The prestigious Gaja Capital Business Book Prize has unveiled its highly anticipated shortlist for 2025, showcasing exceptional works that capture the dynamic evolution of India's business landscape. Now in its seventh year, this distinguished award continues to honor authors who delve deep into the ideas, institutions, and individuals driving India's remarkable economic transformation.
Celebrating India's Business Literary Excellence
Established in 2019, the Gaja Capital Business Book Prize has consistently recognized writing that balances analytical rigor with compelling narrative. The prize focuses on works that explore how enterprise, policy, and leadership collectively shape India's progress across various sectors. This year's selection particularly emphasizes stories that reflect both imagination and resilience in Indian business.
Jury chairman Manish Sabharwal emphasized that the 2025 shortlist captures the essential character driving Indian enterprise forward. He noted that these books demonstrate how leadership qualities and strong principles contribute as significantly to progress as financial success does.
The 2025 Shortlisted Works
The selected books span diverse aspects of India's economic ecosystem, offering readers comprehensive insights into governance, infrastructure development, established corporations, and the vibrant startup environment.
Karthik Muralidharan's "Accelerating India's Development: A State-Led Roadmap for Effective Governance" presents a detailed examination of how India can advance to its next growth phase through strengthened state systems and reforms that directly benefit citizens.
Anupam Gupta's "The Rise of Asian Paints: Champaklal Choksey, A Doyen of the Indian Paints Industry" chronicles the inspiring journey of how a modest business venture, powered by innovative ideas and unwavering persistence, transformed into a household brand recognized nationwide.
Aparajith Ramnath's "Engineering a Nation: The Life and Career of M. Visvesvaraya (1861–1962)" revisits the extraordinary legacy of the visionary engineer whose disciplined approach and foresight helped establish the foundational infrastructure of modern India.
C.K. Venkataraman's "The Tanishq Story: Inside India's No. 1 Jewellery Brand" traces the remarkable growth trajectory of a jewellery company that successfully combined thoughtful design with consumer trust and clear strategic purpose.
Mukesh Bansal's "The Startup Code: Taking Your Company from Seed to Scale" reflects on the entrepreneurial mindset propelling India's startup ecosystem, drawing valuable lessons from founders who have built sustainable, lasting businesses.
Recognizing India's Complete Business Narrative
Gopal Jain, Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Gaja Capital, expressed that this year's shortlisted books collectively illustrate the full spectrum of India's business story. He highlighted how these works cover everything from critical infrastructure and governance frameworks to iconic brands and bold startup ventures, ultimately underscoring why India remains among the world's most dynamic markets.
The prize carries a substantial award purse of ₹20 lakhs, continuing its mission to celebrate writing that positions business within India's broader economic and social context. The award views enterprise as a reflection of long-term vision and ideas rather than short-term performance metrics.
The winner announcement is scheduled for later this year, building anticipation within India's literary and business communities. For the featured authors, this recognition highlights the growing appetite for serious business writing that effectively connects thorough research with engaging narrative, helping readers understand how ideas, leadership, and innovation continue to shape India's ongoing growth story.
The distinguished jury panel includes prominent figures from various sectors: Manish Sabharwal (Vice-Chairman, TeamLease – Chairman, Jury), Imran Jafar (Co-founder & Managing Partner, Gaja Capital), Arindam Bhattacharya (Senior Advisor & Emeritus Partner, BCG), Dr. Lakshmi Venu (Managing Director, Sundaram-Clayton Ltd.), Dr. Sangita Reddy (Joint Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals), Neelkanth Mishra (Chief Economist, Axis Capital), Prithvi Haldea (Founder Chairman, Praxis Consulting), Shailesh Haribhakti (Founder & Managing Partner, Shailesh Haribhakti & Associates), and U.K. Sinha (Former Chairman, SEBI & Head of the RBI Expert Committee on MSMEs).
Gaja Capital, founded in 2004 by Gopal Jain, Ranjit Shah, and Imran Jafar, stands as one of India's leading alternative investment firms. Their portfolio includes significant investments in prominent organizations such as TeamLease, Lighthouse Learning, RBL Bank, Xpressbees, Ei, Leadsquared, Signzy, Eggoz, Fractal Analytics, and Weaver Services (People Home).
