Soma Das has been a business journalist for over a decade with publications like the
Economic Times and the
Financial Express. Pharmaceuticals'is one of her areas of specialization. Before entering journalism, she worked as a lecturer in Delhi University and also authored a bestselling work of fiction.
NOMINATED FOR TATA LITERATURE LIVE AWARDS AND SHORTLISTED FOR GAJA CAPITAL BEST BUSINESS BOOK PRIZE
The book is an untold human story of an enterprise and its creator, Dilip Shanghvi, who raced ahead of Mukesh Ambani to become the richest Indian in 2015
Shanghvi is one of the most interesting and least understood business minds of India whose journey has been shrouded in mystery because of his reticence.
The book reveals the riveting story of the fiercely intense personality that lies beneath his calm demeanour. Based on interviews with over 150 friends, family members, rivals, former aides and Shanghvi himself, it traces his transformation from a quiet, curious child working in his father's small shop to an astute strategist, who built India's largest pharma company, Sun Pharma, despite being untrained in science.
The tale unravels his contrarian and controversial bets that made Sun a global force, and him a 'turn-around' artist. It is also about the friends and family Shanghvi started his company with, the hurt and emotional conflicts surrounding their separation, and how Shanghvi staked his closest relationships to professionalize Sun.
This book is an extraordinary story of an ordinary man, who chooses to stay anti-famous. He would rather have his face unrecognized, his story untold. But at a time, when a billion dreams are simmering in an aspiring India, this tale is for everyone who has once had a secret dream, an insanely bold one.
"Soma Das has been able to capture brilliantly the essence of Dilip Shanghvi through countless stories which sets the book apart.... An excellent book."
"A journey extraordinaire. It is a definitive book by Das... passionately narrated."
"....to depict a life that has myriad facets, a biographer needs to be a bit of a historian, a psychologist, a cultural expert, an expert in the domain under research, and that rare creature who is able to mould the insights from these disciplines into a chugging narrative. Das is most of these things, to her credit."
"The Reluctant Billionaire is one of the 10 must reads to transform from good to great."
Readers would always pick up this one to understand the life and times of Dilip Sanghvi, the Big Boss of Sun Pharmaceuticals.....brilliant read.
