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Rokda: How Baniyas Do Business
Baniya—a derivative of the Sanskrit word Vanij, is a term synonymous with India’s trader class. Over the decades, these capitalists spread their footprint across vast sectors of the economy from steel and mining to telecom and retail. And now even e-tail. Nikhil Inamdar’s Rokda features the stories of a few pioneering men from this mercantile community—Radheshyam Agarwal and Radheshyam Goenka, founders of the cosmetic major Emami; Rohit Bansal, co-founder of Snapdeal; Neeraj Gupta, founder of Meru Cabs; and V.K. Bansal, a humble mathematics tutor whose genius spawned a massive coaching industry in Kota—amongst others. Through the triumphs and tribulations of these men in the epoch marking India’s entire post independence struggle with entrepreneurship—from the License Raj to the opening up of the floodgates in 1991, and the dawn of the digital era—Rokda seeks to uncover the indomitable spirit of the Baniya.
212 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 20, 2014
42 people are currently reading
220 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
November 26, 2021
It was an okay-ish book.
I went in expecting to understand 'How Baniyas Do Business'. Maybe learn a couple of principles that are present in the community using which they make Rokda. A fair expectation considering the title.
The book presents 5 stories of businessmen who happened to be Baniyas. It wasn't very clear how being a Baniya helped, or how the community provided support. No overarching principles that I was able to gather in any case.
The stories themselves aren't well researched and err on the side of heaping praise on the entrepreneurs he covers. It felt like a relatively long ad.
I went in expecting to understand 'How Baniyas Do Business'. Maybe learn a couple of principles that are present in the community using which they make Rokda. A fair expectation considering the title.
The book presents 5 stories of businessmen who happened to be Baniyas. It wasn't very clear how being a Baniya helped, or how the community provided support. No overarching principles that I was able to gather in any case.
The stories themselves aren't well researched and err on the side of heaping praise on the entrepreneurs he covers. It felt like a relatively long ad.
April 7, 2017
Poorly researched , there are extremely few instances of insider news behind all the success stories. Maybe it is an irony to be reading the book in a time when Meru is doing poorly and Snapdeal is on the verge of a takeover
January 24, 2016
This is a story of 5 bania entrepreneurs and their journeys to riches. It is very poorly researched and leaves an insatiated appetite. It is an agglomeration of interviews and there too only few characters around the central ones have been interviewed.
A long form New Yorker article is a much better read than the 50 pages each story is roughly told. There are many details which are mentioned only briefly but haven't been followed up.
The title is catchy, the cover is attractive but the book is at best a collection of well-written Wikipedia entries.
A long form New Yorker article is a much better read than the 50 pages each story is roughly told. There are many details which are mentioned only briefly but haven't been followed up.
The title is catchy, the cover is attractive but the book is at best a collection of well-written Wikipedia entries.
September 9, 2017
This is a very easy to read book with some really inspiring stories of building businesses from scratch, ingenuity, perseverance, doggedness with some relevant management lessons at its core. Even though the stories of Meru and Snapdeal seem a bit outdated with both the companies doing not so well currently, the high-handedness of its founders having come to the fore. It is a fun and enjoyable read without too many business jargons or technicalities. This book would definitely go on my second time reading list!
June 6, 2021
Simple and plain. But for Indians starved of good regional business content, these books are engaging.
October 9, 2024
I sincerely loved each of the 5 stories on this book. They were really well narrated and I was accompanying each profile with a lot of internet research, which helped me reached a deeper understanding on the people behind these great businesses.
Key Themes:
• History of Baniyas in Business: The book traces the origins of the Baniyas’ involvement in trade and commerce, highlighting their influence on India’s economy.
• Business Strategies: It covers the key strategies and practices that Baniyas follow, such as frugality, strong customer relations, and their focus on long-term gains.
• Cultural Values: The author emphasizes how cultural values like thrift, hard work, and community ties contribute to the success of Baniya entrepreneurs.
• Modern Adaptations: The book also looks at how Baniyas have evolved their business practices in the modern era, adapting to new challenges like globalization and technology while maintaining their core principles.
Through interviews, case studies, and anecdotes, “Rokda” provides insights into the mindset and methods of one of India’s most successful business communities, making it a valuable read for anyone interested in entrepreneurship and economic success.
Key Themes:
• History of Baniyas in Business: The book traces the origins of the Baniyas’ involvement in trade and commerce, highlighting their influence on India’s economy.
• Business Strategies: It covers the key strategies and practices that Baniyas follow, such as frugality, strong customer relations, and their focus on long-term gains.
• Cultural Values: The author emphasizes how cultural values like thrift, hard work, and community ties contribute to the success of Baniya entrepreneurs.
• Modern Adaptations: The book also looks at how Baniyas have evolved their business practices in the modern era, adapting to new challenges like globalization and technology while maintaining their core principles.
Through interviews, case studies, and anecdotes, “Rokda” provides insights into the mindset and methods of one of India’s most successful business communities, making it a valuable read for anyone interested in entrepreneurship and economic success.
June 7, 2020
I come from a family with three generations of rich heritage and modest achievements in education. I belong to a community that traditionally excels in anything to do with "pen and paper", i.e., writing, teaching, accounting, etc. We hardly ever find anyone successful in our community with #business or #entrepreneurship. So, it has always been a big source of learning and inspiration to learn about traditional trading communities that are so successful in business, wherever they are.
This book provides an interesting angle on probably the most successful of Indian communities when it comes to business. Without sounding casteist, let me me express my unabashed admiration and respect for anyone who builds even a corner tea shop business, and here we are talking of hundreds of successful examples over hundreds of years in hundreds of countries without any master plan. How do you explain this sustained and scaled success? Are there any #socialgenes that determine the success quotient of a community as a whole? How else do you explain it?
This book provides an interesting angle on probably the most successful of Indian communities when it comes to business. Without sounding casteist, let me me express my unabashed admiration and respect for anyone who builds even a corner tea shop business, and here we are talking of hundreds of successful examples over hundreds of years in hundreds of countries without any master plan. How do you explain this sustained and scaled success? Are there any #socialgenes that determine the success quotient of a community as a whole? How else do you explain it?
February 1, 2018
There are typical characters of the baniya way of life and anyone who has grown up in India will know these by virtue of just being observant. The book repeats those ideals with no additional insights as to how each of those characteristics molded the growth of the company.
It was informative to know about the growth story of certain beloved Indian brands but it could have been condensed to length of a magazine article at most. I picked it at an airport and left it there when I was done. So meh..
It was informative to know about the growth story of certain beloved Indian brands but it could have been condensed to length of a magazine article at most. I picked it at an airport and left it there when I was done. So meh..
February 18, 2018
The book entails us into stories of some of the most successful businessmen of the country, a pure business oriented taletelling, however the book is shallow when it comes to storytelling as against its breadth.
Book is not a long read however provides a good glimpse of hardships, mindsets of the protagonists.
Personally i felt the depth was an issue but that gets compensated when you read about awe-inspiring tales.
Book is not a long read however provides a good glimpse of hardships, mindsets of the protagonists.
Personally i felt the depth was an issue but that gets compensated when you read about awe-inspiring tales.
June 27, 2021
This book on 5 different businesses run by baniyas gives one common learning: these guys have been exceptionally good at focusing on businesses and learning it from the ground up. And there has always been that one life-changing struggle each person has undergone, which somehow lays the strong foundation for this single-minded focus. Nevertheless, a good read to know about various businesses and some good insights on family business management.
August 27, 2023
Yes, the title betrays what’s in the book. Five success stories from people with the banya background. There’s no information handed out as to how they do business, no strategies. But, if you re-read certain pages you’d find out that the most simple and straight forward habits / principles are what makes people successful.
May 21, 2019
Chosen impressive characters
Good one, well written, need little more simpler English, chose impressive character
Logic will in regular life
Thanks write such fantastic book
Good one, well written, need little more simpler English, chose impressive character
Logic will in regular life
Thanks write such fantastic book
January 16, 2020
I throughly enjoyed reading this book. Very motivating and teaches a lot.
October 17, 2021
Privileged kids successfully creating successful businesses.
April 24, 2022
So so. Writing skills are so so.
October 23, 2023
Quite an average but quick read. A few interesting nuggets. Doesn’t bring out its tag line at all. No overarching lessons to take away
September 3, 2015
Baniya is a caste belonging to Hindu religion. Though, the author has provided a fair description about the caste in his book but I would like to mention here that this community is very well identified by the masses as the ‘wealthiest’ of all. I understand and agree that caste system is now the subject of past then, what made the author and publisher choose such a theme to discuss a few more cases of entrepreneurship? Well, the answer is it is in their blood and this is what he elaborates, spanning pages.
The choices made by him to understand the art of making business, are varied. If there is a mention of hard times facing paucity of money then there is a contrasting case where there was no looking back due to money short fall; he has picked instances which date back to pre-independence era to current date; he presents the overview of then prevalent conditions and highlights the transformation existing today. So, in short, I can say that he has provided the readers with a holistic view of how this gene is passed on from generation to generation. Generally speaking, this covers around three generations, which is enough to understand and appreciate the importance of choosing such a sensitive theme.
Why I call it sensitive because surprisingly the term ‘Baniya’ is often used in a sarcastic manner these days. An irony indeed!
Read these case studies to appreciate the will power and commitment running through generations to ‘make business’; to understand the art of minimizing expenditures and to acquire the skill to sustain the ‘continuous benefits’! The author has made a wise attempt to categorically discuss the problem faced, the dilemmas discussed, the hurdles crossed, the strategies devised, the opportunities grabbed and solutions envisaged. There is a lot to be learnt. Learn about – How to do business? How to think business and how to run business?
Source: https://booksnewsindia.wordpress.com/...
The choices made by him to understand the art of making business, are varied. If there is a mention of hard times facing paucity of money then there is a contrasting case where there was no looking back due to money short fall; he has picked instances which date back to pre-independence era to current date; he presents the overview of then prevalent conditions and highlights the transformation existing today. So, in short, I can say that he has provided the readers with a holistic view of how this gene is passed on from generation to generation. Generally speaking, this covers around three generations, which is enough to understand and appreciate the importance of choosing such a sensitive theme.
Why I call it sensitive because surprisingly the term ‘Baniya’ is often used in a sarcastic manner these days. An irony indeed!
Read these case studies to appreciate the will power and commitment running through generations to ‘make business’; to understand the art of minimizing expenditures and to acquire the skill to sustain the ‘continuous benefits’! The author has made a wise attempt to categorically discuss the problem faced, the dilemmas discussed, the hurdles crossed, the strategies devised, the opportunities grabbed and solutions envisaged. There is a lot to be learnt. Learn about – How to do business? How to think business and how to run business?
Source: https://booksnewsindia.wordpress.com/...
October 16, 2015
For me, this book was just a collection of businessmen who managed to start a good business. Very interesting in itself, but not clear with the baniya angle. Other than the fact that in some cases there was more of a risk taking and work for yourself attitude within the larger community I find that these cases are all about individuals doing good. Decent book worth a read.
October 31, 2015
Inspiring stories of dogged entrepreneurs who navigated through stifling regulations and bureaucracies, uncertain market environments, labour troubles and difficult personal circumstances to build successful businesses. A look into the kind of perseverance and single-minded determination it takes to accept enormous risks and bet it all on just an idea or a dream.
December 27, 2014
Detailed review here http://www.anureviews.com/rokda-how-b...
August 17, 2015
Each story motivates you to grow more in life...
November 1, 2015
5 fantastic stories of Indian businessmen.
June 14, 2016
A close knit community benefiting business and common drivers for success
April 10, 2017
The book tells you the life stories of 5 businesses in brief, focussing specifically on the struggles of the founders. It's a fun read, not a value add.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews