Indian banks show the way

Indian Banks Show the Way
Indian banks escaped the bloodbath that savaged American and European banks in the wake of the global financial crisis. India's Best Banks (BT, December 13) makes our top banks to be shining advertisements for the virtues of stability and prudential safety. Not bad considering how Western banks are paying a stiff price for their profit-driven innovation run amok.
Vineet Achyut, Delhi

Playing by the Book
At a time when many western banks need government rescue packages to keep them afloat, Indian banks have, by and large, emerged unscathed despite their exposure (limited, in comparison to American banks) to subprime mortgage portfolios. The reason they remain healthy is that they approved loans they intended to keep on their books rather than securitising and selling them to drive up revenue.
Praneeta, Delhi

Driven by Excellence
Congratulations for bringing out your info-packed BT-KPMG survey of India's Best Banks. Many stand out for their outstanding performances. Among private banks, two deserve special mention. While Axis Bank has been able to garner huge business in a short span of time purely through organic growth, YES Bank's relentless focus on human capital makes it an outright winner. Among public sector banks, PNBand Bank of Baroda have done well to leverage their relatively large network and technology for enhanced efficiency and to maintain their premier position as stateowned lenders.
S. Umashankar, Nagpur

Women on Top
Many workplace programmes for women are little more than window dressing (It's Not a Man's World Anymore, BT cover, November 29). But the examples set by the likes of Praj Industries, Nokia, Cummins and Ford India in allowing women to prove their mettle by encouraging them to take up jobs in the fields of construction, manufacturing and other unconventional areas are truly commendable and worth emulating.
Bal Govind, Noida

Innovation to Drive Banks
It's reassuring to see top banks in India establish an outstanding record of innovation, growth and value creation (India's Best Banks, BT, December 13). With India's retail-banking market expanding rapidly and set to cross annual revenue of $16.5 billion by 2010, banks will need to innovate to develop differentiated business models.
Neeraj Thakur, Pune

Richer Multiplex Experience
Recessionary bootstrapping is compelling businesses to cut costs. But even with pricey tickets, multiplexes are Back in Business (BT, December 13). If only they they could improve customer service. For a start, they can issue cinema tickets to cover the cost of a small packet of popcorn and a cup of tea or coffee. I am sure that will deepen the emotional wallop of watching a film in a multiplex.
Mahesh Kumar, Noida