From the troubles of Indian IT workers to masterchef Vikas Khanna's attempt to remain inspired, here are our most-read stories of the week

Every week, catch up on the best long form stories from Forbes India. Often peppered with our binge-worthy podcasts, videos or infographics too. Image: Shutterstock


1) Trouble in paradise
Hiring in the IT sector has dropped 25 percent versus last year. India’s top four IT companies saw a net addition of just 1,940 employees in Q3, the lowest in the last eight quarters. Active job volumes in the tech sector have dropped nearly 50 percent on a year-on-year basis. Proposed job cuts are just over 37,000 for the next few months. The wide-eyed dream of the Indian middle class, the one on which 90s kids lived, seems to be losing its shine. Indian IT sector, in the words of NR Narayana Murthy, was supposed to 'attract the best and the brightest'. Read the diary pages of Indian IT workers here about how turmoil in the sector is quashing dreams. Read here


2) To making ambitious plans
When Larsen & Toubro Infotech merged with Mindtree, one of the key aspects was Mindtree's experience with customers complemented LTI's engineering DNA. Only a sliver of customer overlap also was a plus point. This provides LTIMindtree the agility of a smaller company while offering the capabilities akin a tier-one IT services company. Debashis Chatterjee, CEO of India's fifth largest IT services provider by market cap, has the opportunity to create a $10 billion enterprise in the next four to five years, from roughly $3.5 billion in FY22. This is an overview of the roadmap set by Chatterjee. Read  here

3) Battle-ready
At the beginning of March, the collapse of three major banks in the US—Silvergate, Silicon Valley, and Signature—prompted a massive liquidity crisis and scared the global economy stakeholders who were already grappling with inflation, geopolitical instability, and changing monetary policy stances. Then came the news of Swiss giant Credit Suisse finally coming to a grinding halt after a string of scandals, top management changes, massive losses, and major strategy mistakes. No one will blame you if it felt like deja vu of the 2008 crisis. Each banking crisis amplifies fears of a risk to financial stability and the capability of foreign banks to withstand it. In India, losing share in deposits and lending activity may not make for a pretty matrix, but most foreign banks have doubled down on their strengths to battle domestic heavyweights. Read here

Discover

1) Second-time lucky
When Papa Johns launched in India in 2006, it was already a decade late. But then CEO Nigel Travis was confident of gaining the trust, and by default money of the growing Indian middle class for the 'better pizza'—Papa Johns was serving with 'better ingredients.' The initial plan was to open 100 stores in a decade, but in the following two years, the store count was only nine. World's third-largest pizza chain couldn't crack the Indian market and exited in 2017. For its second innings, Papa Johns has decided to come back to India with a new partner in tow. The brand will roll out its first outlet in Bengaluru in 2024. For the second outing, the brand is quite focused on what it will not do in the Indian market. Will this strategy work for the ambition of opening 650 outlets in India by 2033? Read here

2) Allure of a four-day workweek
Between June and December, the world's largest four-day workweek trial, comprising 61 companies and around 2,900 workers, took place in the UK, ending with a whopping 56 out of 61 participating companies adopting the format. Eighteen among them have confirmed the policy is here to stay. Employees of some of the participating companies went on to say that “no amount of money” would convince them to go back to working five days a week. Most Indian workers are still following the six-day working schedule. The metropolitan population is just getting used to the five-day work week—Indian banks have just joined the fold. Will this new model work in India? Will it need further tweaking? Read here

3) Stories from Indian Kitchens ft. Vikas Khanna
To commemorate the six-month run of From the Bookshelves, Forbes India brings you a special episode featuring a Michelin-starred celebrity chef who is an ambassador for Indian cuisine and culture to the world. Vikas Khanna speaks about his latest book 'Imaginary Rain', which is the story of an immigrant woman running a restaurant in the US, and a semi-autobiographical dedication to Khanna’s grandmother. In a straight-from-the-heart conversation, he talks about why he started writing as a result of a promise made to his father, the challenges of translating Punjabi to English, and why his book is another attempt for him to “remain inspired”.  Listen here

4) Ashish Dhawan on Pathbreakers
Our guest this week on Pathbreakers wants to reimagine India's education system. At 43, ChrysCapital's co-founder and leading private equity investor, Ashish Dhawan made an unconventional move. He gave up his successful career as an investment manager and turned philanthropist. "I didn’t want to just cut cheques. My philanthropic work or life’s work is about building institutions," says Dhawan. In 2010, he co-founded Ashoka University and brought on board 170 philanthropists to share his vision of building a world-class interdisciplinary higher educational institution. Dhawan, on a mission to ensure India's 250 million children have access to equal opportunities irrespective of their financial background, founded The Central Square Foundation in 2012.  Watch here