Hotel Association (IHA) New York; named by Newsweek as one of the
"Elite Winners of 1978" and the PHDCCI Millennium award in 2000. M.S. Oberoi was honored with Padma Bhushan
in 2001.

M.S. Oberoi passed away on May 3, 2002 at the age of 103.

Mukesh Ambani

Born: April 19, 1957

Achievement: Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries Limited, India's largest private sector
company; Chosen as ET Business Leader of the Year 2006; Ranked 42nd among the World's Most Respected
Business Leaders and second among the four Indian CEOs featured in a survey conducted by
PricewaterhouseCoopers and published in Financial Times, London, November 2004.

Mukesh Ambani is the face of new emerging India. He is the Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries
Limited, India's largest private sector company.

Mukesh Ambani was born on April 19, 1957 in Mumbai. His father Dhirubhai Ambani was then a small businessman
who later on rose to become one of the legends of Indian industry. Mukesh Ambani did his Bachelors in Chemical
Engineering from University of Bombay and Masters in Business Administration from Stanford University, USA.

Mukesh Ambani joined Reliance in 1981 and was the brain behind Reliance's backward integration from textiles into
polyester fibres and further into petrochemicals. During the process of backward integration, Mukesh Ambani led the
creation of 51 new, world-class manufacturing facilities involving diverse technologies that raised Reliance's
manufacturing capacities manifold.

World's largest grassroots petroleum refinery at Jamnagar is the brainchild of Mukesh Ambani. He was also the
incharge of Dhirubhai's dream project Reliance Infocomm. But after the split in the Reliance Empire, Reliance
Infocomm went to his brother Anil Ambani. Mukesh Ambani is now planning to enter retail sector in a big way. He has
plans to establish big retail stores all over the country. Recently, he also entered into an agreement with Haryana
Government to establish a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) with an investment running into thousands of crores.

Mukesh Ambani has many achievements and honours to his name. Mukesh Ambani was chosen as the ET Business
leader of the Year 2006. He was ranked 42nd among the World's Most Respected Business Leaders and second
among the four Indian CEOs featured in a survey conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers and published in Financial
Times, London, November 2004. He was conferred the World Communication Award for the Most Influential Person
in Telecommunications in 2004 by Total Telecom, October, 2004. Mukesh Ambani was also conferred the Asia
Society Leadership Award by the Asia Society, Washington D.C., USA,
Nandan Nilekani

Achievement: CEO and Managing Director of the Infosys; Conferred the Padma Bhushan in 2006.

Nandan Nilekani is the CEO and managing director of the Infosys. Along with Narayan Murthy, he was one of the co-
founders of Infosys. He has served as a director on the company's board since its inception in 1981. Before assuming
the post of CEO in March 2002, Nandan Nilekani held the post of Managing Director, President and Chief Operating
Officer.

Nandan Nilekani was born in Bangalore. His father Mohan Nilekani was a manager in Minerva Mills. Nandan Nilekani
had his initial schooling in Bangalore. Due to his father's transferable job Nandan moved to his uncle's place at
Dharwad at the age of 12. This taught Nandan Nilekani to be independent. In 1973, at the age of 18, Nandan Nilekani
got admission in IIT Mumbai. The stint at IIT Mumbai transformed Nandan Nilekani from a small town boy to a
confident mature man. The lessons he learnt here-meritocracy; the ability to work as part of a team; hard work; and
the importance of giving back to the society-have stood him in good stead.

After graduating in electrical engineering from IIT Mumbai in 1978, Nandan Nilekani joined Patni Computers. Here he
worked under Narayan Murthy. Three years later in 1981, Nandan Nilekani along with Narayan Murthy and five other
co-founders founded Infosys. While Narayan Murthy stayed in India, Nandan Nilekani shifted to the US to take care of
Infosys' interests there. He was the company's marketing face.

In 1980s and 90s Nandan Nilekani and his team worked hard to build Infosys. Today Infosys' success story has
become a legend in India's corporate history. Today, Infosys has an employee strength of 58,000, annual revenue of
$2 billion and $21 billion capitalization.

Nandan Nilekani is recipient of several honors and awards. In January 2006, Nandan became one of the youngest
entrepreneurs to join 20 global leaders on the prestigious World Economic Forum (WEF) Foundation Board. He
figures among one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time Magazine, 2006. In 2005 he was awarded
the prestigious Joseph Schumpeter prize for innovative services in field of economy, economic sciences and politics.
In 2006, Nandan Nilekani was conferred the Padma Bhushan, one of the highest civilian honors of India.
Narayana Murthy

Born: August 20, 1946

Achievement: One of the founders of Infosys Technologies Limited; Chosen as the World Entrepreneur of the Year -
2003 by Ernst and Young

Narayana Murthy is the Non-Executive Chairman and Chief Mentor of Infosys Technologies Limited. He is a living
legend and an epitome of the fact that honesty, transparency, and moral integrity are not at variance with business
acumen. He set new standards in corporate governance and morality when he stepped down as the Executive
Chairman of Infosys at the age of 60.

Born on August 20, 1946, N.R. Narayana Murthy is a B.E. Electrical from University of Mysore (1967) and M.Tech
from IIT Kanpur (1969). Narayan Murthy began his career with Patni Computer Systems in Pune. In 1981, Narayana
Murthy founded Infosys with six other software professionals. In 1987, Infosys opened its first international office in
U.S.A.

With the liberalization of Indian economy in 1990s, Infosys grew rapidly. In 1993, the company came up with its IPO.
In 1995, Infosys set up development centers across cities in India and in 1996, it set up its first office in Europe in
Milton Keynes, UK. In 1999, Infosys became the first Indian company to be listed on NASDAQ. Today (in 2006),
Infosys has a turnover of more than $ 2billion and has employee strength of over 50,000. In 2002, Infosys was ranked
No. 1 in the "Best Employers in India 2002" survey conducted by Hewitt and in the Business World's survey of
"India's Most Respected Company." Conducted in the same year.

Along with the growth of Infosys, Narayana Moorthy too has grown in stature. He has received many honors and
awards. In June 2000, Asiaweek magazine featured him in a list of Asia's 50 Most Powerful People. In 2001,
Narayana Murthy was named by TIME/CNN as one of the 25 most influential global executives. He was the first
recipient of the Indo-French Forum Medal (2003) and was voted the World Entrepreneur of the Year - 2003 by Ernst
and Young. The Economist ranked Narayana Murthy eighth on the list of the 15 most admired global leaders (2005)
and Narayan Murthy also topped the Economic Times Corporate Dossier list of India's most powerful CEOs for two
consecutive years - 2004 and 2005.
Naresh Goyal

Achievement: Founder Chairman of Jet Airways; Recipient of the first BM Munjal Award for Excellence in Learning &
Development in the Private Sector category in 2006.

Naresh Goyal is the founder Chairman of Jet Airways, India's largest domestic airline. Jet Airways presently operates
over 320 flights daily to 48 destinations, of which five are international. Naresh Goel also figures in Forbes list of
Indian billionaires.

Naresh Goyal completed his graduation in Commerce in 1967 and joined the travel business with the GSA for
Lebanese International Airlines. From 1967 to 1974 he learnt the intricacies of the travel business through his
association with several foreign airlines.

In May 1974, Naresh Goyal founded Jetair (Private) Limited to look after Sales and Marketing operations of foreign
airlines in India. Naresh Goyal was involved in developing studies of traffic patterns, route structures, and operational
economics and flight scheduling. His rich and varied experience made him an authority in the world of aviation and
travel.

In 1991, when the Indian economy was being opened up, Naresh Goyal took advantage of Open Skies Policy of the
Government of India and set up Jet Airways for the operation of scheduled air services on domestic sectors in India.
Jet Airways started commercial operations on May 05, 1993.

Today, Jet Airways has evolved into India's largest private domestic airline. Jet Airways has been voted India's "Best
Domestic Airline" by several organisations of world-class repute. In 2005, Jet Airways came up with an IPO and it
was a huge success. Jet Airways was recently in controversy over its merger deal with Air Sahara. The merger was
called off and the too airlines are currently considering arbitration.

Along with Jet's meteoric rise, Naresh Goyal too rose in the entrepreneurial arena. He has won several honors and
accolades. These include Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Services' from Ernst & Young in 2000, 'Distinguished
Alumni Award-2000 for meritorious and distinguished performance as an Entrepreneur', Outstanding Asian-Indian'
award for leadership and contribution to the global community given by the Indian American Centre for Political
Awareness, 'Aerospace Laurels' for outstanding contribution in the field of Commercial Air Transport twice, in April
2000 and February 2004. Naresh Goyal also received the first BM Munjal Award for Excellence in Learning &
Development in the Private Sector category in 2006.
Dr. Pratap Reddy

Achievement: Founder of the Apollo Hospital Group

Dr. Pratap Reddy is the founder of the Apollo Hospital Group, India's first corporate hospital group. He revolutionized
the whole health care scenario of India and inspired others to follow the suit. Today, India has over 750 corporate
hospitals all over the country.

Dr. Pratap Reddy came to India after serving as the Chief Resident of the Worcenter City Hospital in the US to start
his practice in Madras with a modest earning of Rs 100/- per day. The idea to establish Apollo Group of Hospitals
came when Dr. Reddy lost a patient who couldn't make it to Texas for an open heart surgery. This inspired Dr. Pratap
Reddy to create world-class medical infrastructure in India and make it more accessible and affordable to common
people. Dr. Reddy's efforts bore fruit when he succeeded in setting up the first center of the Apollo Hospitals Group in
Chennai in 1983.

Dr, Pratap Reddy soon followed this with India 's first hospital consultancy body - the Indian Hospitals Corporation -
and commissioned two more Tertiary Care Centers in India. Since its inception, Apollo has demonstrated that Indian
skills are equivalent to the best centers in the world and has produced world-class results in the most complicated
Cadaver Transplant. Today, the Apollo Hospitals Group has over 22 centers in major cities in India and a combined
turnover of over US $ 100 million.

Dr Reddy is now spreading Apollo Hospitals Group to other parts of Asia. The group opened its first clinic in Dubai in
March 1999 and is coming up with projects in Sri Lanka, Africa, Bangladesh, and Oman. Dr. Reddy is currently
looking at secondary health centers in semi urban and smaller cities and has already identified 23 sites for the
purpose.

Dr. Pratap Reddy's latest initiatives are "Med Varsity"-a virtual medical university providing total access to experts in
the field of medicine anywhere in the world- and "MEDNET" - Hospital Systems Management package. Both the
initiatives are expected to transform health care sector in India.
Rahul Bajaj

Achievement: Chairman of the Bajaj Group

Rahul Bajaj is the Chairman of the Bajaj Group, which ranks among the top 10 business houses in India. The Bajaj
Group has diversified interests ranging from automobiles, home appliances, lighting, iron and steel, insurance, travel
and finance. Rahul Bajaj is one of India's most distinguished business leaders and internationally respected for his
business acumen and entrepreneurial spirit.

Rahul Bajaj is an alumnus of Harvard, St. Stephen's and Cathedral. He took over the reins of Bajaj Group in 1965.
Under his stewardship, the turnover of the Bajaj Auto the flagship company has risen from Rs.72 million to Rs.46.16
billion. Rahul Bajaj created one of India's best companies in the difficult days of the licence-permit raj. He established
factories at Akurdi and Waluj. In 1980s Bajaj Auto was top scooter producer in India and its Chetak brand had a 10-
year waiting period.

The initiation of liberalization in India posed great challenges for Bajaj Auto. Liberalisation brought the threat of cheap
imports and FDI from top companies like Honda. Rahul Bajaj became famous as the head of the Bombay Club, which
opposed liberalization. The scooter sails plummeted as people were more interested in motorcycles and the rival
Hero Honda was a pioneer in it.

The recession and stock market collapse of 2001 hit the company hard and it was predicted that the days of Bajaj
Auto were numbered. However, Bajaj Auto re-invented itself, established a world-class factory in Chakan, invested in
R&D and came up with Bajaj Pulsar Motorcycle. Bajaj Pulsar is currently a leader in its segment.

Recently, Rahul Bajaj was elected to Rajya Sabha from Maharashtra.

Ramalinga Raju

Born: September 16, 1954

Achievement: Founder and Chairman of Satyam Computer Services Ltd; Chosen as Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of
the Year for Services in 1999

Ramalinga Raju is one of the pioneers of the Information Technology industry in India. He is the founder and
Chairman of Satyam Computer Services Ltd.

Ramalinga Raju was born on September 16, 1954 in a family of farmers. He did his B. Com from Andhra Loyola
College at Vijayawada and subsequently did his MBA from Ohio University, USA. Ramalinga Raju had a stint at
Harvard too. He attended the Owner / President course at Harvard.

After returning to India in 1977, Ramalinga Raju moved away from the traditional agriculture business and set up a
spinning and weaving mill named Sri Satyam. . Thereafter he shifted to the real estate business and started a
construction company called Satyam Constructions. In 1987, Ramalinga Raju founded Satyam Computer Services
along with one of his brothers-in-law, DVS Raju. The company went public in 1992. With the launch of Satyam
Infoway (Sify) Satyam became one of the first to enter Indian internet service market. Today, Satyam has a global
presence and serves 44 Fortune 500 and over 390 multinational corporations.

Ramalinga Raju has won several awards and honors. These include Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year for
Services in 1999, Dataquest IT Man of the Year in 2000, CNBC's Asian Business Leader - Corporate Citizen of the
Year award in 2002 and E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2007.

The ever-soaring share prices of Satyam witnessed a sharp decline in December 2008, following a failed acquisition
attempt involving Maytas, a company owned by Raju's family. In January 2009, Raju resigned as the Chairman of
Satyam after he admitted to major financial wrong-doings. In Januray 2009, Raju confessed of his involvement in
inflating the profits of the company for the past couple of years. The 7,800-crore fraud started with an initial cover-up
for a poor quarterly performance and assumed massive proportion, with time.
Ratan Tata

Born: December 28, 1937

Achievement: Honored with Padma Bhushan, one of the highest civilian awards in 2000.

Ratan Tata was the Chairman of Tata Sons, the holding company of the Tata Group. Ratan Naval Tata is also the
Chairman of the major Tata companies such as Tata Steel, Tata Motors, Tata Power, Tata Consultancy Services,
Tata Tea, Tata Chemicals, Indian Hotels and Tata Teleservices. He has taken Tata Group to new heights and under
his leadership Group's revenues have grown manifold.

Ratan Tata was born on December 28, 1937, in Bombay. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in architecture
from Cornell University in 1962. Ratan Tata had a short stint with Jones and Emmons in Los Angeles, California,
before returning to India in late 1962. He joined the Tata Group and was assigned to various companies before being
appointed director-in-charge of The National Radio & Electronics Company (NELCO) in 1971. Ratan Tata was
appointed Chairman of Tata Industries in 1981. He was assigned the task of transforming the company into a Group
strategy think-tank, and a promoter of new ventures in high technology businesses.

In 1991, Ratan Tata took over the Chairmanship from JRD Tata. Under him Tata Consultancy Services went public
and Tata Motors was listed in the New York Stock Exchange. In 1998, Tata Motors came up with Tata Indica, the first
truly Indian car. The car was the brainchild of Ratan Tata. He stepped down as chairman of the Tata conglomerate on
28 December 2012.

Ratan Tata was honored with Padma Bhushan, one of the highest civilian awards in 2000. He was also conferred an
honorary doctorate in business administration by Ohio State University, an honorary doctorate in technology by the
Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok, and an honorary doctorate in science by the University of Warwick.
Raunaq Singh

Born:1922
Achievement: Founder of Raunaq Group; Elected as a member of the Executive Board of the International Chamber
of Commerce, Paris

Raunaq Singh was one of the earliest entrepreneurs of independent India who made it big. He was the founder of
Raunaq group. The Raunaq Group's major companies include Apollo Tyres Ltd, Bharat Gears Ltd, Bharat Steel
Tubes Ltd, Raunaq International Ltd, Menarini Raunaq Pharma Ltd, and Raunaq Automotive Components Ltd.

Raunaq Singh was born in 1922. After initial struggle he went on to become a powerful figure in corporate India. At
one point of time in his life he could afford only one paisa a day for meals and when he retired his group was
employing 9000 people on his payroll.

Raunaq Singh was a great advocate of economic liberalization and globalization of the Indian business. He worked
tirelessly to put the Indian industry on the global map. He held several key leadership positions in Industry & Trade
Associations. These included President Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), President
The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), Chairman Engineering Export
Promotion Council (EEPC), Chairman Automotive Tyre Manufacturers Association, and President Federation of
Indian Export Organization.

Raunaq Singh won several awards for his entrepreneurship. He was often referred as "Mr. Exporter", because of his
inclination for exports and export promotion for Indian Industry. Raunaq Singh also won international recognition for
his entrepreneurial skills. was elected as a member of the Executive Board of the International Chamber of
Commerce, Paris for a three-year term.

Raunaq Singh died on September 30, 2002.

Shiv Nadar

Achevement: Chief Executive Officer of Hindustan Computers Limited (HCL), India's largest infotech conglomerate

Shiv Nadar is the Chief Executive Officer of Hindustan Computers Limited (HCL), India's largest infotech
conglomerate. He figures in the Forbes list of Indian billionaires.

Originally hailing from Moolaipozhi Village,Trichendur,Tutocorin District, Tamil Nadu, Shiv Nadar moved to Delhi in
1968. He worked as an engineer with DCM Ltd. But the entrepreneur in Shiv Nadar wanted to set up his own
business. Therefore, he along with six of his colleagues launched a firm making office products like copiers.

In late 1970s, when IBM quit India, Shiv Nadar's HCL stepped in to fill the vacuum. In 1982, HCL came out with its
first computer. Today, HCL derives 80% of its revenue from computers and office equipment. HCL has also been
spreading its global reach. Its Singapore subsidiary, Far East Computers, achieved a breakthrough in imaging
technology, which, among other applications, enables computers to read handwritten tax returns.

HCL has adopted innovative practices to achieve growth. In the U.S, a software subsidiary, HCL America, has reaped
huge dividends by taking advantage of global time zones. Every morning, the company's Chennai office receives
software assignments from the U.S, just after work stops there for the night. A team of Indian engineers, with salaries
much lower than those of their American counterparts, complete the jobs and send them back in the evening.

In a short span of time, Shiv Nadar has reached pinnacle of success by his hardwork, vision, and entrepreneurial
spirit.
Subhash Chandra

Achievement: Founder of Zee TV, India's first private TV channel

Subhash Chandra is the founder of Zee TV, India's first private TV channel. This onetime rice trader from Hissar,
Haryana has today transformed into a media baron and his other interests include packaging, theme parks, lotteries
and cinema multiplexes.

Subhash Chandra launched Zee Telefilms Limited in October 1992 as a content supplier for Zee TV - India's first
Hindi satellite channel. Subash Chandra was the first in India who sought to harness the huge business potential of
satellite television channels. Before the launch of Zee TV viewers in India were under the firm grip of Doordarshan,
the state-controlled terrestrial network. It was Subhash Chandra's vision that helped give birth to the satellite TV
industry in India and inspired others to follow suit.

After the launch of Zee TV, he commenced Siticable operations in 1995 and also started a joint venture with News
Corp. In 1995, he launched two new channels, Zee News and Zee Cinema. In 2000, Zee TV became the first cable
company in India to launch Internet over Cable services. In 2003, Zee TV became the first service provider in India to
launch Direct to Home (DTH) services. In a short span of time Zee TV has become a big media and has give tough
competition to international media moghuls such as Rupert Murdoch.

Subhash Chandra's meteoric rise in the past decade is somewhat similar to the rise of Dhirubhai Ambani in 1980s
and 1990s.
Subroto Roy

Achievement: Chairman of the Sahara Group

Subroto Roy, is the head of the $10bn (£5.5bn) Sahara Group. Sahara Group has interests in banking, aviation,
media and housing.

Subroto Roy began his journey in 1978, when he founded Sahara in 1978 with three workers in the northern state of
Uttar Pradesh as a small deposits para-banking business. Today, the group has diversified into a giant business
conglomerate with interests in housing, entertainment, media and aviation.

Sahara Group presently runs a private airline, entertainment and news television channels, a newspaper, and claims
to own some 33,000 acres of real estate across India. It also sponsors the Indian cricket and hockey teams and
intends to move into life insurance, housing finance, consumer products, sportswear, and healthcare.

Sahara Group has come up with one of the most prestigious real estate projects in India, namely Amby Valley
Project. The project boasts some of the biggest name in Indian entertainment and sports arena as well as some
former international Olympic medal winners as its brand ambassadors. One of the last times Sahara Airline was in
the news was for its merger with Jet Airlines. The deal was almost called off a few times however, in the end the two
airlines did merge and Sahara became JetLite

Sahara Group has a huge complex in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. The complex is known as Sahara City. Subrato Roy is
famous for his flamboyant lifestyle. The wedding of his two sons became talk of the town. The who's who of Indian
elite attended it and its expenditure ran into hundreds of crores. Subroto Roy calls himself as the group's "chief
guardian".
Sunil Mittal

Achievement: Chairman and Managing Director of Bharti Group, India's largest GSM-based mobile phone service
provider; IT Man of the Year Award 2002 from Dataquest and CEO Of the Year, 2002 Award from World HRD
Congress.

Sunil Mittal can be called as originator of cellular phone revolution in India. He is the founder, Chairman and
Managing Director of Bharti Group and runs India's largest GSM-based mobile phone service.

Sunil Bharti Mittal's father was an M.P. Sunil did not followed his father's footsteps. After graduating from Punjab
University in 1970s, he set up a small bicycle business in Ludhiana in partnership with his friend. By 1979, Sunil Mittal
realized that his ambitions could not be fulfilled in Ludhiana, so he moved out to Mumbai from Ludhiana.

He spent a few years in Mumbai and in 1982, Sunil Mittal started a full-fledged business selling portable generators
imported from Japan. This gave him a chance to acquaint himself with the nitty-gritty's of marketing and advertising.
His business was running smoothly but later on the government banned the import of generators as two Indian
companies were awarded licenses to manufacture generators locally.

In 1986, Sunil Bharti Mittal incorporated Bharti Telecom Limited (BTL) and entered into a technical tie up with
Siemens AG of Germany for manufacture of electronic push button phones. Gradually he expanded his business and
by early 1990s, Sunil Mittal was making fax machines, cordless phones and other telecom gear.

In 1992, when the Indian government was awarding licenses for mobile phone services for the first time, Sunil Mittal
clinched Delhi cellular license in collaboration with French telecom group Vivendi. In 1995, Sunil Mittal founded Bharti
Cellular Limited (BCL) to offer cellular services under the brand name AirTel. Soon, Bharti became the first telecom
company to cross the 2-million mobile subscriber mark. Bharti Cellular Limited also rolled out India's first private
national as well as international long-distance service under the brand name IndiaOne. In 2001, BCL entered into a
joint venture with Singapore Telecom International for a $650-million submarine cable project, India's first ever
undersea cable link connecting Chennai in India and Singapore.

Today, Sunil Mittal runs a successful empire with a market capitalization of approximately $ 2 billion and employing
over 5,000 people. He has been honored with several awards. Sunil Bharti Mittal was chosen as one of the top
entrepreneurs in the world for the year 2000 and amongst 'Stars Of Asia', by 'Business Week'. He also received IT
Man of the Year Award 2002 from Dataquest and CEO Of the Year, 2002 Award (World HRD Congress).
Tulsi Tanti

Achievement: Chairman of Suzlon Energy Ltd, Ranks among top 10 richest men of India.

Tulsi Tanti is the Chairman of Suzlon Energy Ltd, a company dealing in wind energy. He is one of those first time
entrepreneurs who saw potential in an inchoate idea, ventured into it, and made it big. Today, he ranks among top 10
richest men of India.

A commerce graduate and a diploma holder in mechanical engineering, Tulsi Tanti originally hails from Gujarat and is
presently based in Pune, Maharashtra. Tulsi Tanti was earlier into textiles. He started his textile business in Gujarat.
But he found that the prospects stunted due to infrastructural bottlenecks. The biggest of them all was the cost and
unavailability of power, which formed a high proportion of operating expenses of textile industry.

In 1990, Tulsi Tanti invested in two windmills and realized its huge potential. In 1995, he formed Suzlon and gradually
quit textiles. Suzlon Energy is the sixth largest wind energy company in the world and the largest in Asia. It is
presently building what will be among the world's largest wind parks of its kind at 1,000 MW capacity.

Suzlon is currently concentrating on global expansion drive. It recently acquired Hansen Transmissions, a Belgian
maker of wind-turbine gearboxes. Suzlon is also building a rotor-blade factory in Minnesota and has invested $60m in
a factory in Tianjin, China. Tulsi Tanti is poised to make India a wind-power export hub.
Verghese Kurien

Born: November 26, 1921

Died: September 9, 2012
Achievements: Known as the “Father of the White Revolution” in India; Winner of Ramon Magsaysay Award;
Awarded with Padma Shri (1965), Padma Bhushan (1966), and Padma Vibhushan (1999)

Dr. Verghese Kurien is better known as the “Father of the White Revolution” in India. He is also called as the Milkman
of India. Dr. Varghese Kurien was the architect behind the success of the largest dairy development program in the
world, christened as Operation Flood. He was the chairman of the Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation
Ltd. (GCMMF) and his name was synonymous with the Amul brand.

Born on November 26, 1921 in Kozhikode, Kerala, Dr. Verghese Kurien graduated with Physics from Loyola College,
Madras in 1940. Subsequently, he did his B.E. (Mechanical) from Madras University and went to USA on a
government scholarship to do his Masters in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan State University. In between, he
completed special studies in engineering at the Tata Iron and Steel Company Institute at Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, in
February 1946 and underwent nine months of specialized training in dairy engineering at the National Dairy Research
Institute of Bangalore.

Dr. Verghese Kurien returned from America in 1948 and joined the Dairy Department of the Government of India. In
May 1949, he was posted as Dairy Engineer at the Government Research Creamery, a small milk-powder factory, in
Anand, Gujarat. Around this time, the newly formed cooperative dairy, Kaira District Cooperative Milk Producers’
Union Limited (KDCMPUL), was engaged in the battle of survival with the privately owned Polson Dairy, a giant in its
field. Enthused by the challenge, Dr. Verghese Kurien left his government job and volunteered to help Shri
Tribhuvandas Patel, Chairman of KDCMPUL, to set up a processing plant. This led to the birth of AMUL and the rest
is history.

In 1965, the then Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri created the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) under
the leadership of Dr. Verghese Kurien to replicate the success story of Amul throughout the country. In 1973, Dr.
Kurien set up GCMMF (Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation) to market the products produced by the
dairies. Under Dr. Kurien’s stewardship, India became the largest producer of milk in the world. Dr. Kurien breathed
his last on September 9, 2012, after a brief illness, in Nadiad, Anand, Gujarat. He was 90 years old.

During his illustrious career, Dr. Verghese Kurien won many accolades and awards. These include: Ramon
Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership (1963), Padma Shri (1965), Padma Bhushan (1966), Krishi Ratna
Award (1986), Wateler Peace Prize Award of Carnegie Foundation (1986), World Food Prize Laureate (1989),
International Person of the Year (1993) by the World Dairy Expo, Madison, Wisconsin, USA, and Padma Vibhushan
(1999).
Vijay Mallya

Achievement: Chairman of the United Beverages (UB) Group; Launched a new domestic airline called Kingfisher
Airline; Rajya Sabha M.P.

Vijay Mallya is the Chairman of the United Beverages (UB) Group. He recently launched a new domestic airline
called Kingfisher Airline which is making great waves. Vijay Mallya is famous for his flamboyant and flashy lifestyle.

Vijay Mallya is the son of a famous industrialist Vittal Mallya. He assumed the Chairman of the UB Group in 1983 and
took the company to great heights. Under his dynamic leadership the group has grown into a multi-national
conglomerate of over sixty companies. During this process United Beverages acquired several companies abroad.
The UB Group has diversified business interests ranging from alcoholic beverages to life sciences, engineering,
agriculture, chemicals, information technology and leisure.

In 2005, Vijay Mallya established Kingfisher Airlines. In a short span of time Kingfisher Airline has carved a niche for
itself. It was the first airline in India to operate with all new aircrafts. Kingfisher Airlines is also the first Indian airline to
order the Airbus A380.

Vijay Mallya has other interests too apart from business. He has won trophies in professional car racing circuits and is
a keen yachtsman and aviator. Vijay Mallya has also won numerous trophies in horse racing including several
prestigious Derbies.

In 2000, Vijay Mallya entered politics superceded Subramaniam Swamy as the president of Janata Party. Presently,
he is a Rajya Sabha M.P.
Mallika Srinivasan

Economic Times Businesswoman of the year 2006, she is a well known entrepreneur of India. She has always strived
hard to reach for skies, but has deeply rooted her foot into the ground. She is a strong headed woman, who is leading
the activities of a Company that is involved in macho business such as tractor manufacturing. She has been able to
rise and stand out above all others and make a name for herself in the competitive business world of today. Well, we
are talking about Mallika Srinivasan, director of the Rs 2500 crore Amalgamations Group Tafe. Mallika Srinivasan is
one of the most successful women CEOs in India. In this article, we will present you with the biography of Mallika
Srinivasan, so read on…

Life History

Born on November 19, 1959 as the eldest daughter of industrialist A Sivasailam, she is the pride of her parents. She
was always brilliant in academics. She did her in MA (econometrics) from Madras University. Thereafter, she went
abroad to pursue further studies. She did her MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Married to Venu Srinivasan, the CMD of TVS Motor, she is living happily with their two children.

In the year 1986, she planned to join the family business. She was made the General Manager of Tafe (Tractors and
Farm Equipment) Company. When she took over the responsibility of furthering the economic wealth and business,
the turnover of the Company was Rs 85 cr. Under the expert guidance of her father and the whole hearted support of
the team, she brought about a major transformation. She converted Tafe into a hi technology-oriented company,
thereby becoming the initial choice of the farmers. There was a period, when the Company had to face a tough time,
however; even then, the Company invested a huge amount of over Rs 70 crore in the designing and development of
product.

At present, the Company is earning a business over Rs 1,200 cr. It has been a long journey for the Company, which
has witnessed many ups and downs. But, it was the strong determination of this courageous woman that slowly and
steadily made the firm climb the ladders of success. Today, the Company has not only found a niche for itself as the
leading tractor manufacturer, but also expanded its area of operations. It has also entered into others businesses like
engineering plastics, panel instruments, automotive batteries gears, hydraulic pumps, and farm implements.

The company has had a long alliance with Massey Ferguson, which is now a part of Agco. The company is looking
forward to exporting fully constructed tractors to Agco. Presently, Agro has a stake of 24% in the company and the
rest lies with Simpson & Co. Presently, Mallika Srinivasan is serving as the president of premier industrial bodies like
Tractor Manufacturers Association and the Madras Management Association. She is the first lady to have assumed
the role of a president of the Madras Chamber of Commerce and Industry. She is also a prominent member of the
governing board of the Indian School of Business, Hyderabad.
Naina Lal Kidwai

A prominent personality of the corporate world, she is the first woman to guide the functioning of a foreign bank in
India. At present, she is working as the Group General Manager and Country Head of HSBC India. Well, we are
talking about the corporate diva Naina Lal Kidwai. In this article, we will present you with the biography of Naina Lal
Kidwai.

She was born in the year 1957. Raised in Mumbai and Delhi, she did her schooling from Simla. Alumna of Delhi
University, she is the first Indian woman to have graduated from Harvard Business School. She is among the top
business women of India, who have made it to the top with their constant hard work and sincerity. To know the
complete life history of Naina Lal Kidwai, read on.

She began her career in the year 1982, when she joined the ANZ Grindlays Bank, which is now known as the
Standard Chartered Bank. She took up a variety of banking assignments before moving to Morgan Stanley's India
operation. She kept climbing the ladders of success. She played an important role in NYSE listing of Wipro. She was
instrumental in facilitating the cellular phone services nationwide through a deal involving the Tatas and Birlas. Last
November, she became the Managing Director of the HSBC bank.

In the year 2000, the Fortune magazine declared her as the third most powerful businesswoman in Asia. She is the
mother of two children, who is maintaining a great balance between work and home. She is very fond of Indian
classical as well as western music. She loves to go on trekking tours to the Himalayas. She is a nature lover, who has
a keen interest in observing the wildlife. For her praiseworthy work, Naina Lal Kidwai has received many accolades.
Her commendable work has been given due recognition by honoring her with the Padmashri award.
Shahnaz Hussain

She is one of the most prominent personalities of the corporate world. She is making a constant effort to beautify the
skin of people with her beauty products. She has been continuously striving hard to slow down the aging process and
nourish the skin of people and thus make them look younger than their age. Well, we are talking about none other
than the ruler of the beauty world, Shahnaz Hussain. In this article, we will present you with the biography of Shahnaz
Hussain.

She comes from a royal Muslim family and her father was a very powerful man. She did her schooling from the Irish
convent. Since a very young age, she had an interest in poetry and English literature. She grew up in a traditional
family, but was privileged to receive modern education. She got married, when she was only fifteen years old. The
next year after her marriage, she became a mother.

When she went to Teheran along with her husband, she developed a keen interest in beauty treatments. Eventually,
she decided to study the cosmetology course. She wanted to be self independent and so she began writing articles
for the Iran Tribune on varied subjects. While pursuing studies, she learnt about the harmful effects of chemicals on
human body. She studied Ayurveda and believed that it is the best alternative to chemical cosmetics.

After leaving Teheran, she took an extensive training in cosmetic therapy for a long period of 10 years from the
leading institutions of London, Paris, New York and Copenhagen. She returned to India in the year 1977 and
established her first beauty salon in her abode. Unlike other salons, she did not use chemical cosmetics. Rather, she
made use of Ayurvedic products that are absolutely safe on the human body. She has ushered an era of herbal
cosmetics. The products launched by her Company head their way to leading global stores such as Blooming Dales
(New York), Harrods and Selfridges (London), Seibu (Japan), Galleries Lafayette (Paris), and La Rinaeccente
(Milan).

Her beauty products are very skin friendly and give a beautiful glowing look. She has not only been able to tap the
markets of India, but made her presence felt in international market too. Now, her aim is to set her foothold in the
space. People who go to space usually suffer from skin problems. At present, Shahnaz Hussain is focusing her
attention on creating products that can prove to be beneficial for the astronauts. To know the complete life history of
Shahnaz Hussain, read on.

Her company Shahnaz Husain Herbals has witnessed tremendous growth throughout these years. She has launched
more than 400 different kinds of beauty products. In the contemporary times, people are becoming more and more
conscious about the way they look. It is here that Shahnaz Hussain comes to play a major role by providing people
with products that can bring the glow back to their skin.

She has dominated the market from the USA to Asia. During 1990s, the average growth rate of her company, which
is based in New Delhi, was nearly 19.4%. In the year 2002, her Company touched $100 million. Her works are real
praiseworthy and have been appreciated all over the world. She has received many awards such as "The Arch of
Europe Gold Star for Quality", "The 2000 Millennium Medal of Honor", "Rajiv Gandhi Sadbhavana Award" and many
more.
Sulajja Firodia Motwani

Joint Managing Director of Kinetic Engineering Ltd, she is the in charge of the Company's overall business
developmental activities. She is also very well performing the role of the Director of Kinetic Motor Company Limited
and Kinetic Marketing Services Limited. Well, we are talking about Sulajja Firodia Motwani. In this article, we will
provide you with the biography of Sulajja Firodia Motwani, who has made an incredible contribution in making the firm
reach heights of success.

She is a fitness person, who is very conscious about her health. She is very particular about carrying out one or the
other activity for keeping fit and active. She has always been enthusiastic about sports, especially badminton. She
has played badminton on the national level. She is also very fond of pursuing adventurous sports like skiing & scuba
diving. She tries to spend as much time as possible with her five year old son Sidhant. Read on to know the complete
life history of Sulajja Firodia Motwani.

Prior to joining Kinetic Company, Sulajja worked for a period of four years with a well known investment analytics
company, BARRA International, based in California. She has been an active participant in setting the operations of
the company in India. Throughout her studies, she has been a rank holder. She has always cleared exams with merit.
Her name appeared in the toppers list in the SSC examinations and HSC examinations. She graduated from the
Pune University. Thereafter, she went to the United States for pursuing further studies. She is an MBA degree holder
from the reputed Carnegie Mellon University at Pittsburgh.

She is an epitome of boldness and courage. With her strong determination and courage, she has been able to
establish a niche for the firm in the business world. The Company has witnessed tremendous expansion during her
tenure. From being a mere moped manufacturer, today, it has set its foothold in the industry as a manufacturer
offering a complete range of two wheelers right from mopeds, scooters to motorcycles.

This major transformation can be attributed to the new competitive business strategy that the Company has adopted,
which is driven by the market and customers. Kinetic Company has been constantly coming up with new models to
cater to all segments of the society. Sulajja has been instrumental in designing and implementing the marketing
strategies of the Company. In the recent times, Kinetic has collaborated with the well known Italian company, Italjet
Moto. This acquisition has given full rights to the Kinetic Company to launch seven new scooter models in the
country.

Kinetic is also working in partnership with Hyosung Motors of South Korea. This major collaboration has led to the
launching of the most popular Kinetic Aquila and Comet. These motorcycles are very much in demand. Sulajja has
played an active role in plotting the course of action for the Kinetic Company. For her great job, she has received
many accolades. She has been called upon to deliver speech in a number of public forums.

"India Today", a well known magazine honored her by presenting her with the title of business "Face of the
Millennium". It ranked her among the top twenty five business entrepreneurs of the country. She was presented with
the Society Young Achiever's Award for Business in the year 2002. The same year, she was chosen as the "Global
Leader of Tomorrow" by the World Economic Forum. In the year 2003, the Institute of Marketing and Management
bestowed her with the award for excellent performance as the woman CEO. She also received the Young Super
Achiever Award from the leading magazine "Business Today" in 2003
Shobhana Bhartia

Born -1957
Achievements - Daughter of renowned industrialist KK Birla, Shobhana Bhartia is the vice-chairperson as well as the
editorial director of the Hindustan Times group, which is among India's major newspaper and media houses. In the
year 2001, she received the Outstanding Business Woman of the Year award.

Born in the year 1957, the daughter of renowned industrialist KK Birla and grand daughter of GD Birla, Shobhana
Bhartia is the vice-chairperson as well as the editorial director of the Hindustan Times group, which is among India's
major newspaper and media houses. This lady holds the credit of raising Rs 400 Crore via public equity launch of the
HT Media group in the year 2005. Till the year 2004, the Birla family owned 75.36 per cent stake in HT Media.

Here's more information about the biography of Shobhana Bhartia, who graduated from the Calcutta University and
later, wedded Shyam Sunder Bhartia. This particular gentleman is the chairman of the Rs 14 billion Jubilant
Organosys Limited, a Pharma company. Shamit Bhartia, their son, is also a member in the HT Media group. At the
same time, he operates lifestyle businesses like Domino's Pizza franchise in the country and a convenience store
chain in Bangalore city.

At the time when Shobhana Bharatiya became a member of the Hindustan Times in the year 1986, she was the very
first woman chief executive of a national newspaper and in all probability, also among the youngest. Shobhana
Bhartia is regarded as one of the crucial people there who played a pivotal role in revamping the image of the
Hindustan Times into a "bright and young paper". The life history of Shobhana Bhartia's career is full of
achievements.

Shobhana was nominated the member of the upper house of the Indian Parliament i.e. the Rajya Sabha. Shobhana
Bhartia was also handed the Global Leader of Tomorrow award by the World Economic Forum in the year 1996.
Then again in the year 2001, she received the Outstanding Business Woman of the Year award. The National Press
India Award was given to Shobhana in the year 1992.
Aditya Vikram Birla

Born On: November 14, 1943

Born In: Kolkata, West Bengal
Died On: October 1, 1995
Career: Industrialist
Nationality: Indian

The grandson of the legendary G.D. Birla, Aditya Vikram Birla was one of the most inspirational and outstanding
industrialists that India has ever had. His innovative ideas and marvelous abilities helped India to expand trade to
foreign countries, thereby leaving an indelible mark on the corporate landscape. He was one of the first Indian
industrialists to set up the largest multinational empire, thereby creating India’s first truly global corporation. Apart
from carrying forward his grandfather’s legacy, he introduced the concept of “sustainable livelihood”, wherein he
taught people to work and feed themselves and their families for lifetime rather than simply living on the food given.
With this, he not only gained name and fame amongst the masses but also set an example for other businessmen to
learn from him.

Early Life
Aditya Vikram Birla was born to the industrialist Basant Kumar Birla and Sarala Birla in Kolkata in West Bengal. He
was the grandson of the legendary G.D. Birla, a prominent industrialist and founder of the vast Birla industrial empire.
The latter had good terms with Mahatma Gandhi and began his fortune with building the popular Ambassador car and
aluminum prospecting. Aditya received his formal education from Kolkata and graduated in science from St. Xavier’s
College. He then went to United States to pursue higher studies in chemical engineering from Massachusetts Institute
of Technology.

Career Life
After Aditya completed his degree course in chemical engineering, he returned to India and was handed over a part
of Birla Company to run. Not to be satisfied with just that, he started his own textile business with Eastern Spinning
Mills that became an instant hit in Kolkata. With this, he put the company’s sinking rayon and textile business back on
track. This was, however, just the beginning as he showed immense interest and paved the group towards success
with every assignment handed over. Aditya’s next challenge was the expansion of the group’s oil sector which again
was a victorious attempt. However, with Indira Gandhi’s socialist ideas of preventing foreign trade, importing world-
class technology, and expansion of old plants, Aditya concentrated on Indian rayon with accepting bigger challenges
of taking it worldwide. Instead of moving towards the West, Aditya focused on the east and set up Indo-Thai
Synthetics Company Ltd. in Thailand in 1969, thereby launching the group’s first overseas company.

Flourishing Years
After the flying success of Indo-Thai Synthetics Company Ltd., Aditya established P.T. Elegant Textiles for
manufacturing spun yarn in Indonesia in 1973. This was the company’s first venture there. In 1974, he incorporated
the group’s Viscose Rayon Staple Fiber as Thai Rayon in Thailand. In the following year in 1975, the first Indo-
Filipino joint venture producing spun yarn was established with The Indo Phil Group of Companies in The Philippines.
Over the next few years, Aditya launched several more companies and joint ventures throughout the Southeast. He
established Pan Century Edible Oils in Malaysia in 1977, which later became the world’s largest single-location palm
oil refinery. In 1978, he launched the group’s first carbon black company, Thai Carbon Black in Thailand and in 1982,
P.T. Indo Bharat Rayon in Indonesia. These were just some efforts that transformed the Birla Group into a blooming
blue-chip company and one of India’s largest business conglomerates.

Contribution to India
It was under the dynamic and influential leadership of Aditya Birla that the company was able to intensify and firm its
presence in the core sectors. Even before the word globalization was included in India’s dictionary, Aditya set up a
global business empire, thereby placing India on the world map in 1969. Under his guidance, the companies were
making immense profits in key sectors of textiles, cement, aluminum, chemicals, fertilizers, fiber, financial services,
sponge iron, software, and petro-refinery. Aditya is said to be highly responsible for building and improving the
country’s commodity business. With the marvelous success of his Grasim, Hindalco, Indian Rayon, and Indo Gulf
Fertilizers, he helped several companies prosper.

Though his companies had over 70,000 employees, Aditya was actually generating indirect employment for more
than 2 lakh people. Such was the contribution and prosperity brought to India that Aditya helped in earning respect for
the “Made in India” quality stamp. Besides giving name to one of the largest industrial empires in India, Aditya Birla
served as the director of Reserve Bank of India, Air India, and The India Fund. He had been a member of the
Economic and Trade Mission to Japan led by late L.K. Jha in 1985. Further, he even served as a member of the
Trade Mission led by the Indian Finance Minister in 1992. He was appointed as a director on the boards of Industrial
Credit and Industrial Corporation, Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services Ltd., and Bajaj Auto amongst other
organizations.

Personal Life
Aditya Vikram Birla was married to Rajshree. The couple had two kids, daughter Vasavadatta (married to Kushagra
Nayan Bajaj), and son Kumar Mangalam (current head of the Aditya Birla Group).

Death
Aditya Birla was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1993, thereby transferring the responsibilities of the group to wife
and son. He was admitted to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, United States for treatment and died
after four months of struggle on October 1, 1995, at the age of 51, leaving the entire Birla Empire under the charge of
his young son Kumar Mangalam.

Honors & Awards

Outstanding Young Person Award by Bombay Metropolitan Jaycees, 1978
Outstanding Citizen Award by North Bombay Jaycees, 1984
Man of the Year Award by Amravathi Chamber of Commerce & Industry, 1985
Giant International’s Award in the filed of Business & Industry, 1986
Business Leadership Award by Madras Management Association, 1990
Businessman of the Year Award by Business India, 1990
Management Man of the Year Award by Bombay Management Association, 1992
Rashtra Bhushan Award by FIE Foundation, 1992
Platinum Jubilee Rotary Award for contribution to industry by Rotary Club of Calcutta, 1994
Vocational Excellence Award by Rotary International, January 1995
Lifetime Achievement Award by All India Association of Industries, January 1996
Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Phenomenal Growth of the Indian Cement Industry by All India
Management Association, September 1996
Melvin Jones Fellow Award for Dedicated Humanitarian Services by Lions Club International Foundation
Paul Harris Fellow Award by Rotary Foundation of Rotary International

Timeline
1943: Born in Kolkata, West Bengal
1965: Completed chemical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and returned to India
1965: Started Eastern Spinning Mills in Kolkata
1969: Set up Indo-Thai Synthetics Company Ltd. in Thailand
1973: Established P.T. Elegant Textiles in Indonesia
1974: Incorporated Thai Rayon in Thailand
1975: Launched The Indo Phil Group of companies in Philippines
1977: Set up the world’s largest single-location palm oil refinery, Pan Century Edible Oils in Malaysia
1978: Established Thai Carbon Black in Thailand
1982: P.T. Indo Bharat Rayon launched in Indonesia
1985: Conferred upon the Man of the Year Award by Amravathi Chamber of Commerce & Industry
1990: Awarded Businessman of the Year Award by Business India
1995: Died on October 1 from prostate cancer in Baltimore, USA, aged 51
1996: Bestowed with Lifetime Achievement Award by All India Association of Industries.
Gulshan Kumar

Born On: May 5, 1956

Born In: Delhi, India
Died On: August 12, 1997
Career: Businessman, Film Producer
Nationality: Indian

While the music industry was still lacking the much-needed appreciation to get popular amongst the masses, an
ordinary man named Gulshan Kumar entered from nowhere and raised the industry to its unbelievable heights. By
presenting the general public what it wanted, Gulshan Kumar successfully infused life and energy into the music
industry. Beginning with selling of audio cassettes and later, producing them at cheap rates so that they were made
available to all classes of people, Kumar established a vast music empire, only to rule Bollywood. As if this was not
enough, Kumar got involved in producing movies and launching several new faces to the Indian cinema that have
turned into distinguished celebrities today.

Early Life
Gulshan Kumar was born as Gulshan Dua into a Punjabi Arora family in the heart of the capital city, Delhi. His father
was a fruit juice seller in the Daryaganj market in New Delhi. That’s where Gulshan started earning his life in his early
days. At the age of 23, he, with support from his family, acquired a shop and started selling records and cheap audio
cassettes. This was just the beginning of the career of a music baron. With the music business producing fruitful
profits, he started producing cassettes himself.

Music Business
Gulshan Kumar then started his own audio cassette operation known as “Super Cassettes Industries”, which turned
into a profitable organization later on. To add on, he began a music production company in Noida, near Delhi. To
cover up the overpriced poor-quality audio tapes marketed and sold by reputed music companies, Gulshan Kumar
started selling the 1970s music cassettes with a decent quality at cheap rates. As his business started growing, he
began exporting good-quality music cassettes to abroad. Soon, he became a millionaire and rose to the top of music
business. With an aim of ruling Bollywood just as he did with music, he moved to Bombay. He introduced religious
music cassettes at extremely low prices with the aim of promoting religion amongst Hindu fellows. He had even made
and produced movies and serials pertaining to Hindu mythology.

Film Career
His first movie in Bollywood was “Lal Dupatta Malmal Ka” in 1989. The film had romantic melodious and catchy songs
which declared the movie a great hit. Next came the big musical blockbuster “Aashiqui” in 1990, starring Rahul Roy
and Anu Agarwal, which is still remembered for the romantic and harmonious music. Although his next two movies,
“Bahaar Aane Tak” and “Jeena Teri Gali Mein” didn’t fair well, the music of both the movies was highly appreciated.
His 1991 “Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahi”, featuring Aamir Khan and Pooja Bhatt, grossed an average overall earning, but its
music was a big success. With this, Gulshan Kumar established himself as the music tycoon in the film industry. His
other movies included “Ayee Milan Ki Raat”, “Meera Ka Mohan”, and “Jeena Marna Tere Sang” which failed on the
box office.

Introduction of New Talents

Gulshan Kumar was known not only as the ruler of music in Bollywood, but he also introduced several new talents to
the film fraternity. He launched his younger brother Krishan Kumar in the 1993 movies “Aaja Meri Jaan” and “Kasam
Teri Kasam”. However, both of them proved to be major duds. Despite the discouragement received from both the
movies, Gulshan went ahead and made a third movie with Krishan “Bewafa Sanam” in 1995, which became a
massive hit, particularly for its music. This film also brought the, then, struggling singer Sonu Nigam into limelight.
Apart from Sonu Nigam, other young talented signers introduced to the music world by Gulshan Kumar include
Anuradha Paudwal, Vandana Bajpai, and Kumar Sanu, amongst several others.
Launch of T-Series Music Label
Established by Gulshan Kumar, Super Cassettes Industries Limited (SCIL) became the topmost music company in
India. He founded the T-Series music label, under the same music company, which eventually turned into one of the
top music labels in India. Today, T-Series is the largest producer and publisher of music and videos in the country. It
runs the business of publishing original soundtrack from movies, remixes, old devotional songs, new-age albums,
melodies from the 1960s, and pop hits of the 1990s. It not only covers over 60% of the Indian music market, but also
exports music to 24 countries across six continents. With over 2500 dealers in India, T-Series has the largest
distribution network.

Social Life
Apart from being a prominent personality in the film media, Gulshan Kumar set an example for Indian businessmen
by donating a part of his wealth to the community. He established a bhandara, serving free food to the pilgrims who
visited the Hindu shrine of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi. He was the top tax payer for the financial year 1992-93. Word has
it that he got involved with the Indian Mafia, or the Mumbai Underworld, known for financing Bollywood movies. He
refused to succumb to the extortion demands, which was why it is believed that he was shot dead.

Death
Gulshan Kumar was shot dead outside Jeeteshwar Mahadev Mandir, a Hindu temple in Jeet Nagar in Andheri West
suburb of Mumbai city on August 12, 1997. Although the police accused Nadeem of music-director duo Nadeem-
Shravan for planning the assassination, on January 9, 2001, Abdul Rauf confessed on receiving money for
assassinating Gulshan Kumar. On April 29, 2009, Rauf was sentenced to life imprisonment, rather than death
sentence, on the grounds of failing to provide evidence of him being a contract killer. Gulshan Kumar was later
cremated in Delhi, as per his family’s wishes.

Legacy
After Gulshan Kumar’s death, his son Bhushan Kumar took over Super Cassettes Industries Limited. His daughter,
Tulsi Kumar, is a celebrated playback singer.

Movies Produced
Laal Dupatta Malmal ka, 1989
Bahar Aane Tak, 1990
Aashiqui, 1990
Jeena Teri Gali Mein, 1991
Aye Milan Ki Raat, 1991
Dil Hai Ke Manta Nahin, 1991
Meera Ka Mohan, 1992
Jeena Marna Tere Sang, 1992
Aaja Meri Jaan, 1993
Kasam Teri Kasam, 1993
Bewafa Sanam, 1995
Jai Maa Vaishanav Devi, 1995
Char Dham, 1998
Papa - The Great, 2000

Timeline
1956: Born on May 5 in Delhi
1979: Started a music shop selling records and audio cassettes
1989: Produced first Bollywood movie “Lal Dupatta Malmal Ka”
1993: Launched younger brother Krishan Kumar with “Aaja Meri Jaan”
1995: Introduced singer Sonu Nigam with “Bewafa Sanam”
1997: Shot dead in Andheri West, Mumbai on August 12, aged 41
S.L. Kirloskar

Born On: May 28, 1903

Born In: Sholapur, Maharashtra
Died On: April 24, 1994
Career: Entrepreneur, Industrialist
Nationality: Indian

What had started off with a small bicycle business by his father and uncle, emerged as one of India's flourishing
business ventures, thanks to the ingenuity and business mind of Shantanurao Laxmanrao Kirloskar, S.L. Kirloskar for
short. Right from oil engines and electric motors to machine tools and tractors to hotels and consultancy services, the
Kirloskar Group has set its foot in all branches across the world. A man of both Indian and international stature,
Kirloskar expanded the Kirloskar Brothers Ltd. throughout India and gave it a global perspective. A man of principles,
strong thoughts, and unending struggles, Kirloskar successfully established a golden age for Indian industry and the
country on the whole. Today, he is believed to be one of the best role models for young industrialists who are keen on
following his footsteps.

Early Life
Shantanurao Laxmanrao Kirloskar was born as the eldest child to Laxmanrao Kirloskar and Radhabai in Sholapur,
220 miles southeast of Bombay. He was born in the Karhade Brahmin family of the Kirloskars, scattered over the
southern portion of Bombay presidency. He was followed by brothers, Rajaram, Prabhakar, and Ravindra, and sister
Prabhavati. His father and his uncle, Ramchandrarao had set up the Kirloskar Group and the township of
Kirloskarwadi on March 10, 1910. The company then ran a bicycle business in Belgaum, now in Karnataka.
Shantanurao received his primary education from Aundh and joined New English School in Poona for the rest of his
schooling. In 1922, he went to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, in USA to pursue his
bachelor's of science degree in mechanical engineering. He returned back to India in 1926 and was one amongst the
batch of first Indians to graduate from MIT, the other being Chintalapati Satya Narayana Raju.

Career
On his return to India in 1926, Kirloskar Brothers was already making plows to establish the company. With the entry
of junior Kirloskar, the company expanded and extended the manufacturing of diesel engines, the most popular
products amongst them being pumps, electric motors, and other engineering equipment. Such was his courage and
confidence that Kirloskar turned the family business into one of India's largest companies and an energetic exporter.
After the end of World War II, Kirloskar spread the Kirloskar Group on a national level and later globally. This became
evident with the establishment of Kirloskar Electric Company at Bangalore and Kirloskar Oil Engines Limited at Pune
in 1946.

During the period 1950 to 1991, Kirloskar raised the company generating one of the highest growth rates in Indian
history. The group, during that phase, exhibited an unbelievable 32,401% growth of assets. Presently, Kirloskar
Group is the largest engineering conglomerate in India. Amongst the numerous companies set up by Kirloskar, some
of them include Kirloskar Oil Engines, Kirloskar Ferrous Industries, Kirloskar Pneumatic Company, Kirloskar Ebara
Pumps Ltd., Kirloskar Construction and Engineers Ltd., SPP Pumps, and Gondwana Engineers Ltd. Apart from
attending and managing the Kirloskar Group, Kirloskar served as the first president of Indo-American Chamber of
Commerce. Additionally, he also worked as the director of Reserve Bank of India and Industrial Development Bank of
India.

Personal Life
S.L. Kirloskar was married to Yamuna (fondly known as Yamunatai), daughter of Rangnath Pathak. The couple had
two sons, Chandrakant Kirloskar and Srikant Kirloskar.
Death
S.L. Kirloskar died on April 24, 1994 in a hospital in Pune after a stroke. He was 90 years old.

Honors
Rajiv Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India released a commemorative postage stamp to honor the Kirloskar
Group's 100th anniversary, in 1988. In 2003, a memorial postage stamp was yet again released by the then Prime
Minister of India, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, on the birth centenary of Kirloskar.

Timeline
1903: Born in Sholapur, Maharashtra
1922: Went to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
1926: Completed mechanical engineering degree and returned to India
1946: Established Kirloskar Electric Company in Bangalore and Kirloskar Oil Engines Limited in Pune
1988: Memorial postage stamp released on the occasion of Kirloskar Group's 100 years
1994: Died on April 24 in Pune, aged 90
2003: Honored with a commemorative postage stamp as his 100th birth anniversary
Kasturbhai Lalbhai

Born On: December 19, 1894

Born In: Ahmedabad, Gujarat
Died On: January 20, 1980
Career: Industrialist
Nationality: Indian

Very few people are able to achieve a meticulous working system and win the appreciation of a very large number of
people. Kasturbhai Lalbhai was one such prominent industrialist who was successful in attaining the honor of a
nationalist businessman and a renowned magnate, a tribute that is often related with another business tycoon G.D.
Birla. Right from stabilizing his father's yet-to-be established business to instituting a vast business empire,
Kasturbhai worked throughout his life with immense hard work, dedication, honesty, and determination, thereby
keeping his family business ongoing, ever since his ancestor Shantidas Zaveri began in the Mughal Era. Apart from
setting up numerous companies in various industries, he was also associated with establishing new institutions to
promote education in the country.

Early Life
Kasturbhai Lalbhai was born in a Visa Oswal Jain family, belonging to a temple town named Osian in Rajasthan, in
Ahmedabad. He was the second of the three sons and belonged to a reputed family running their own textile mills in
Ahmedabad. He completed his schooling in 1911 in Ahmedabad. However in 1912, his father Lalbhai suffered a
serious heart attack and died, leaving 17-year old Kasturbhai in charge of his father's share of the business. Just a
few days before his death, his father had divided the property amongst his brothers. As such, Kasturbhai received
Raipur Mills in his share but since the business was not fully established at the time of his father's death, Kasturbhai
had to abandon his studies to look after the operations of the mills.

Struggle as a Businessman
To start off with, Kasturbhai began working as a timekeeper in the mill but was unhappy with the job profile. Thus, he
started working with the suppliers and traveled far and wide to understand the supplier market. After the end of World
War I, he managed to stabilize the operations of the firm due to the increasing demands. His far-sighted vision,
sincerity, and devotion helped him reach the highest position in the industry and community. He was elected as a
Representative of Mill Owners Association to the Central Legislative Council of 144 members constituted under
Montague-Chelmsford Reforms Act 1919 at a young age of 29 years.

Kasturbhai served in the council for a three-year term. Further in 1924, he was appointed as a member of the
Standing Committee of Department of Industries and Labor of Government of India. With the right kind of experience
and knowledge of operations, he was able to gain recognition in the management of the mill and became famous for
his abilities of handling dealings. He became the chairman of the mill in January 1928 and established a new
company named Saraspur Mill Ltd. to run the old mill. Henceforth, there was no looking back for this determined and
powerful man as he turned into a successful industrialist establishing a large empire in the coming years.

Flourishing Years
The first large scale textile mill was established as Asoka Mills in 1920 with a capital of Rs. 20 lakh, at a time when
the largest mills were built with a capital not more than Rs. 5 lakh. With the Swadeshi Movement in its peak time
during 1930-31, Kasturbhai saw this period as the most effective time for prosperity and growth. Hence, he set up
Arvind Limited in 1931 with a capital of Rs. 25 lakh. He later founded three mills for the families of his three sisters,
Aruna Mills in 1928, Nutan Mills in 1931, and Ahmedabad New Cotton Mills in 1938. With gradual expansion,
Kasturbhai was able to rule over the textile industry, thereby becoming a great business magnate in the country.

Building Institutions
Kasturbhai was elected as the President of Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industries in 1934 and
the President of Ahmedabad Mill Owners Association in 1935. From 1937 to 1949, he served as the Director of
Reserve Bank of India and took steps to groom the Indian employees to run operations in independent India. Apart
from handling responsibilities for expanding his business across India, he was also involved in promoting institutions
that served both the country and the industry. He established the Ahmedabad Education Society in 1936, along with
Sheth Shri Amrutlal Hargovindas and Shri Ganesh Mavlankar. This society was later transformed into Gujarat
University. It was this society that donated land for establishing the prestigious Indian Institute of Management
Ahmedabad (IIM-A) in 1961. He, along with Vikram Sarabhai, was the main face behind instituting IIM-A. Though he
was amongst the board of members, he refused to become the chairman. Today, IIM-A has a Kasturbhai Lalbhai
Management Development Center and a Kasturbhai Lalbhai Chair in Entrepreneurship.

Later, Kasturbhai worked as the Chairman of Industrial Committee of Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Fund. In 1948, he
founded the Lalbhai Dalpatbhai College of Engineering to promote technology and engineering, adjacent to Gujarat
University. In 1949, he founded the Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industries, thereby becoming its Founder-
President. From 1955 to 1965, he served as the chairman of Indian Institute of Technology. In 1957, he was elected
as the Governing Trustee of Kasturba Gandhi National Memorial Trust. He was appointed as the Trustee of Gandhi
Smarak Nidhi, Member of Indian Investment Centre, and Member of Board and Governing Body of Council of
Scientific and Industrial Research. He founded the Lalbhai Dalpatbhai Institute of Indology in 1962, which is an
encyclopedia of manuscripts, rare books, and microfilms on various subjects. In 1972, Sankat Nivaran Society was
jointly set up by Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industries and Ahmedabad Mills Owners' Association. With this,
Kasturbhai became the President of the society.

Honors & Awards

In 1952, when Kasturbhai founded Cyanamid of India with American Cyanamid, to become India's first modern
dyestuff manufacturer, the company was inaugurated by Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first Prime Minister. He was
awarded the Padma Bhushan Award by the Government of India in 1968.

Death
Due to his declining health, he retired from his services in 1977 and handed over the responsibilities to his relations.
He died on January 20, 1980 in Ahmedabad, aged 85.

Timeline
1894: Born on December 19 in Ahmedabad, Gujarat
1911: Completed matriculation
1912: Father died and took over the Raipur Mills
1920: Established Asoka Mills
1923: Elected as Representative of Mill Owners Association to the Central Legislative Council
1924: Appointed member of Standing Committee of Department of Industries and Labor of Government of India
1928: Formed Saraspur Mill Ltd.
1931: Founded Arvind Limited
1934: Elected President of Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industries
1935: Appointed President of Ahmedabad Mill Owners Association
1936: Founded the Ahmedabad Education Society, known as Gujarat University today
1937-49: Served as Director of Reserve Bank of India
1939: First diversification company Anil Starch Limited formed
1948: Set up the Lalbhai Dalpatbhai College of Engineering
1949: Founded Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industries; became Founder-President
1952: Established Atul Products Limited
1961: Co-founded the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA), with Vikram Sarabhai
1962: Established the Lalbhai Institute of Indology
1968: Honored with Padma Bhushan Award
1972: Sankat Nivaran Society was launched
1977: Retired from business responsibilities
1980: Died in Ahmedabad on January 20, aged 85.
Vaman Srinivas Kudva

Born On: June 9, 1899

Born In: Mulki, Karnataka
Died On: June 30, 1967
Career: Journalist, Social Leader, Industrialist
Nationality: Indian

Known for establishing one of the oldest and commercial banks in India, Vaman Srinivas Kudva was one of the
founding directors of Syndicate Bank, launched as Canara Industrial and Banking Syndicate Limited. With just a
capital of Rs. 8000, Kudva, along with other founders Upendra Ananth Pai and T.M.A. Pai, extended the business to
over 20 banks within few years of its establishment. With the change of its name to Syndicate Bank in 1964, the
company expanded its business to all over India and overseas as well. Apart from the establishment of this
commercial bank, Kudva had been involved in several other social activities through setting up industries for the
common man as a source of living. Kudva is popularly known as "Karmayogi" by the people of Mangalore and
Dakshina Kannada, who remember him for his unexceptional endeavors and extreme hardships faced throughout
life.

Early Life
Vaman Srinivas Kudva, or V.S. Kudva for short, was born in the panchayat town of Mulki in Dakshina Kannada
district of Indian state of Karnataka. His was a conservative and traditional Gowda Saraswath Brahmin (GSB) family
that was known as the Mulky Kudvas in his hometown. He was brought up in a simple environment with primary
education at Mulky and high school education at Udupi. His father Srinivas Ramachandra Kudva ran a small
handloom unit in Mulky and began a hardware shop on relocating to Udupi in 1908. Kudva completed his
intermediate studies from Government College, Mangalore in 1918 and went to Bombay to pursue a course in
mechanical engineering from Victoria Jubilee Technical Institute (VJTI). Despite being a topper for three continuous
years, he gave up his studies as a mode of support to Gandhiji's Non-Cooperation Movement. As such, he traveled
back to Udupi in 1921 and volunteered as a teacher in a national school started by Congress Party.

Career as an Industrialist
Kudva began an engineering workshop in Udupi between 1922 and 1926, following which he went to Mangalore in
1926. On being invited by V.S. Kamath, the then Managing Director of The Canara Public Conveyance Co. Ltd. (CPC
Co. Ltd.), Kudva joined the company as works manager. On Kamath's death in 1932, Kudva became the General
Manager of the company. Later in 1938, he was selected as Managing Director which he held until 1966. It was
during his tenure that the company reached extensive growth and success, thereby generating heavy revenues and
earning name and fame across the nation. During this period, Kudva realized that Indian required more industries to
create employment. With this, he established The Canara Sales Corporation Ltd. in 1938, followed by The Canara
Motor & General Insurance Co. Ltd. in 1941. This was not all as Kudva founded The Canara Workshops Ltd. in 1943
through which he started manufacturing automobile leaf springs in 1950. The leaf springs were branded under the
name Canara Springs. Kudva set up another factory in Nagpur to meet with the increasing demands in North India.
However, this unit was shut down in the 1960s due to undisclosed problems faced by the company. To produce the
leaf springs, raw materials were imported. As such, Kudva thought about starting a mini steel plant to manufacture
the desired spring steel in the country itself. Therefore, a mini steel plant was materialized that constituted of 5 metric
tonne electric arc furnace, vertical continuous casting machine, and rolling mill. To add on, Kudva began The Canara
Tyre & Rubber Works Ltd. in 1947, followed by several other transport concerns over the years.

Career as a Journalist
Kudva was very keen into journalism since his student days. This proved right when he started editing the Kannada
Weekly "Sathyagrahi" in 1922. Later in 1923, he took up the job of an editor in Kannada Weekly "Swadeshabhimani"
which he continued till 1924. Apart from being associated with various industries, Kudva set up The Newspaper
Publishers Pvt. Ltd. in 1941 which started the publication of Kannada daily newspaper "Navabharath". While serving
as an editor, he gained high recognition and respect from Kannada journalists that later resulted in the Akhila
Karnataka Journalist conference in Mangalore.
Career as a Social Leader
Kudva founded the Canara Industrial and Banking Syndicate Ltd. (now called Syndicate Bank) in 1925, along with
T.M.A. Pai and Upendra Ananth Pai in Mangalore (now Udupi). It is deemed to be one of the oldest and major
commercial banks of India which was nationalized on July 19, 1969 by the Government of India. He was selected as
the President of Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industries in 1948, which he continued for the next three years.
He was one of the major supporters for bringing the weather port and airport to Mangalore, along with his good friend
U. Srinivas Mallya. Further in 1955, he established the Canara Foundation for employing loan scholarships to
students for continuing their higher technical education in foreign countries. Yet again in 1960, he joined hands with
U. Srinivas Mallya and set up the Karnataka Regional Engineering College, now known as National Institute of
Technology, Karnataka (NITK), at Suratkal.

Establishment of Rotary Club

Kudva brought the first Rotary Club to Mangalore for which he held the position of Charter President for quite some
time. He then became and held the post of the President of several other companies and social organizations,
namely, S.K. Development and Welfare Board, Small Scale Industries Association, and S.K. Village Industries
Association. During his lifetime, Kudva made numerous trips across India and abroad, particularly during a time when
traveling to foreign lands was difficult and unusual. In 1951, he went to the Middle East, Europe, and United States.
Later in 1960 and 1963, he traveled yet again to Europe, United States, and Japan.

Personal Life
Kudva married Shantha, daughter of V.S. Kamath, in 1928. The couple had five sons and one daughter.

Death
Vaman Srinivas Kudva passed away on June 30, 1967 at the age of 68 years.

Timeline
1899: Was born on June 9 in Mulki, Dakshina Kannada, Karnataka
1918: Completed schooling from Government College, Mangalore
1918: Took admission in Victoria Jubilee Technical Institute (VJTI), Bombay
1921: Quit studies and went back to Udupi to support Non-Cooperation Movement
1922: Started editing the Kannada Weekly "Sathyagrahi"
1923: Turned editor in Kannada Weekly "Swadeshabhimani"
1925: Co-founded the Canara Industrial and Banking Syndicate Limited
1926: Went to Mangalore and joined as works manager in CPC Co. Ltd.
1928: Married Shantha
1932: Became General Manager of CPC Co. Ltd.
1938: Turned Managing Director and held the position till 1966
1938: The Canara Sales Corporation Ltd. was set up
1941: Established The Newspaper Publishers Pvt. Ltd.
1941: The Canara Motor & General Insurance Co. Ltd. was launched
1943: Founded The Canara Workshops Ltd.
1947: Launched The Canara Tyre & Rubber Works Ltd.
1948: Elected as President of Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industries
1950: Began manufacturing of automobile leaf springs under the brand Canara Springs
1955: Founded the Canara Foundation
1960: Established Karnataka Regional Engineering College at Suratkal
1964: Canara Industrial and Banking Syndicate Limited changed to Syndicate Bank
1967: Died on June 30 in Mangalore, aged 68
1969: Syndicate Bank was nationalized on July 19
A.M. Naik

Born On: June 3, 1942

Born In: Endhal, Gujarat
Career: Chairman and Managing Director of Larsen and Turbo

The Chairman and Chief Operating Officer of India's biggest engineering and construction conglomerate, Anil
Manibhai Naik, is one of the most influential entrepreneurs in India. Ever since he took charge of Larsen & Turbo, he
has fought many battles to take the company to the top. He made L&T a global leader through sheer hard work and
through what he calls 'devotion beyond dedication'. He was the first professional to head the company and led it
through its most unstable times. Under his dynamic leadership, the company recorded its most robust performance.
In a long career spanning around forty-five years, Anil took just a day off. Now isn't this fact a testimony to his
achievements? It sure is!

Early Life
A.M. Naik was born into a family of teachers in June 3, 1942 in Endhal in Southern Gujarat. His father was a teacher
and also a strict Gandhian. Naik received his early education in Navsari. He finished a degree in mechanical
engineering from the prestigious Birla Viswakarma Mahavidyalaya Engineering College in VV Nagar in Anand.

Career
In 1965, Anil. M. Naik joined Larsen & Turbo as a junior engineer and became the youngest manager in the history of
the organisation. In 1985, he was made the 'General Manager' as he rose quickly through the ranks. In 1989, he took
over as the Vice-President of the organisation and became the member of the Director Board. Anil M. Naik's broader
perspective enabled the company to expand its horizons beyond domestic borders and reach a position which
enabled it to become a global player. He restructured the company into several operating divisions and focused on
improving shareholder value. The emphasis on HR and IT as twin engines of growth yielded the organization fruitful
results. In 1995, Anil became the President of L&T and in 1999, took over as the 'Chief Executive Officer' and the
Managing Director. In 2003, he became the Chairman and Managing Director of the organisation.

In the early nineties, Anil M. Naik came up with the idea of manufacturing engineering equipments which saw the
organization treading down the manufacturing path. It began manufacturing plastic machinery, tire machinery and
custom engineering products. This enabled L&T to achieve major success in the indigenization of technology and in
the technology and nuclear sectors. This paid rich dividends and the turnover of the company grew fifty times in eight
years. This happened when Anil M. Naik took over as the Chief Executive Officer. Under his leadership, the company
expanded its horizons in the IT sector and made huge profits. Anil.M. Naik has involved himself in many social
activities and is currently into the development of an educational institution set up by his father in Navsari in Gujarat.
He is also associated with several educational and charitable institutions that help support the rural population of
India. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Indian Business Trust for HIV/AIDS.

Contributions
As soon as he took over as the CEO of L &T, he came up with a 90 days action plan. He brought back a merit system
to attract the younger generation to the company. According to him, the best way to attract young engineers to an
organization was to change the way of rewarding them. Anil Manibhai Naik was also instrumental in leading the
organization through a manufacturing path which helped raise the turnover of the company fifty times over in around
eight years.

Legacy
Anil Manibhai Naik is an inspirational entrepreneur since he dedicated half of his life to make his organisation, the
biggest engineering giant in India and one of the largest in the world.
Awards And Accolades

 'Business Leader of the Year – Building India’ by NDTV Profit.

 Gujarat Garima Award, 2009
 'Lakshya Business Visionary’ Award by the National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE)
 'Asia Business Leader’ Award, CNBC Asia, 2010
 'CNBC Asia - Outstanding Business Leader’ Award, 2010.

Timeline

1942 - Born in Endhal in Southern Gujarat.

1965 - Joins Larsen & Turbo as a junior engineer.
1985 - Is appointed as the General Manager of L & T.
1989 - Took over as the vice-president of the organization and became member of the director board.
1995 - Becomes the President of L&T
1999 - Takes over as the Chief Executive Officer and the Managing Director.
2003 - Was appointed as the Chairman and Managing Director of the organisation.
Analjit Singh

Analjit Singh is a self driven man, his dedication and hard work is an inspiration to many new entrepreneurs. Coming
from an illustrious business family background most would assume that his journey towards being a successful
capitalist was an effortless one. Well not in his case, backed by buoyancy and zest to achieve his goals Singh
managed to outshine his peers. He is the Chairperson and founding member of Max India, Max New Life Insurance
ltd, Max Healthcare and Max Bupa Health Insurance. With his business expertise and astuteness he has been
constantly reinventing and streamlining his ideas to keep up with changing business trends. Analjit Singh is a
member of the Prime Minister's Joint Indo-US CEOs Forum and continues to hold top ranking positions in several
renowned Indian companies Vodafone Essar, Tata Tea, Industrial Development Bank of India and Hero Honda
Motors. Read on to know more about the man behind Max New York Life Insurance, Analjit Singh.

Early Life
Analjit is the youngest son of Bhai Mohan Singh who was the former founder of Ranbaxy Laboratories and Max India.
He completed his early education from Doon School, Dehradun and then went on to enroll himself in the Shriram
College of Commerce to earn a degree in commerce. Analjit then later moved to the USA to earn his MBA from a
graduate school of management that was associated with the Bostan University. He grew up with two siblings named
Parvinder and Manjit.

Career
When Analjit returned from the USA after completing his MBA he joined the family business, a pharmaceutical
company named Ranbaxy. However, his work at Ranbaxy was short lived due to a family dispute; his father divided
the business in 1989 to settle the differences. His elder brother Parvinder was given Ranbaxy Laboratories and the
real estate portion of the business went to his Manjit Singh, Analjit's other brother. Analjit was left with a rundown
factory at Okhla where he had to offer a voluntary retirement scheme to his workers from his own earnings. In 1992,
his hard work and dedication paid off when he put together an alliance with Hutchison Telecommunications, Hong
Kong, to gain cellular and radio paging services in India. The venture proved to be profitable despite its operations
being functional only in Mumbai. In a short span of just six years the company earned a profit of Rs. 1,368 crores.
Hutch held a stake of 49% in the business and the remaining 51% of the equity holdings was held by Analjit's
company. Due to the successful business venture in Mumbai, the obvious thing to do was to expand the business by
going national but Analjit's ambition to do so failed. His business partner Hutch felt that the licensing fee was
exorbitant along with certain qualms. Despite several efforts to expand his prevailing telecom business Analjit was left
with no other option but to close down the company for a whopping Rs. 561 crores for the sale of just 41% of the
shares. Although retirement was on the cards Analjit refused to back away from the business circuit as he felt that
there were many unexplored pockets. He thereafter ventured into life insurance and healthcare in 1999, but then had
no idea that he had actually hit a jackpot. During his initial years Analjit gradually sold off his assets at a profitable
price to pump capital for his new business. His company Max India has a trustworthy approach combined with a great
business strategy that he strongly believes in. Analjit also wanted to get into education and soon figured that the best
way to get involved was to become a member of a governing body; he is the founder member of Indian School of
Business in Mohali.

Awards and Achievements

Over the years Analjit has not only proved to be a dynamic business personality but also shown that he is great with
philanthropist ideas. He has been actively involved in several social causes, being the Chairperson and the Chief
Beneficiary of Max India Foundation (MIF). MIF is a socially responsible organization and has tied up with many
NGO's such as SOS Children's Village, Manav Seva Sannidhi, CanSupport and Chinmaya Mission. To aid
underprivileged children with good healthcare services, provide medical awareness among womenfolk, and support
environmental issues are few of the concerns the foundation has focused on. During his career. Analjit has been
conferred with several accolades but the one that stands out the most is the one he received from Senator Hillary
Clinton by The Indian American Center for Political Awareness (IACPA). The award was given to honor his
outstanding contributions in addressing the global community to help understand a modern and effervescent India.
Recently, he also received the Padma Bhushan from the Indian President.
Timeline
1986: He joined his father's company Ranbaxy Laboratories
1992: He partnered with Hutchison Telecommunications
1998: Sells 41% of his holdings to Hutchison and Kotak Mahindra Group.
2000: He establishes Max New York Life Insurance.
2005: Sell 10% of the holdings.
2008: Ties up with Bupa Finance Plc of London to set up a health insurance scheme.
Anand Mahindra

Born On: 1st May, 1955

Born In: Mumbai, Maharashtra
Career: Entrepreneur

Anand Mahindra is the Managing Director and Vice Chairman of the Mahindra & Mahindra Group, which is amongst
the top ten industrial houses in India. This renowned group was established by his grandfather K.C. Mahindra in
Ludhiana, Punjab. Anand Mahindra is interested in educational issues and sports and thus, is a member of Harvard
Business School - Asia-Pacific Advisory Board, Harvard Business School - Member of the Board of Dean's Advisors,
Harvard University Asia Centre - Advisory Committee, Asia Business Council, National Sports Development Fund
(NSDF), Government of India - Council and Executive Committee, The Nehru Centre, Mumbai - Executive
Committee, National Council of Applied Economic Research, National Institute of Bank Management, Pune -
Governing Board. A long list, don't you think? Apart from this, he is a big fan of football and plays tennis quite a lot
too. Read on to know more about the man behind the Mahindra & Mahindra Group.

Early Life
Anand Mahindra was born on 1st May, 1955 in Mumbai, Maharashtra and belongs to a famous business family. He is
the son of late Harish Mahindra and Indira Mahindra. In 1977, he pursued a graduate degree at the Harvard College,
Cambridge, Massachusetts. He was a member of the Phoenix S.K. Club. In 1981, he finished his Masters in
Business Administration from the Harvard Business School, Boston, Massachusetts. He is now married to Anuradha
Mahindra, who is the famous editor of the magazines 'Verve' and 'Man's World' and is the Editor-in-Chief of Rolling
Stone India. The couple together has two daughters.

Career
In 1981, Anand Mahindra came back to India and joined the Mahindra Ugine Steel Company (MUSCO) as an
Executive Assistant to the Finance Director. In 1989, he became the President of this leading group and this was
when he expanded the company into the sectors of real estate development and hospitality. In 1991, he was
assigned the duty of Deputy Managing Director of Mahindra & Mahindra Group. He took the responsibility as the
Managing Director of the business in 1997 and became the Vice Chairman in 2003. Besides this, he was a Co-
Promoter of Kotak Mahindra Finance Ltd., and transformed it into a bank in 2003. Kotak Mahindra Bank is now one of
the leading banks in the private sector. It was under Anand's management that his group successfully set up global
objectives and standards for achieving success. In the year 2002, the Mahindra & Mahindra Group introduced an
indigenously developed SUV, the Scorpio, which built positive impressions for the company and helped give it a
global identity. Thus, the company has developed through both acquisitions and Greenfield business development.
The company's possession activities include the possession of Satyam Computer Services in 2009, Reva Electric
Vehicles in 2010 and Ssangyong Motor Company in 2010.

Anand has been the past President (2003-04) of the Confederation of Indian Industry and has also served the
Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) as its President. Anand Mahindra is the Co-Founder of the Harvard
Business School Association of India, which is an association devoted to the advancement of professional
management in India. He is also the Co-Chairperson of the World Economic Forum at Davos. Mr. Anand is a Director
of the National Stock Exchange of India Limited selected under the 'Public Representatives' category. Along with this,
he is the Trustee of the K.C. Mahindra Education Trust, which offers scholarships to students and he also on the
Board of Governors of the Mahindra United World College of India. He is the Chairman of the National Safety Council
of India and is the Founder Chairman of the Mumbai Festival, which began in 2005. This occasion was the first
inclusive festival to celebrate the opulent cultural diversity of Maharashtra. Anand Mahindra is the Co-Chairman of the
International Council of Asia Society, New York.

Awards and Accolades

Anand Mahindra was honored as the Knight of the Order of Merit by the President of the French Republic in 2004
and also received the Rajiv Gandhi Award for his outstanding contributions to the business field. It was in 2005, when
he was awarded the Person of the Year award from Auto Monitor and the Leadership Award from the American India
Foundation for the commitments to corporate social responsibility met by him and the Mahindra & Mahindra Group. In
2006, he received the CNBC Asia Business Leader Award and the Ludhiana Management Association presented him
with the Entrepreneur of the Year Award. In 2007, he received the honor/title of the 'Most Inspiring Corporate Leader
of the Year' from NDTV Profit. He has been entitled as the Business Leader of the Year (2008-2009) by the
Economic Times Awards. Recently, Anand was ranked as one of the most influential men & women in Mumbai by
Daily News and Analysis.

Contribution
Anand Mahindra contributed $ 10 million to the Harvard University in the name of his mother, Indira Mahindra for
supporting the Humanities Center. This huge amount was contributed for the advancement of the distinctive
interdisciplinary alliances led by the Director of the Humanities Center, Homi Bhabha. Under Anand's supervision, the
company opened a new and separate field, Mahindra Systems and Automotive Technologies to lay emphasis on
enhanced modules and to offer better engineering services. Apart from this, the firm has made strategic acquisitions
of plants in the United Kingdom and China. It has three assembly plants in the United States of America and has
collaborated with international companies like Renault SA, Nissan and the International Truck and Engine
Corporation, USA.

Timeline
1955: Born in Mumbai, Maharashtra
1981: Returned to India and joined Mahindra Ugine Steel Company (MUSCO) as an Executive Assistant to the
Finance Director
1989: Became the President of this leading group
1991: Became the Deputy Managing Director of the Mahindra & Mahindra Group
1997: Became the Managing Director of the Mahindra & Mahindra Group
2003: Became the Vice-Chairman of the Mahindra & Mahindra Group
2004: Knight of the Order of Merit by the President of the French Republic.
2005: Person of the Year from Auto Monitor and Leadership Award from the American India Foundation.
2006: Received the CNBC Asia Business Leader Award and Entrepreneur of the Year Award by the Ludhiana
Management Association.
2007: Received the Inspiring Corporate Leader of the Year Award from NDTV Profit.