Success stories of Indian brands make it to longlist of Gaja Capital Business Book prize

New Delhi, Sep 4 (PTI) CK Venkataraman's account of jewellery brand Tanishq, Anupam Gupta's success story of Asian Paints, and Sriram Devatha's story of India's first single malt, Amrut, are some of the books on big Indian brands that have made it to the longlist of Gaja Capital Business Book prize.

With a prize of Rs 20 lakh, the award honours books that offer original insights into India’s dynamic business landscape.

The 10-book longlist, according to the organisers, presents a compelling cross-section of India’s business landscape, capturing the interplay among visionary leadership, institutional reform, brand innovation, and indigenous economic thought.

In "The Tanishq Story", Venkataraman looks at the journey of the Indian jewellery brand from the inside, opening up about its missteps, analysing its strengths and weaknesses, and pulling in key Titan executives who were involved with the business from its earliest days.

Gupta in "The Rise of Asian Paints: Champaklal Choksey, a Doyen of the Indian Paints Industry" pens the many lessons from the paint company's early history till today - from investing in high quality talent to separating management and ownership.

"Amrut, The Great Churn: The Global Story of India’s First Single Malt", penned by Devatha, is the tale of how a home-grown brand attained international cult status.

RC Bhargava's book on the success story of Maruti, "Impossible to Possible: Maruti’s Incredible Success and How it Can Change India", has also made it to the list.

“Business stories are more than accounts of profit and loss; they are narratives of risk, resilience, and reinvention. At Gaja Capital, we believe thoughtful storytelling plays a powerful role in shaping the entrepreneurial mindset. The Business Book Prize aims to recognise authors who bring clarity to complexity," Gopal Jain, managing director and CEO of Gaja Capital, said in a statement.

Other books that made the cut include Arvind Panagariya's "The Nehru Development Model", Karthik Muralidharan's "Accelerating India’s Development", "A.M. Naik: The Man Who Built Tomorrow" by Priya Kumar and Jairam N. Menon; "Dharmanomics: An Indigenous and Sustainable Economic Model" by Sriram Balasubramanian and "Engineering a Nation: The Life and Career of M. Visvesvaraya (1861-1962)" by Aparajith Ramnath.

"The Start-Up Code: Taking Your Company from Seed to Scale" by Mukesh Bansal is also in contention.

The jury for this year’s edition, chaired by Manish Sabharwal, vice-chairman of TeamLease, comprises distinguished leaders from industry, investment, public policy, and governance. They will announce the shortlist in October, followed by the winner declaration in December.

“India’s entrepreneurial story is still being written, and books have the ability to both record and accelerate that journey. The best writing helps us see patterns, understand choices, and connect individual stories to larger transformations. Through this prize, we aim to honour authors who bring rigour, narrative energy, and fresh perspective, ensuring that India’s economic rise is not just tracked in numbers, but also told through inspiring ideas," said Sabharwal.

Instituted in 2019 to encourage Indian entrepreneurs, writers, and journalists to tell their stories for the world, the award celebrates authors whose work significantly impacts the business landscape through insightful research and compelling narratives on entrepreneurship and leadership.

Sonu Bhasin’s biography, "Entrepreneurs Who Built India – Lala Shri Ram: The Man Who Saw Tomorrow", won the Gaja Capital Business Book Prize 2024. PTI MG MAH MAH