Lessons in life

When Tata Sang a Corus

The takeover that ensured that Ratan Tata would occupy the mindspace of every Indian... was when Tata Steel emerged as the successful bidder for the Anglo-Dutch steel behemoth Corus, on January 30, 2007. It was a staggering acquisition for $12.1 billion (Rs 53,240 crore then), and by far the largest ever for India Inc. In one shot, it catapulted Tata Steel, with which Corus would merge, to the rank of the fifth-largest steelmaker in the world.

The takeover, in many a sense, was reflective of Ratan Tata’s style of doing business. Not one to mount “raids” on targets, Tata, with the consensus of the Corus management, had announced the intention of the two companies merging in friendly fashion as far back as October 2006. But days later, Brazilian steel major Companhia Siderurgica Nacional had also jumped into the fray with its “hostile” bid. The square-off was in London in nine gruelling rounds of bidding closely followed by the media. When it was all over and Tata Steel took home the trophy, Ratan Tata did not uncork the bubbly. At a press meet in Mumbai, he hailed the takeover as “a moment of great fulfilment for all in India”.

Excerpted from Icons: Men & Women Who Shaped Today’s India, edited by Anil Dharker; Rs 395, pp 288 (With permission from Roli Books)

High on art

There is a large growing interest in the world of fine art, also stoked by the high prices Indian artists are commanding at big auctions, as well as interest in art as an investment.

However, unlike other subjects, art is still largely a subject that very few understand, and hence, a growing tribe of High Lifers is investing time and energy on identifying artists, speaking to people in the know, visiting art galleries, and using the internet to understand the world of art.

However, as a High Lifer points out, it is important to underscore that art appreciation starts with enjoying art first.

Excerpted from High on Life: New Ways for Successful Living, by Siddharth Banerjee; Rs 95, Pp 96 (With Permission from Wisdom Tree)

The Gandhi Assassination Revisited

The book first came out when the country was in the grip of Emergency, and books were subjected to a censorship of the utmost ruthlessness.

This made it incumbent upon me to omit certain vital facts such as, for instance, Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar’s secret assurance to Mr L.B Bhopatkar, that his client, Mr V.D. Savarkar, had been implicated as a murder-suspect on the flimsiest grounds.

Then again, certain other pertinent details such as the ‘doctoring’ of a confession by a magistrate whose duty it was only to record what was said only came out in later years...

... I feel confident that this book is now the complete single account of the plot to murder Mahatma Gandhi.

Excerpted from The Men Who Killed Gandhi, by Manohar Malgonkar; Rs 395; Pp: 368 (With permission from Roli Books)