How did India's earliest Finance Ministers shape the economic story of the country? In his new book 'India's Finance Ministers: From Independence to Emergency (1947-1977)', senior journalist AK Bhattacharya presents a detailed account of the work done by finance ministers in India's first three decades since Independence. He talks about how they balanced economic considerations with politics, their relationship with prime ministers and other prominent political figures, and how this book can be read in the context of the current political and economic scenario
In this episode, Divya Shekhar speaks with science writers Aashima Dogra and Nandita Jayaraj, who run The Life of Science, a platform dedicated to highlighting the stories and voices of women and minorities in science. In late-2015, they decided to visit the labs of women scientists and researchers in India, and their recent book 'Lab Hopping', is a result of hundreds of conversations they have had with these women. It navigates the web of patriarchy, isolation and ineffective regulations to highlight the grit, wisdom, victories and challenges these women face in everyday life
In this episode, Divya Shekhar speaks with HCL co-founder Ajai Chowdhry about his book 'Just Aspire', building a career in IT in the 70s, creating a domestic market for computers in the country, whether the recent instances of layoffs, onboarding delays and attrition point to deeper systemic issues in Indian IT, and how India can use its software prowess to become a hardware product nation
To commemorate the six-month run of From the Bookshelves, Divya Shekhar brings you a special episode featuring the latest book of a Michelin-starred celebrity chef. Vikas Khanna speaks about 'Imaginary Rain', the story of an immigrant woman running a restaurant in the US, and a semi-autobiographical dedication to Khanna's grandmother, who is also an inspiration for his cooking. In a straight-from-the-heart conversation, he talks about why he started writing, the challenges of translating Punjabi to English, and why his book is another attempt for him to remain inspired
What are the numerous untold tales behind a plate of food that you've ordered at a restaurant? In this episode, Divya Shekhar speaks with restaurateur Gauri Devidayal about her new book 'Diamonds for Breakfast', which she has co-written with writer-editor Vishwas Kulkarni. She discusses how and why she wrote about her experience of running one of the most celebrated restaurants in Mumbai; who are the foot soldiers silently working behind the scenes to help run a successful business in India's hyper-competitive F&B industry, and why running a restaurant is a game of patience
The Japanese have a long tradition of finding the secret to a sense of purpose, happiness and balance in everyday life. And they have a word—Ikigai—to represent just that. In this episode, Divya Shekhar meets up with Francesc Miralles, who has authored the globally bestselling Ikigai series of books along with Hector Garcia. They speak about whether finding your Ikigai can make you a better entrepreneur, whether business and doing good can go hand-in-hand, and making money
In this episode, Divya Shekhar discusses a brief history of the biggest corporate failures in India over the past two decades and what we can learn from them with Nandini Vijayaraghavan, who is the director and head of research at the Korea Development Bank. In her latest book 'Unfinished Business: Evolving Capitalism in the World's Largest Democracy', Nandini tells this story through four businesspersons. She talks about why the government, investors and other stakeholders have not learnt from past mistakes, why listing day pop is a risky game
Can you develop a better understanding of your country if you travel across its States for over 18,000 kilometres, on the road? When fourth-generation entrepreneur Bhairavi Jani did that, she discovered interesting truths about India that are now part of her book 'Highway to Swades'. She speaks with Divya Shekhar about why "starting up" is very different in villages and non-metros, how the history of trade has shaped the way we trust and do business, and what her travels taught her about the purpose of enterprise and giving back to society
Sri Lankan writer Shehan Karunatilaka won the Booker Prize 2022 for his novel 'The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida' barely three months ago. He speaks with Divya Shekhar about using ghosts, ghouls and horror to craft a whodunit in the backdrop of the raging civil war in 1990, Sri Lanka, how people in the country use humour to convey pain and trauma, why his next book is on the "absurdities of the corporate world", why he has barely been able to write after the Booker Prize win, and what his win means to writers and the publishing business for his country Sri Lanka
Kris Gopalakrishnan, Infosys co-founder, looks back at his early days to talk about how a few "middle-class entrepreneurs" built one of India's most successful IT companies, and in the process, describes the emergence of India's technology industry
How can we bridge the gap between men and women, particularly in terms of economic opportunities and parity? Shaili Chopra's new book, Sisterhood Economy, addresses these issues and more. The former journalist, who is the founder of the digital platform SheThePeople, speaks with Divya Shekhar about the importance of financial freedom and putting value to unpaid care work, reimagining gender roles and creating role models that are not only aspirational, but also relatable