Omkar Goswami is a well-known economist. A DPhil from Oxford, he has taught at various universities in India and abroad, edited a major business magazine, and was the chief economist at the Confederation of Indian Industry before setting up CERG Advisory, an economic and corporate advisory practice. An author of several books, academic papers and regular columns, he also serves as an independent director on the boards of some major listed companies and international agencies.
Gurcharan Das is a world-renowned author, commentator and public intellectual. His bestselling books include 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.
The story of corporate India is linked to managing agencies, an organizational form dominant in the subcontinent from 1875 until its abolition in 1970 that allowed entrepreneurs to promote diverse companies while exercising disproportionate control over cash flows. This is the definitive economic history of Indian companies through the lens of managing agencies, whether controlled by
goras or
desis.
