05-21-2007, 06:00 AM
<!--emo&:ind--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/india.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='india.gif' /><!--endemo--> India Inc's Ratans for President Anyone?
TEAM ET
TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ MONDAY, MAY 21, 2007 01:00:26 AM]
Itâs the best address in town. Imagine a grand 200,000 sq ft perch in the heart of Lutyensâ Delhi; a 340-room heritage home set in a 350-acre estate. Not to mention the majestic Mughal Gardens, spread over 4 acres, as your own, mostly private, flower patch. The valuation is mind-boggling too-Rs 800 crore just for the built-up space and at least another Rs 5,000 crore for the grounds.
Yet Rashtrapati Bhawan hasnât had much variety in its post-Independence residents. So far its chief occupants have been the odd academic or career diplomat and an overwhelming number of politicos.
Of course the current First Citizen has bucked that trend partly thanks to his stature as a top scientist and partly due to his rather unconventional personal style â locks, stock and all.
But itâs about time that Indiaâs most prized corner-room had a change of profile. So, who should be the next President of India? Someone whose track-record reflects the can-do spirit of bluechip Bharat. Someone whose vision has helped achieve the impossible.
Someone who is an icon of new-age India. And someone who wonât be spooked by the Rs 35-crore monthly home maintenance bill. If you ask us, who wants Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, Somnath Chatterjee, Karan Singh and Pranab Mukherjee? Not our readers, surely.
ET has come up with a roster of boardroom brahmins who we see as potential Raisina Hill residents. Each one of our candidates combines gumption with grace, acumen with attitude and charisma with character. Of course a monthly pay cheque of Rs 50,000 and an S-Class stretch limo isnât much by way of perks. Even if you throw in two dozen thoroughbreds and some spit-and-polish aide-de-camps.
Take Tata group big kahuna Ratan Tata. Having earned his spurs at the helm of a business empire as diverse as India itself, 68-year-old Mr Tata is an expert at handling complexities.
If he can manage the click-and-portal TCS and the brick-and-mortar Tata Steel, he should be able to bridge the gap between Bharat and India with his vision.
His experience with the tribe of Tata satraps should help him handle anything the politicians serve up. And a no-nonsense attitude means our netas will have to think twice before taking him for a mere figurehead.
But if Rashtrapati Bhawan is looking for someone to sell the India story, thereâs no one better than ICICI bank CEO Kundapur Vaman Kamath. A midnightâs child, he is as old as the Indian republic. His success at ICICI proves his ability to look into the future, take big bets and nudge his organisation in the right direction. The original big picture guy, he believes in fast-track growth rather than taking things easy.
Continued...1|2|3|Next >>
TEAM ET
TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ MONDAY, MAY 21, 2007 01:00:26 AM]
Itâs the best address in town. Imagine a grand 200,000 sq ft perch in the heart of Lutyensâ Delhi; a 340-room heritage home set in a 350-acre estate. Not to mention the majestic Mughal Gardens, spread over 4 acres, as your own, mostly private, flower patch. The valuation is mind-boggling too-Rs 800 crore just for the built-up space and at least another Rs 5,000 crore for the grounds.
Yet Rashtrapati Bhawan hasnât had much variety in its post-Independence residents. So far its chief occupants have been the odd academic or career diplomat and an overwhelming number of politicos.
Of course the current First Citizen has bucked that trend partly thanks to his stature as a top scientist and partly due to his rather unconventional personal style â locks, stock and all.
But itâs about time that Indiaâs most prized corner-room had a change of profile. So, who should be the next President of India? Someone whose track-record reflects the can-do spirit of bluechip Bharat. Someone whose vision has helped achieve the impossible.
Someone who is an icon of new-age India. And someone who wonât be spooked by the Rs 35-crore monthly home maintenance bill. If you ask us, who wants Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, Somnath Chatterjee, Karan Singh and Pranab Mukherjee? Not our readers, surely.
ET has come up with a roster of boardroom brahmins who we see as potential Raisina Hill residents. Each one of our candidates combines gumption with grace, acumen with attitude and charisma with character. Of course a monthly pay cheque of Rs 50,000 and an S-Class stretch limo isnât much by way of perks. Even if you throw in two dozen thoroughbreds and some spit-and-polish aide-de-camps.
Take Tata group big kahuna Ratan Tata. Having earned his spurs at the helm of a business empire as diverse as India itself, 68-year-old Mr Tata is an expert at handling complexities.
If he can manage the click-and-portal TCS and the brick-and-mortar Tata Steel, he should be able to bridge the gap between Bharat and India with his vision.
His experience with the tribe of Tata satraps should help him handle anything the politicians serve up. And a no-nonsense attitude means our netas will have to think twice before taking him for a mere figurehead.
But if Rashtrapati Bhawan is looking for someone to sell the India story, thereâs no one better than ICICI bank CEO Kundapur Vaman Kamath. A midnightâs child, he is as old as the Indian republic. His success at ICICI proves his ability to look into the future, take big bets and nudge his organisation in the right direction. The original big picture guy, he believes in fast-track growth rather than taking things easy.
Continued...1|2|3|Next >>