Rating: 4/5While this book is strictly for those familiar with the boardroom battles between Ratan Tata and Cyrus Mistry, and will likely not engage others, it's a comprehensive and pain-staking compilation of what transpired during that period.
Ratan Tata had chosen Cyrus Mistry to succeed him in December 2012 as the first non-Tata chairperson of the vast Tata conglomerate but fired him in October 2016, even before his first term was complete, due to a significant fall-out between them. This book covers the events leading to the fall-out and subsequent ones, leading eventually to the court cases, the coverage is comprehensive and in 20 succint chapters (although the chapter titles towards the end could have been a little less juvenile). Gupta is a financial journalist and her writing style, which is easy and fluid, is especially suited for the book.
Gupta has cast herself in the role of a narrator of facts and does not attempt to superimpose her own views on them -- given her profession, it is likely that she may not have wanted to be seen to take sides. Reading between the lines, this fight has been positioned as one between a professional who coldly evaluates the businesses (Mistry) and a Tata with an emotional connect to the brand who is probably driven by his individual passions too. The former is focused on immediate gains to minority shareholders while the latter cares about the long-term impact on the brand. It is tough to conclude who is right from the narrative, and that is probably Gupta's objective as well.
While picking up a book of this nature, one would expect some "insider" insights or even some credible gossip. That, sadly, is missing for the most part. So, for a reader like me, who was closely following the events, there is not much new to learn. But I would still give it 4 stars for the comprehensive coverage of events and I would recommend this book to any reader who has a basic familiarity with this saga but is unaware of the details.
Pros: Well-written, painstakingly compiled, a solid overview of this saga
Cons: No new information for one who had closely followed the events, will not engage a reader completely unfamiliar with them
The book sounds like a good read, Anantha. I will pick it up. Although I am an "interested party" in some way, I feel that bias towards a brand is more important in the long run. Focus on brand takes care of multiple stakeholders. Employees and customers rely on the Tata Brand to put their (as against its) interests first. This brand helps attract better talent, dealers and vendors, which are difficult to value.
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