Empire. Trade. Religion. Three crucial forces that have been almost equally responsible for shaping human civilization so far. Yet, the politics of empire has dominated history and popular discussion. Irrespective of the political upheavals, however, India has always been an open market-welcoming traders from far-off lands, promising them a fair bargain. Indian entrepreneurs since ages had developed their own sophisticated institutions and wide community-based networks. This open, liberal and robust 'bazaar economy' thrived unhindered till the advent of European trading companies, who brought with them the notions of monopoly and state controls. Business in India blossomed in tune with liberal religious thought and Indian intellectual tradition always fostered the spirit of questioning. Laxminana is an account of how the country's open market and its liberal religious outlook have nurtured each other throughout the centuries. Told through a medley of stories, this is the saga of India's socioeconomic power that has characterized not only the country's vibrant pluralistic society but also much of global history. An untold narrative of India's geographies, products and pioneers this is an unforgettable album of heroes, who championed game-changing ideas at the intersection of faith and enterprise.

The book, “The Search for Value in Supply Chains”, is about the journey of the author (Procyon Mukherjee) over 34 years in the field of supply chains that spanned continents and covers several aspects of global supply chains and the puzzles around them. On one hand, it is about his experiences, it is also about the experiences of many others in the Universities of learning from Operations Planning, Manufacturing, Logistics, Procurement, and Finance; these universities are actually the workplaces where the puzzles in the supply chain get created a day in and day out and get solved as well. The book unravels some of the complexities that entail supply chain dynamics, which could be in planning, procurement, or logistics. The examples in his book are taken from global supply chains as much as from local set-ups. The book captures very unique puzzles, including the ones created during the Covid-19 pandemic, the disruptions that come once during a lifetime. The object of the book is to reach supply chain practitioners and leaders and facilitate their journey, which is becoming complex by the day. Topics covered a span from Strategic dimensions, planning puzzles, organizational Enforcements, Core logistics to the Procurement Principles, Data integration, and Sustainability. Numerous case studies capturing the essence of problem-solving in diverse supply chains are part of the book. The purpose of the book is to evince interest in raising more questions and inquiries into the vast field of supply chain management and in the process sharpen the understanding of the subject.

The unprecedented calamity of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially a harsh lockdown, battered the Indian economy at a time when it was already grappling with a deep structural slowdown. Almost a year on, when the first signs of a tentative recovery were just visible, India was hit by a devastating second wave of the pandemic. Countdown tries to make economic sense of this disaster. As millions lost their jobs and walked back hundreds of kilometres or looked in vain for a hospital bed or oxygen, billionaires made more money than ever before and the stock markets climbed to new highs. This crisis laid bare India's extreme economic disparities. Even during the best growth years, India failed to create enough jobs or invest substantially in human development. The country's toughest economic challenge since 1947 comes at a time when her main resource, her demographic strength, is about to run out too. Countdown presents a road map for sustainable reforms that could create millions of jobs, boost demand from below and reboot the economy in time to reap the benefit of India's demographic dividend.