Our top reads of the week

By Forbes India| Apr 30, 2022

[CAPTION]Every week, catch up on the best long form stories from Forbes India. Often peppered with our binge-worthy podcasts, videos or infographics too. Image: Shutterstock[/CAPTION]

1) Startup layoff saga
The year 2021 saw a funding peak for startups followed by a hiring spree and massive pay hikes. We also remember the flashy BMW bikes, swanky Dubai trips, and latest iPads on offer to attract the new talent. Come the first quarter of this financial year, more than 5,700 employees were laid off by major growth-stage startups in India. While layoffs are a part of a business cycle, the scale and how they’ve been carried out—over WhatsApp calls, without notice, and with pay cuts—are a cause of concern. For more

2) Puri taiyyari se

Virat Kohli, Anushka Sharma, Ranveer Singh, Amitabh Bachchan, and now Kartik Aryan have been the face of traditional apparel brand Manyavar in recent years. Ever wondered why we never hear about the man who started it all? Ravi Modi, the reclusive billionaire who built Vedanta Fashions Limited (house of Manyavar) into a ₹26,000 crore company, prefers the simple things in life. Here's your opportunity to get to know Ravi Modi: Debutante on the 2022 Forbes World's Billionaires List. For more

3) Flexibility at cost

In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, even as women continued to suffer more job losses than men, corporate leaders were confident that the future of work is remote and flexible, and saw it as an opportunity to fill gender diversity and inclusion gaps. Two years down the line, as many companies firm up their return to the office or hybrid working policies, data suggests that they might be giving the same values of flexibility and remote work a side-eye. Negotiating these new, evolving rules of the workplace can be especially tricky for women. Will war for talent work in favour of women? For more

Discover

1) For the bottom of the pyramid

Microfinance is a painstaking business and the tendency to take shortcuts is often what results in business failures. In the past, as companies tried to grow their books rapidly, they either charged rates that were too high or simply gave customers loans far above what they needed. Maybe this is why experts say that one should always be wary of runaway successes in the microfinance space. Udaya Kumar Hebbar, CEO of CreditAccess Grameen believes that the counter to the statement above would be to observe how these businesses stand in a bad time. That is the true test. CreditAccess Grameen not only passed this test but is now well-positioned for the next leg of growth. For more

2) Blaring threat to Mumbai

Noise pollution has been described as the new second-hand smoke. “The world’s cities must take on the cacophony of noise pollution,” says an oped by UNEP Executive Director Inger Anderson in March 2022. “As cities become more crowded, their soundscapes become a global public health menace.” Despite the well-established adverse effects of noise pollution on human health and life, widespread breach of decibel levels continues unabated in Mumbai. Can anyone hear the alarm bells ringing? For more

3) The Pat Cummins school of leadership

Since 2017, we are seeing a Pat Cummins renaissance in Australian cricket. Skipper for the Aussie men's Test cricket team registered a clean sweep in The Ashes in December 2021. The team successfully won their first Test series against Pakistan, in front of Pakistan's home crowd, in more than two decades. On the personal front, he currently holds the top spot in ICC Men's Test Bowling Rankings. In this episode of Forbes India From the Field, Cummins shares his collaborative, communicative approach to leadership and why it is OK to not be team-focused every minute of the day. Watch here

4) Rana Daggubati for bridging the gaps

Rana Daggubati has played versatile roles in Telugu and Bollywood films. He has starred in one of Indian cinema’s most celebrated movies ‘Baahubali’. There is much more to this actor than what meets the eye. Off-screen, Daggubati has invested in businesses ranging from a business accelerator programme to a tech startup. "My investing started in trying to make better films,” he says. The affable Rana Daggubati allowed the audience at Forbes India Leadership Awards 2022 to explore ‘The other side of Rana Daggubati.' Now it's your turn. Watch here