From the Bookshelves
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What can startup founders learn from legacy entrepreneurs who built India?
What does it take to build a legacy and ensure generations of people benefit from your work? Are there leadership lessons old industrialists can offer young founders of today? These are some of the questions that family business historian Sonu Bhasin attempts to answer through a series of books called 'Entrepreneurs Who Built India'.In a conversation with Divya Shekhar, Bhasin also talks about women in the workforce and how family businesses can attain longevity
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From the Bookshelves: India's economic history told through stories of Finance Ministers
Senior journalist AK Bhattacharya gives a glimpse of how India's earliest finance ministers balanced politics and economic considerations, their relationship with prime ministers, and how his new book can be read in the context of the current political and economic scenario
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Curiosity will teach you how to build: Tony Fadell
iPhone and iPod co-creator Tony Fadell on how to build companies and products that change the world
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India's economic history, told through the stories of its Finance Ministers
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
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Are the odds stacked against women in science by design?
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
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HCL Co-founder Ajai Chowdhry on why India needs to be a hardware product nation
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
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Stories from Indian Kitchens: Part 2, ft. Vikas Khanna
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
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Stories from Indian kitchens, ft. Gauri Devidayal
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
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Can finding your 'Ikigai' make you a better business leader?
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
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Crony capitalism and controversial businessmen, with Nandini Vijayaraghavan
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
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Bhairavi Jani on the diversity in Indian entrepreneurship
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