The Marwaris: From Jagat Seth to the Birlas (The Story of Indian Business) - Tapa dura

In the nineteenth century, a tiny community from the deserts of Rajasthan spead out to every corny of India. The Marwaris controlled much of the country's inland trade by the time of the First World War. They then turned their hand to industry and, by the 1970s, owned most of India's private industrial assets. Today, Marwari businessmen account for a quarter of the Indian names on the Forbes billionaires list.

What makes Marwaris so successful? Is it their indominitable enterprise, or their incredible appetite for risk? In this new book, Thomas A. Timberg shows how the Marwaris rely on a centuries-old system for conserving and growing capital which has stood them in good stead, alongside a strong sense of business ethics which has earned them respect.

Family businesses in general and the Marwaris in particular might have a vital rold to play in shpaing India's economin future. This book tells us why.

Thomas A. Timberg is a scholar and consultant on economic development. His writings cover subjects ranging from Baghdadi Jews in India to contemproary microfinance and Islamic finance. His Harvard doctoral dissertation was on the Marwaris as industrial entrepreneurs and he has continued to follow the affairs of the members of this community.

Gurcharan Das is a world-reknowned author, commentator and public intellectual. His bestselling books in India Unbound and The Difficulty of Being Good; his newest book is India Grows at Night. A graduate of Harvard University, Das was CEO of Procter & Gamble India before he took early retirement to become a full-time writer. He lives in Delhi.