A book launch with a difference

It was a book launch with a difference, with extracts being read out by Finance Minister P Chidambaram, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, British High Commissioner to India Michael Arthur, actor Rahul Bose and writer Vikram Seth.

The launch of the book on the Tatas titled Horizons -- The Tata-India Century by Aman Nath, Jay Vithalani and Tulsi Vatsal, was laced with wit and humour.

The finance minister declared jocularly that he never declined book release functions as they entitled "you to get a copy of the book in advance".

Praising the Tatas for thinking 100 years ahead of their time, Chidambaram pointed out to Ahluwalia, who was in the audience, that even today the Planning Commission made plans for five years.

"Maybe one of these days, the two of us should sit down and work out a plan for the next 100 years," he said in a lighter vein.

He added that even for the Tatas, it had been a long journey from priesthood to capitalism as they were priests of their community before venturing into.

Ahluwalia evoked laughter from the audience when he declared he had predictably selected an extract pertaining to the Bombay Plan -- the first effort by industrialists and technocrats to work out an economic road map for India.

The plan included several ideas such as doubling per capita income in 15 years and government regulation of foreign exchange.

On his part, Seth mentioned that his father worked for the Tatas and also for Bata. He tickled the audience's funny bone saying that the undivided state of Bihar was famous for shoes from Bata, employment with Tata and lasses from Mithila.