This Lavishly Illustrated Work Is Presented In 6 Chapters - Introduction: Before The Car - Arrival And Adventure - Tours And Ceremonies - Shoots And Shikars - Maharanis And Motorcars - Marques And Markets- Collectors And Connoisseurs- Afterwards: The Cars Now- Map- Table Of Salute States- Select Bibliography- Photo Credits- A Collection Item.

This book is a full history of the automobile in India, and gives a complete study of India's automotive elite, The Majarajas, who purchased many exotic and exclusive cars from British, European, and American car makers mainly before their independence in 1947. Packed with interest and insight, there are 592 photos both period and contemporary, including the 1912 Brooke Swan (bodywork inspired by a swan). This book has been written by a leading expert Indian author who has meticulously studied the subject.

Reprint of the original.

For thousands of people, the automobile has been, andyet remains an object of pleasure, pride, status, sports, excitement, emotion and passion. The automobile has been the most important invention of the twentieth century. Not only has it given the hoi polloi freedom, mobility and liberty, it has changed our lifestyle, the way we live and interact, the way we work, the kind of jobs that we do, and has led to an evolution of our cultures. It has changed the cities, the countryside, the way they are conceived, designed and constructed, the way our houses and apartment blocks are configured, as well as the technology involved therein. Post-independence, the automobile played a very important role in India's industrial growth, as well as a hero in many Bollywood movies. The automobile is yet transforming India, as it connects the remotest corners of our vast nation, providing mobility, freedom and jobs to millions. It has acted as an emancipator for women in many parts of the nation, allowing them to go to school and university, commute to work and to the marketplace. With the help of this book, Gautam Sen has traced the history of the automobile in India and the way it has shaped the economy and society here. He has also talked about the evolution of races and bikes in Asia. The riveting story told in the most fascinating anecdotal tone, this book is filled with well-researched facts and details for the lovers of automobiles. The pictures in the book, too, are gorgeous and rare.

The inside track to India's most powerful tycoons The eight business maharajas profiled here are among Asia's most powerful industrial tycoons, Their combined turnover runs into billions of rupees, and between them they employ some 650,000 people, while indirectly affecting the lives of millions more. Sip a cup of tea, drive to work, listen to music, build a house and the chances are that in these and a myriad other ways you are using products that they manufacture or market. By any yardstick, the achievements of these men would rank among the great business stories of our time. How did these men build their enormous empires? What are their management secrets? How did they thrive and prosper even as others failed? What is their vision for the future? Top business writer and industry insider Gita Piramal draws on exhaustive interviews and in-depth research to discover the answers to these and related questions in her profiles of the men who will lead the country's push to become an industrial superpower in the 21st century.