There are numerous ways to contribute towards nation-building. Each one teaches one, as someone said. Pay your taxes, as the government says. Keep your environs clean, as the PM says these days.
For an economy facing jobless growth for some time, there is no better way to serve the nation than to create jobs. We call these agents entrepreneurs. The Narendra Modi government has been laying special stress on creating the entrepreneurial spirit in the country.
There are many who have chosen this path to serve the motherland. Profit over people is not their only motive. Subhash Chandra is one such icon who serves the nation by having built an empire that spans agriculture, manufacturing, media, education and infrastructure sectors. In the process, he has helped create thousands of jobs
To a large extent, Chandra has helped build this empire. Today, the empire is divided among the four brothers — Laxmi Narain Goel, Jawahar Goel and Ashok Goel, besides Chandra himself.
Even as the group embraces global excellence and spreads its wings in as many as 172 countries, its philosophy reflects the age-old Indian ethos. As Chandra says in an interview to BW Businessworld, “Our ‘shake hand’ commitment is stronger than the written agreement”.
Chandra, now a Rajya Sabha MP, is a modern-day Yogi. A practitioner of vipassana, the group, under Chandra, is set to earmark a certain proportion of its wealth for social causes.
As the group celebrates its 90th anniversary this year, it’s only proper that we commemorate its nine-decade-old journey under Chandra (and brothers) as a Cover Story, this issue.
The package, anchored by Media Editor Noor Fathima Warsia, has interviews with Chandra, and the other three brothers, in addition to an appraisal of the group’s activities.
We began by talking about nation-building and jobless growth. One entity that helps a company wade through choppy waters in testing times is the CFO. BW Businessworld, in association with YES BANK, has been annually celebrating the best CFOs of the land.
The role of CFOs has also acquired critical importance because many a time they are seen as CEOs-in-waiting. Indira Nooyi, who joined PepsiCo as CFO in 2001 rose to become CEO in 2006. In India, Rajesh Gopinathan, similarly, rose to the top in TCS.
India’s best CFOs, across various sectors, were selected by BW Businessworld in association with YES BANK after a rigorous study. We celebrate them in our first Cover Story this issue, and we call them “The Helmsmen”.
Among other stories in this issue, Correspondent Regina D. Mihindukulasuriya looks at the absence of governmental norms for drones in the country, when even a country as tiny as Sri Lanka has a law on it. Senior Associate Editor Ashish Sinha looks at the Adidas India turnaround story.
This twin special issue of BW would be a collector’s item, we hope.
As always, keep sending your feedback. Happy reading!
BW Reporters
The author is the Chairman & Editor-in-Chief of the BW Businessworld Group and the Founder & Editor-in-Chief of the exchange4media Group
