Our top reads 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) Lesson plan for education overhaul
It was 2010. Sumeet Mehta and Smita Deorah had been back in India for about three years, from Singapore. Curiosity took Deorah on a visit one day to the home of her domestic help, and she saw first-hand the lack of access to good schools and teachers for lower-income families, and how their children struggled with even the basics. Mother of two thought if her kids could do well with learning, so could others—with the right kind of intervention. Leadership in Education and Development, or LEAD, became that intervention. Read more

 
2) Will RBI bite the CBDC bullet?
The rapid acceptance of electronic money kept in bank accounts, mobile banking applications, and credit cards is changing the way people think about money, compared to traditional forms such as currency notes or coins. And it is quite likely that in 2023—if future pilots carried out by the Reserve Bank of India run without glitches and the bank decides on the final design—that central bank digital currency (CBDC) could become an additional way in which we make monetary transactions. Sounds too good to be true? RBI's intent towards digital currencies is clear, but it still has one massive and one not-so-massive challenge to overcome. Read more

3) Art of meaningful investing
If you ask Asish Mohapatra, cofounder of b2b commerce and fintech startup OfBusiness, about his three attempts to get Niren Shah, MD and head of Norwest India, to fund his venture, you will hear a story of three attempts, three constant questions, and one final answer. According to Mohapatra, Shah looks for stability, profitability and sound management. This approach sounds like gospel in the aftermath of funding winter and startup meltdown. This picky and contrarian strategy has led to a lean and mean portfolio for the American VC firm in India. Will it continue? Read more
 

Discover

1) Harsh Mariwala on Forbes India Pathbreakers
In the first episode of Forbes India Pathbreakers, Harsh Mariwala talks about his 'third child' Marico, a company he built brick by brick to last for perpetuity. He discusses market strategies which helped him overcome challenges and turn crises into opportunities. He talks about the thriving startup ecosystem and how founders need to focus on building sustainable business models. A staunch advocate of good corporate governance, he believes promoters need to be more mindful of protecting the interest of shareholders. Tune in for a masterclass on business strategy and unparalleled wisdom on living a meaningful life as he shares his inspiring journey of struggle and success. Watch here

2) How to build an HNI's investment portfolio
An ongoing debate in financial circles is the role of active and passive styles of investing in constructing investment portfolios. The goal of active fund managers is to beat the market while passive investment managers duplicate specific index returns but have a lower fee structure. So, which strategy can deliver better long-term returns? To discuss this, Pratik Oswal, head of passive business, Motilal Oswal AMC and Aashish Somaiyaa, CEO of White Oak AMC—two experienced mutual fund experts who have a keen understanding of how these two strategies influence returns in different market cycles, weigh in. Listen here

3) What ultra-opulent looks like
There is nothing discreet about the brand new Land Rover Range Rover. The new avatar of the classic luxury vehicle is 5.2 metres long and 2 metres wide--a good-looking yet nonchalant car. Under the hood of the D350 Range Rover is a 3.0-litre diesel engine that makes 258hp and 700Nm--numbers worthy of a Range Rover. It's massive, opulent, and loaded with kit. In this episode of Forbes India Momentum, we observe that the Land Rover Range Rover makes a statement like no other car out there currently. Watch here


4) Enabling Bharat
Sanjay Jain, partner at Bharat Fund and chief innovation officer at CIIE.co. is the guest on this episode of Startup Friday. Jain played a leading role in building Google's Map Maker, and later was the founding chief product manager at UIDAI. On the podcast, he talks about the journey from being a 'doer' to becoming an 'enabler'. With a master's in computer science from UCLA, and experience as a serial entrepreneur himself, Jain also talks about how the fund—a Rs. 600 crore corpus—attempts to straddle intellectual-property-led innovation and an inclusion mandate for the Bharat segment of India. Listen here