Success Stories | Simone Tata | Global Indian

Global IndianstorySimone Tata: The Geneva tourist who stayed on and shaped Lakmé’s destiny

Simone Tata: The Geneva tourist who stayed on and shaped Lakmé’s destiny

Compiled by: Amrita Priya

(December 15, 2023) Seventy years back, in 1953, a young girl named Simone Dunoyer embarked on her very first journey from Geneva, Switzerland to India as a tourist. Little did Simone know that the foreign land she was travelling to would eventually become her cherished home for the rest of her life, and she would end up playing an integral role in the growth of India’s largest conglomerate, the Tata Group.

Amidst the intricate fabric of the Tata heritage, Simone Tata’s journey unfolds as an extraordinary narrative of determination, foresight, and trailblazing leadership. Her odyssey began as a chance encounter with India as a tourist in 1953, a journey that introduced her to Naval H. Tata, whom she married in 1955. Settling permanently in Mumbai, Simone became an integral part of the Tata family, assuming the role of the stepmother to Ratan Tata who went on to become the most revered industrialist of India. Simone Tata is also the biological mother of Noel Tata, the chairman of Tata Investment Corporation and Vice Chairman of Trent. She made her mark in the Tata Group by turning Lakmé into a global cosmetic powerhouse. The 93-year-old’s involvement extends to the ascent of another popular Tata brand Westside, alongside her commitment to philanthropic endeavours.

Simone Tata

Early years

Born in 1930, Simone Tata was brought up in Geneva, Switzerland, where she graduated from Geneva University. In 1953 when she arrived in India as a tourist, fate led her to meet Naval H. Tata. They fell in love and got married in 1955. With this Simone’s life-long association with India began. As the daughter-in-law of the Tata family, she settled permanently in Mumbai following her wedding,

Leading Lakmé and helping India shed conservative mind-set

When Simone Tata joined the Lakme Board in 1962, it was a minor subsidiary of Tata Oil Mills. It was not part of the mainstream businesses of the Tata Group and quite small in comparison to the conglomerate’s other ventures.

Simone Tata when she was at the helm of Lakmé

She joined the subsidiary as its managing director, and steered the company into a new era. Her hands-on involvement even extended to formulating Lakmé’s products. She even started importing raw material and testing the finished products abroad. Her strategic moves saw Lakmé burgeon into a global cosmetic brand, with Simone eventually becoming its chairperson in 1982. Seven years later in 1987, she was appointed to the board of Tata Industries.

“Back in the ’60s, beauty in the country certainly didn’t mean any cosmetics. It was old-school—there were natural, herbal products on one side and talcum powder on the other. That was all. Makeup was an absolute taboo. You couldn’t appear in public wearing the tiniest amount of makeup, not even a touch of lipstick. Not unless you wanted to be framed as a bad girl,” Simone had said in an interview reminiscing how she had set on making cosmetics acceptable and accessible for Indian women. “I liked women to put their best face forward and I wanted to give them the tools for that. I wanted them to take charge of their appearance.”

Under Simone’s leadership, Lakmé changed perspectives of the Indian society and made Indian women adopt a modern outlook. Its campaigns led the country to think and question the beauty beliefs. Campaigns with questions like ‘Do men look down on women who use makeup?’ and ‘Is it bad to look good?’ prompted a shift in people’s thought process, and Lakmé got successful in making its products available in every household.

Simone Tata with JRD Tata

Laying the foundation of Westside

With time Simone’s ambitions as a businesswoman did not remain confined to the realms of cosmetics. Recognising the retail industry’s potential, she strategically sold Lakmé to Hindustan Lever Limited (HLL) in 1996. Subsequently, she used the proceeds to establish Trent, the company behind Westside, laying its foundation. Shareholders of Lakmé were allotted equivalent shares in Trent.

The move signified Simone’s versatility as a business maven and her innate knack for spotting market opportunities. Just like Lakme, the brand soon became a household name with a chain of stores all over India bringing modern retail experience to the Indian shoppers.

In an interview talking about her rise in the sphere of business, Simone had remarked, “My biggest challenge was to direct a company without having had any past business experience. I had no clue on how to read a balance sheet even, and my knowledge of other aspects of the CEO function was limited. This was at a time when no business schools existed; there were no tools in terms of education, there were no conferences and seminars which one could attend to learn the finer aspects of running a business.” However, she had the dedication to learn on-the-job and be successful at the work she had taken in hand. “Life was certainly less hectic those days and you had more time to learn. The important thing was never to despair,” she had remarked.

Simone Tata with Ratan Tata at the celebration of 100 years of The Taj Mahal Hotel

Two strategies that helped Simone thrive was the art of delegating responsibilities to subordinates and the approach of surrounding oneself with well-versed people in every field, be it law, finance or marketing.

Giving back

Beyond the boardroom, Simone Tata’s heart resonated with philanthropic endeavours. She has led Sir Ratan Tata Institute as its chairperson. The institute that was started in 1928 caters authentic Parsi delicacies, outfits for kids and ladies, and also home linen produced by women of marginalised communities.

Additionally, Simone serves as a trustee of Children of the World (India) Trust, a public charitable organisation associated with Enfants du Monde of France. It works with the purpose to reach out to the most disadvantaged people of the society, particularly women and children. Even in her nineties, she has been devoting her time and energy to the cause.

Simone Tata at one of the charity events

Her commitment has also extended to supporting the arts. She is the trustee of the India Foundation for the Arts, championing creative expression and cultural enrichment, strengthening capacities and infrastructure in the arts in India. “I did not ever intend to have a professional life, but it has turned out to be a very happy development,” she had shared in an interview, “I started at the top in a non-existent industry. I had the great privilege to build the organisation the way I wanted to. The important thing is to have a vision, clarity and the ability to mould people,” – her words of wisdom for people aspiring to fly high.

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Kajalchakraborty

September 15, 2024 1:02 pm

This tata industry is our globals largest manufacturer goods bheical steel.salt.plane producer company.this tata company all ways work for humens life development nation development with our global development perposely work.thank you all my dear my global friends…

Last edited 3 months ago by Kajalchakraborty

Published on 15, Dec 2023

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Ankur Tewari: The man behind the music for Gully Boy and The Archies

(June 26, 2024) Singer-songwriter, music supervisor for Bollywood films (Gully Boy, Gehraiyaan and The Archies and Coke Studio Bharat), poet, lyricist, label and music entrepreneur, Ankur Tewari wears many hats. In 2023, he released his album Akela, launched a new record label Tiger Baby Records, released a children’s music EP Aaja Nindiya, worked on Coke Studio Bharat and more. Early life in Roorkee Tewari grew up in small, university town of Roorkee, which is a university town. His father was a professor in the university and his growing up years were spent on campus so there was a lot of interaction with young students, listening to the music they were playing, playing games and sports as they were playing games, sports and growing up in the world of mix tapes. While Tewari did not receive formal training, music, he tells Global Indian, "was an interesting way to get attention when you were in school, and it was also because I started writing songs very early when I was in school. At that time, songs were just about some random rhymes put together but I soon discovered that you could tell your stories through songs." He began creating more lyrics, and

songs were just about some random rhymes put together but I soon discovered that you could tell your stories through songs." He began creating more lyrics, and would get together with his friends to make music and write songs. “It was just a way to hang out together,” he reminisces.

[caption id="attachment_52672" align="aligncenter" width="423"] Ankur Tewari | Gully Boy | Global Indian Ankur Tewari; Photo: Prarthna Singh[/caption]

Musical Journey

One of his first career milestones came when he worked with Colonel RK Kapoor (Fauji-fame) who gave him his first break with Ek Aur Fauji. “I worked on my first movie project Let’s Enjoy, as a director with Siddarth Anand Kumar. I wrote the song ‘Sabse peeche hum khade’ which got a lot of interesting attention. So that was very interesting for me as a musician and singer,” he says. And apart from that, it’s been a slow and steady journey from his first album Jannat to the second album, Side A/ Side B, and ultimately to working on Zoya Akhtar’s Gully Boy, for which he received a Filmfare Award. Then came The Archies and Kho Gaye Hum Kahaan. He went on to work on his own music and released his album, Akela, last year and started a music label, Tiger Baby Records, where he could kind of make place for younger artists.

Pandemic Cues

Part of the Indian independent music scene since 1998, Tewari has always multi-tasked in the world of music. Akela was an album that came out of the panic of the lockdown. “It was like everything you had achieved and secured, everything that was finally going right, toppled. I came face-to-face with a feeling of loneliness and insecurity. And that was the impulse for writing Akela,” Tewari explains. During the pandemic, he wrote the songs and began designing the palette for the album.

Tewari admits he likes leaving Easter eggs in all his works, to remind himself of that time. “So the songs that I wrote in 1998, if I sing them now, those images and visuals, people, places come rushing to me. It’s like a timeline of my life. My work is my autobiography. Similarly, Akela will always bring me back to 2020, and how I felt,” he avers.

Ankur Tewari | Gully Boy | Global Indian

Life Mantra

Away from the arts, Ankur has offered his time to several NGOs and non-profit organizations. “People, incidents, failures are all what motivate me to learn new and better ways to deal with life. A big motivation factor is that life comes full circle for people, and you crave for that to happen for you, in what you’re doing, in whatever is happening in your life. My advice would be not to take advice from anyone, and just follow your heart because somewhere in your gut you know what is correct for you,” he says.

For him, many times the best way to overcome challenges is to try and convert all your challenges to your work. “Write songs about it, write stories about it. Try and see if you can really get to the root of what you really want to know and how you want to, you want to tackle it and recalibrate yourself to address the same issues facing you,” he adds.

Immersed in Music

Tewari also says that he does not like having free time. “For me, my work doesn’t feel like work, so I kind of find a lot of peace in music. I try to immerse myself in the world of music as much as I can. At the same time, I love travelling and meeting new people, I love reading. Books are my constant companion so reading and plotting songs while I’m reading is my favourite pastime,” he says.

Likewise, he believes that you learn every day. “I have never been to film school or music school, so every time you do a project you learn something new. You learn about people, you learn about human relationships, human behaviour which is kind of amusing as well. You try and learn every day and unlearn every day,” Tewari remarks.

Ankur Tewari is toured the US in April 2024, and excited to reach out to a new audience. “I don’t think too far ahead into the future, it’s not something that excites me. All I know is that I’m interested in working on projects that can reach a global audience,” he signs off.

Follow Ankur Tewari on Instagram.

Operatic Oz-mosis: Indian-origin tenor Shanul Sharma’s aria mesmerises the world

(April 19, 2022) On the sets of Carmen at the Arts Centre Melbourne, Shanul Sharma gave his first audition for an opera. For someone with a decade-long experience in heavy metal and rock n roll, it was unusual to see him take the centre stage. But everything stopped the moment he stepped on stage. “I loved the spectacle. In no time, I forgot everything and sang like there was no tomorrow. That was a turning point for me,” Shanul says in an interview with Global Indian. In years to follow, he performed across Australia, Europe, and Russia, becoming one of the few Indian-origin tenor soloists to achieve the feat. Yet Bolshoi (Russia) holds pride of place. The winner of the 2017 Canto Lirico discipline and the Rossini International Award, Shanul is the first Indian-born Australian to perform as a principal artist in an Australian opera. [caption id="attachment_23456" align="aligncenter" width="506"] Shanul Sharma[/caption] A musical ear Born in Jabalpur to a civil engineer father and a homemaker mother, a young Shanul grew up listening to Mohammed Rafi and Kishore Kumar in the backseat of the family Fiat. “My dad had a huge influence on me. He loved music but he never had

"606" /> Shanul Sharma[/caption]

A musical ear

Born in Jabalpur to a civil engineer father and a homemaker mother, a young Shanul grew up listening to Mohammed Rafi and Kishore Kumar in the backseat of the family Fiat. “My dad had a huge influence on me. He loved music but he never had the outlet. I had a musical ear, and learnt everything by just listening. So when he saw my gift, he encouraged me to follow my passion,” says Shanul whose teenage years were dedicated to Michael Jackson. “I idolised him not only for his songs but also loved him as a performer. He was a complete package. I imitated him, and would try to sing as high as I could,” says the tenor for whom music was a way of expression. Slowly, he started taking baby steps into heavy metal and ended up performing at school events. “I was bullied a lot in school due to my high pitch - music became a way to feel normal. The more I sang, the more I was seen and appreciated. It gave me a sense of positive reinforcement,” adds Shanul who started composing music in school.

The Oz experience

It was in 2002 that he bought a one-way ticket to Australia to study IT engineering at Charles Strut University’s Wagga Wagga campus. Outside his class, he was the lead singer of the rock band Sobrusion and performed at various pubs and clubs. “I always wanted to be a singer, and we used to make Metallica covers,” says Shanul who found his biggest support in his dad, adding, “He used to say ‘IT engineers toh bante rahenge, singer bann (Can always become an IT engineer, become a singer first).’” For almost a decade, he played with the band, and transitioned from heavy metal to rock n roll.

India-origin tenor | Shanul Sharma

Everything changed when he came across the song Nessun Dorma by Italian operatic tenor Luciano Pavarotti on YouTube and immediately fell in love with opera. “Those two-and-half minutes was nothing but unadulterated vocal music. I had never heard something like this. That was the power of his singing. That’s when I knew I wanted to sing like that,” reveals the tenor who started training in western classical music after his band broke up in 2013. “Since I had a high pitch, I started training with an Italian teacher. It was a seamless transition vocally,” adds the 30-something who calls himself “restless” and loves to experiment. But he had to learn the “stagecraft” as working in opera was very different from heavy metal. “In metal, you write your music but opera is more traditional. You are working with an ensemble of 60-70 musicians. Here you have to fit into the grand scheme of things and make everything believable,” explains Shanul who believes his experience with rock n roll helped him bring something unique to the table.

The next year, he made his debut audition at the Arts Centre Melbourne on the sets of Carmen after an artist pulled out last minute. “I was hesitant initially thinking I wasn’t fully prepared. But then I pulled myself up and went for it. Something took over me onstage, and I forgot everything else,” smiles Sharma who got the role, and took only two days to prepare. “Lyndon Terracini, the artistic director of Opera Australia, was impressed and in two days, I was already on the road performing. I enjoyed every bit of it,” adds the young artist.

Indian-origin tenor | Shanul Sharma

Making moves internationally

A year later, he made his operatic debut with Opera Australia as Don Ramiro in Rossini’s La Cenerentola for the Victorian School’s Tour. In 2015, he was accepted into the Wales International Academy of Voice in Cardiff, one of the most prestigious singing academies in the world for his MA in advanced vocal studies. “I raised 53,000 AUD through crowdfunding for the course,” reveals the Indian-origin tenor who soon appeared as Ernesto in Donizetti’s Don Pasquale for Teatro Martinetti in Italy.

Being an Indian and performing opera in a myriad languages, Shanul had to “look, speak and feel” the part. “Whenever I am performing anywhere, the first thing I do is visit their art museum. It gives me an insight into what they find valuable. It helps me gain a sense of expression,” says the tenor. Having performed across Europe, it’s his performance at the Bolshoi Theatre in Russia in 2019 that he holds closest to his heart. “It’s not just the biggest theatre physically but also acoustically interesting. The sounds are beautiful and at the same time loud,” explains Shanul.

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Shanul found his greatest support system in his parents, both of whom are no more. “My dad never watched any of my performances as he died in 2012. But my mom did watch me perform in Melbourne in 2019, and it was a beautiful moment. During the live performance, I saw my mom waving at me enthusiastically. I tried hard to not get distracted,” laughs Shanul.

The past two years have been trying times for the artiste. “During the lockdown, 15 of my productions were cancelled. We are slowly getting back. However, a lot is still uncertain,” says Shanul who is hopeful of things getting better in 2023. “I am preparing for a handful of productions,” says the tenor who loves watching Bollywood films like Dangal, “I can relate to the life of a sportsperson because it is a lot like that of an artiste,” concludes Shanul.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjLzIR5e2Y0

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Reading Time: 6 min

Anish Malpani: The social entrepreneur behind world’s first recycled sunglasses made from packets of chips

(April 14, 2023) "This has been the hardest thing I have ever been a part of. Finally, presenting the world's first recycled sunglasses made from packets of chips, right here in India," tweeted Anish Malpani, the founder of Ashaya. In no time, the tweet went viral, and within six days, 500 pieces of these sunglasses were sold in the pilot phase. Working with multi-layered plastic (MLP), which is the least recycled plastic globally, has been one of the hardest things Anish has ever done. "The recycling of emptied packets of chips is almost zero globally, and since you don't make money, no one wants to work in this space. That was essentially the reason I jumped into MLP," Anish tells Global Indian. It was the plastic waste and the difficult conditions faced by waste pickers in India that prompted the entrepreneur to start Ashaya, a social enterprise, in 2020. [caption id="attachment_37331" align="aligncenter" width="570"] Anish Malpani, the founder of Ashaya[/caption] "In India, the waste problem is not just the kachra problem, you have 1.5 to 4 million waste pickers who live multi-dimensionally poor lives. They have low income and have no access to education or healthcare," says the entrepreneur, adding that

founder of Ashaya[/caption]

"In India, the waste problem is not just the kachra problem, you have 1.5 to 4 million waste pickers who live multi-dimensionally poor lives. They have low income and have no access to education or healthcare," says the entrepreneur, adding that waste is a resource and he wants to increase the value of waste through his startup.

Having lived two decades of his life in Dubai and the US, returning to India to work on poverty alleviation was challenging for the entrepreneur. However, the 34-year-old was determined to make a positive impact and soon identified waste as a recurrent problem that needed attention. "With MLP, we realised that there is not enough technology that's working fundamentally on increasing the value of waste, along with helping empower waste pickers. And that's the key for everything that we do," he says.

Existential crisis led to epiphany

Born in Aurangabad, Anish moved to Dubai at the age of nine with his family, owing to his dad's job. After spending his formative years in the UAE, he moved to the US for his undergrad in finance and sports management from the University of Texas at Austin. "Shortly, I fell into the rat race." A career in finance kicked off and soon, he climbed the corporate ladder, becoming the youngest director of finance in the company at 26. But something was missing. "While they had applied for my green card and while I was making good money, I also wondered if there was any point of working hard as the environment was becoming toxic and I was becoming a worse person. People didn't understand why I was depressed because on paper I have everything. How dare I complain? But the best thing that happened was, it gave me a chance to reflect and understand the meaning of life."

Anish Malpani | Global Indian

However, he didn't take the leap of faith overnight. For Anish, it was a process. From finding the support system in his parents to getting the right exposure to what he wanted to do next, he took calculated risks. "I knew I wanted to go back to India and work on poverty alleviation through social enterprise." But at the same time, Anish was aware that he hadn't been to India in two decades and he "didn't want to be this guy from New York who knows everything." He laid out a plan - to spend six months in South America, the next six months in Africa, and the next six months in South East Asia before starting up in India.

On road to learning and self-discovery

"The goal was to work with the local entrepreneurs and learn by doing. I bartered my skills in finance in exchange for an opportunity." He kickstarted the journey in Guatemala, with a nonprofit that accelerates or incubates local social entrepreneurs. "Six months turned into fifteen months. I had just begun making an impact; however, I wasn't going deep enough. That's when I decided to do Sub-Saharan Africa because statistically, it struggles the most." This took him to Kenya where he worked with two entrepreneurs on a deeper level and knew that he was ready to take the plunge and start his work in India.

While he returned to India after decades, knowing he wanted to work on poverty alleviation, he knew nothing about poverty in India. He began with some research on "finding the poor of India - what their demographics are." He adds, "I wanted to look at poverty from a multidimensional lens. Not restricting it to the definition - living below $1.90 a day but also take into consideration access to income, healthcare, and education."

[caption id="attachment_37334" align="aligncenter" width="667"] Anish Malpani | Global Indian Multi-layered plastic[/caption]

Recycling and empowerment

The research presented to him the waste management space, which attracted him for two reasons. "Firstly, 1.5 million waste pickers who are living very multi-dimensionally poor lives. Secondly, there is the untapped potential in waste. I started focusing on how to fundamentally increase the value of waste and do that to empower waste-pickers out of poverty," says the entrepreneur, who while digging deep into the problem found that multi-layered packaging is a "notorious issue." This intrigued Anish enough to find a way to work with MLP, which gave birth to Ashaya in 2020 to produce high-quality products from MLP. Ask him about MLP, and he produces a packet of chips showing a metal layer inside and two-three layers of packaging outside. "It's called MLP as each layer has a purpose - some protect it from oxidisation, some from sun and some help in preservation for a long time."

However, it wasn't an easy journey and Anish faced many challenges on the go - from being ridiculed to scepticism about credibility to finding the right team. But he persevered.

[caption id="attachment_37336" align="aligncenter" width="726"] Wastepicker | Ashaya Wastepicker Rani shredding MLP[/caption]

After more than two years of research and experimentation, he launched the beta version of the world's first sunglasses made of plastic from used packets of chips under the brand name WITHOUT in February 2023, and he can't be grateful enough to be making a difference. "The recycling of packets of chips is almost zero globally, and that's why we wanted to focus on it. We are not here to make money, we are here to solve problems, creating sustainable business models - from the financial, economic, and environmental perspective." Within six days, they were able to sell over 500 pairs of sunglasses, and are now gearing up for the official launch of the sunglasses in June. "The frames have a QR code inside which you can scan to see where the waste came from and the story of the waste picker and how the product came about," reveals the entrepreneur who is keen to diversify into coasters, lamps, furniture and eventually sell material.

[caption id="attachment_37335" align="aligncenter" width="559"] Ashaya | Sunglasses Recycled sunglasses made by Ashaya[/caption]

The 34-year-old bookworm, who loves a game of football every Saturday morning, believes that waste is a resource that should be used again and again. "Normalise the reuse of waste without necessarily compromising lifestyle and standard of living." At the same time, through Ashaya, the entrepreneur wants to "create positive displacement of waste-pickers - access of education, healthcare and access of psychological health."

Anish's Ashaya is a perfect example of making a meaningful difference by joining forces of purpose with social objectives.

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Reading Time: 5 min

How investor Mohnish Pabrai applies Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger’s principles for extraordinary success

(April 1, 2024) A smart investor, thriving entrepreneur, and a dedicated philanthropist, Indian American Mohnish Pabrai has reached great heights from the obscurity of Bombay to the financial peak and fame in the US. The author of 'The Dhandho Investor,' and ‘Mosaic’ has followed in the footsteps of two of the most esteemed investors in history, Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger, who later became his mentor and dear friend. Pabrai’s ambition has been bold and clear - to transform $1 million in savings into a $1 billion fortune by replicating Buffett's investment approach. In 2022 when Pabrai received a letter from Warren Buffett, he couldn’t have been happier. Acknowledging the impressive annual report of the Indian American philanthropist’s non-profit Dakshana Foundation, Buffet wrote: Dear Mohnish, I remain incredibly impressed by what you have done, are doing and will do at Dakshana. It is simply terrific – far more impressive than what business titans, investment gurus and famous politicians ever accomplish. I’m glad my annual report doesn’t get compared to the Dakshana annual report. It’s an honour even to be quoted in it. With admiration - Warren E. Buffet So far, Pabrai has secured investments totalling ₹130 crore for his foundation

ana. It is simply terrific – far more impressive than what business titans, investment gurus and famous politicians ever accomplish. I’m glad my annual report doesn’t get compared to the Dakshana annual report. It’s an honour even to be quoted in it.

With admiration - Warren E. Buffet

So far, Pabrai has secured investments totalling ₹130 crore for his foundation transforming nearly 40,000 lives forever.

Giving back

When Pabrai co-founded the Dakshana Foundation in 2007, he became a key figure in providing needy students in India good education and helpful guidance, helping them start successful careers. Dakshana's primary focus is on combating poverty through education. The non-profit achieves this by identifying exceptionally talented but financially disadvantaged teenagers and offering them rigorous coaching along with hostel facilities for one or two years to prepare for the IITs and medical entrance exams.

The foundation has witnessed thousands of scholars being getting admitted to India's prestigious IITs, and medical schools. Dakshana Scholars are exceptional students selected from Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas and government schools across India based on their academic performance and results from Dakshana's unique testing process. They receive specialised coaching after completing Class 10 or Class 12.

[caption id="attachment_50415" align="aligncenter" width="683"] Indian philanthropist | Mohnish Pabrai | Global Indian Mohnish Pabrai with Dakshana Scholars[/caption]

Pabrai comes across as a very fun-loving and relaxed individual when interacting with the scholars of his foundation, often leaving them in splits of laughter. During one such interaction, he recounted a childhood incident, saying, "I used to have very low self-esteem and thought I was significantly below average. I remember when I was in the third standard, in a class with a large size of about 60 students. We received report cards with our ranks on them. I distinctly recall my rank was 57 out of 60. I used to sit at the back, not understanding what was being taught, and I wondered why I didn't get a perfect score of 60 out of 60!"

The flight of life

Mohnish Pabrai was born in Mumbai in 1964. His father’s job took him to different cities in India and Dubai which gave him the opportunity to study in various schools including Jamnabai Narsee School, Maneckji Cooper Education Trust School, The Air Force School in New Delhi, and The Indian High School in Dubai. These different schools influenced his outlook on life.

After completing his school education, he went on to pursue a Bachelor of Science degree in computer engineering from Clemson University, showing his early talent for technology, even though he had studied commerce in his 11^th and 12^th grade. He continued to learn by attending the YPO Harvard President’s Seminar for nine years, eventually being recognised as an alumnus of Harvard Business School.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcBcwTorEG4

From 1986 to 1991, Pabrai worked at Tellabs, a technology startup, and then went on to found TransTech Inc., an IT consulting and systems integration company in 1991, investing $30,000 from his personal account and credit card debt. Despite facing challenges initially, his determination led TransTech to success. After nine years, Pabrai sold the company for $20 million to Kurt Salmon Associates.

Successful investing is not about picking winners; it’s about avoiding losers. Focus on preserving your capital first, and then look for opportunities to grow it over time.

Mohnish Pabrai mentioned in his book, 'The Dhandho Investor'

Inspired by Warren Buffet and Charlie Munger

Pabrai’s investment strategy focuses on identifying severely undervalued companies with the potential for substantial returns.

He had established the Pabrai Investment Funds, a hedge fund family inspired by Buffett Partnerships in 1999. In a matter of four years, his long-only equities portfolio returned 517 percent of the invested amount. This meteoric growth catapulted him to prominence in the financial world. People started taking notice of his strategic thinking and investing acumen which was inspired by Warren Buffet’s investment philosophies.

[caption id="attachment_50416" align="aligncenter" width="782"] Indian philanthropist | Mohnish Pabrai | Global Indian Mohnish Pabrai with Charlie Munger[/caption]

I have two gurus Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger. One of the things I learned from them which kind of took me a long time to actually figure this out, is that if you want to do well in life then what you should avoid doing is looking back.

Mohnish Pabrai

Pabrai had developed lasting friendship with late American businessman, investor and philanthropist Charlie Munger while being his mentee, and often followed his philosophies in life. Four months back when Munger passed away, Pabrai tweeted, “I lost a dear friend, mentor and teacher. As a kid from Mumbai, I never expected to have a friendship with Charlie Munger..."

In December 2023, Pabrai’s net worth was estimated to be $150 million. The bulk of his wealth accumulation are a result of his savvy investment decisions, with stakes in companies like Micron Technology, General Motors Company, and Bank of America Corporation, among others.

Also Read | Frank Islam: The Indian American visionary is bridging worlds through philanthropy, leadership and influence

Heads I Win, Tails I Don’t Lose

Apart from being the founder and managing partner of Pabrai Investment Funds that manages over $1 billion in assets, the investor serves as portfolio manager of Pabrai Wagons Funds, founder and CEO of Dhandho Funds, and chairman and CEO of Dhandho Holdings.

Mohnish Pabrai has crafted his own winning mantra - ‘Heads I Win, Tails I Don’t Lose.’ With this mindset he carefully selects companies which are undervalued in the market but have strong fundamentals and intrinsic values that can be reaped for good results. Employing this approach, he has mastered the art of value investing, achieving outstanding returns on his investments while minimising risks.

Indian philanthropist | Mohnish Pabrai | Global Indian

Not shy of sharing his knowledge

Beyond investment management Pabrai loves to share his insights with aspiring investors and professionals in the world of finance. He has shared his insights in two of his well acclaimed books - ‘The Dhandho Investor: The Low-Risk Formula for Value Investing’ published in 2011 and ‘Mosaic: Perspectives on Investing’ published in 2017.

These books provide practical advice and valuable insights drawn from his extensive experience and research in investing. His insights get quoted quite often. In fact, in Guy Spier’s book, ‘The Education of a Value Investor,’ there is a chapter titled “Doing Business the Buffett-Pabrai Way,’ which thoroughly explores Pabrai’s life and investment philosophy.

In addition to books, the investor frequently contributes articles to prestigious publications, offering commentary on current market trends, investment strategies, and the broader principles of value investing. His engaging writing style makes complex financial concepts understandable to a wider audience.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQsP8ogUp8k

Mohnish Pabrai also actively interacts with the community through lectures and presentations. His thought-provoking speeches are full of humour, keen observations, and practical advice, empowering the investor community.

You don't make money when you buy stocks. And you don't make money when you sell stocks. You make money by waiting. The biggest asset of a value investor is not his IQ but his patience.

Mohnish Pabrai

Following his mentor Charlie Munger’s philosophy of ‘focusing on continuous improvement instead of dwelling on past’, the Indian American investor is always on a quest to reach fresh heights in the journey of life.

A little known fact:

Mohnish Pabrai is the grandson of world-renowned magician, late Gogia Pasha who earned international acclaim for his performances.

Follow Mohnish Pabrai on LinkedIn, X, YouTube, Facebook and his blog Chai with Pabrai

Reading Time: 5 mins

Raju Bhupati: Pioneering millet revolution with affordable nutrition

(June 15, 2024) "Can you imagine enjoying nutritious snacks for just ₹5? In a country where health and nutrition often seem like distant aspirations for millions, Troo Good emerged on the scene in 2018 with a revolutionary vision," states the website of a millet snack company that's on a mission to "nourish 1 billion Indians." It was six years ago that US-returned Raju Bhupati drew his inspiration to advocate for better nutrition in India from his father, who was both a spiritual leader and a healer. "He was a homoeopathic practitioner and would treat the poor for free. This was the base for my motivation to deal with the nutrition challenge in the country," he said in an interview. In a short span, Raju has become the millet movement pioneer in India making nutrition meet affordability, one snack at a time. Journey from IT to entrepreneurship But growing up, entrepreneurship was never on his mind. In fact, after finishing his MSc in Organic Chemistry, he made his debut in the world of IT as a lab assistant and later moved to Computer Science Corporation. Over the years, he climbed up the corporate ladder and soon became the youngest global director

But growing up, entrepreneurship was never on his mind. In fact, after finishing his MSc in Organic Chemistry, he made his debut in the world of IT as a lab assistant and later moved to Computer Science Corporation. Over the years, he climbed up the corporate ladder and soon became the youngest global director at CSC managing the Independent Testing Services vertical. His hard work and perseverance took him to the US where he helped accelerate the growth of several IT companies globally.

Having worked for years in IT for other companies, Raju knew that it was time to start something of his own. This desire to become an entrepreneur made him return to India to start Hello Curry, one of India's first cloud kitchens in 2013. He successfully pioneered India's first shared kitchen model, where multiple brands could operate from a single kitchen connected to Hello Curry, creating a unified platform for ordering food.

Raju Bhupati

Reintroducing millet

Riding on the success of Hello Curry, his ambition to further innovate in the food industry and provide affordable nutrition led to the establishment of Troo Good in 2018. This led Raju towards millets, an economical and nutritious grain. "Since I wanted to make the food affordable, I needed something locally available. Quinoa is a good, healthy alternative to wheat, but it is expensive and has to be imported. Then I found millets, which are the best choice," he added.

He began with selling millet paranthas to local schools and corporations and soon transitioned to millet snacks with chikki, owing to its long shelf life. Upon research, he found that ₹5 and ₹10 snack market is huge in India. "You mostly get chips, biscuits, and other snacks in that price range. I saw that existing options only cater to taste. I wanted to focus on three fundamentals through Troo Good — affordability, taste, and nutrition."

Having found the perfect vessel in chikki to turn his mission into reality, Raju collaborated with a team of in-house scientists to develop a millet chikki enriched with ragi, bajra, jowar and peanuts. In no time, the brand was recognised by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and the Indian Institute of Millets Research for its pioneering work in providing affordable nutrition.

Troo Good

Making an impact

While his mission has been to establish a healthy snacks market centered on millets as the star ingredient, he has also significantly contributed to inclusive growth by employing local workers, sourcing raw materials locally, and selling the products within the community, all of which help maintain the affordability of the snacks. However, the sudden surge in demand led him to set up three new factories in a fortnight by sending his employees to Chattisgarh and nearby states. "We needed skilled manpower. My team members went to villages and spent nights in the houses of contractors. We had to add factories at lightning speed. With a ton of courage, we added three factories in 15 days and increased our volumes to 5,000 kgs," added Raju.

To support their operations, they hire locally and create employment opportunities for women, who form 80 percent of their factory workforce, thus working towards women's empowerment. "Wherever we go, we train the women at the self-help groups. We also help farmers by directly buying from them, helping them increase their profits," said the entrepreneur. With over 250 employees across 8 states, Troo Good is India's largest non-NGO social enterprise. Their products are available in more than 12,000 small brick-and-mortar shops and 500 modern retail stores across various cities in India.

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Currently, they are collaborating with the Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Chhattisgarh state governments on several initiatives, including Poshan Abhiyan, young mothers' welfare, and the mid-day meal scheme. They have also partnered with The Akshaya Patra Foundation in Karnataka and Vedanta in Uttar Pradesh to enhance nutrition in Anganwadis.

Raju, who translated his dream into reality, says that his mantra is to go all out with every ounce of energy to achieve what you want in life.

Celebrating millet

Millets, once a staple in rural India, are now celebrated as a superfood, leading a nutritional and environmental revolution across the country. Renowned for their high protein, fiber, vitamin, and mineral content, millets offer substantial health benefits, such as improved digestion, chronic disease prevention, and effective weight management. Interestingly, their resurgence aligns with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), SDG 12 (Sustainable Consumption and Production), and SDG 13 (Climate Action).

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With strong backing from the Indian government and various enterprises, these grains are increasingly integrated into public welfare programs, including mid-day meals and Anganwadi nutrition supplements, thereby enhancing dietary habits and supporting local economies. This millet renaissance is a pivotal force in India's pursuit of sustainable and inclusive growth, and Troo Good is playing an important role in helping in taking the millet revolution a step forward.

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