THOMAS A. TIMBERG is a scholar and consultant on economic development. His writings cover subjects ranging from Baghdadi Jews in India to contemporary 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-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.
In the nineteenth century, a tiny community from the deserts of Rajasthan spread out to every corner 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 the Marwaris so successful? Is it their indomitable enterprise, or their incredible appetite for risk? In this new book, Thomas 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 role to play in shaping India's economic future.
