Intermission

Stream a video, send a message, call a loved one. For nearly 474 million Indians, that connection runs through Bharti Airtel. Over three decades, the company has made it through price wars, near-bankruptcy, a botched overseas acquisition, and two incursions from Reliance. Each time, it weathered the crisis and came back stronger. Investors who held on through every crisis have been rewarded with r...

Sell a Bajaj scooter, finance their EMIs. For years, that was the entire purpose of Bajaj Auto Finance.  But consumers in India wanted much more.  They outfitted their homes with new television sets, refrigerators, and washing machines. They wanted iPhones, hair transplants, fitness equipment and more. Lending for those hinted at a much larger opportunity. And the Bajaj group seized it.  Bajaj Aut...

Asian Paints was founded in 1942 by four young Gujaratis in a Bombay garage. Today, it controls more than half of India's paint market.  This is the story of how that happened.  The company was among the first to tap into the rural market, become a technology company before most people understood what that meant, crack the supply chain, and bring about a new era of Indian advertising. Now, Asi...

This is Part 2 of  Intermission's  episode on Asian Paints. We'd urge you to listen to  Part 1   first to get a full picture of the company's early history and main bets.  — Asian Paints was founded in 1942 by four young Gujaratis in a Bombay garage. Today, it controls more than half of India's paint market.  This is the story of how that happened.  The company was among the first...