From Aswath Damodaran's advice to duopoly in Indian skies, here are our most-read stories of the week

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1) Advice from the dean of valuation
Aswath Damodaran, professor of finance at the NYU Stern School of Business, teaches corporate finance and valuation, and his MBA batch includes 350 students. A highly decorated professor considers himself a teacher first and foremost. Therefore, when he talks about the craft of valuation, the price Vs valuation debate, whether venture capital firms are investors or mere traders looking to make big bucks, disruptive trends in the startup ecosystem, the impact of artificial intelligence on business models, and if India can become a global economic powerhouse, you must listen. Watch here

2) Mahindra and EV race
At the Lourensford Wine Estate on the outskirts of Cape Town, South Africa, while a slew of Mahindra vehicles were announced on India's 77th Independence Day, the real buzz was about the automaker's electric variant of the Mahindra Thar featuring five doors. It is expected to be one of the first electric SUVs in India to offer off-road capabilities. But that was not the only signal the event gave. This was a clear intent from the Mumbai headquartered automaker to take to the fight in the domestic electric vehicle market and play catch-up to Tata Motors. Mahindra is considered a pioneer of the Indian EV market, but Tata Motors has gained a clear advantage with its new playbook in recent years. Mahindra still has the edge, and we explain how. Read more   


3) Differentiated play
Tarun Mehta and Swapnil Jain were first-generation entrepreneurs with no money, no connections, and no storied family background in business when they first started their EV venture, Ather Energy, in October 2013. They wanted to build the largest R&D-based two-wheeler EV company in the world. As it happens to most visionaries, they were greeted with disbelief and scepticism. At a very crucial juncture in October 2014, they were rescued by investor and the co-founder of Flipkart, Sachin Bansal. Cut to September 2023. Ather has emerged as India's third biggest two-wheeler EV maker by volume. So what transpired in the years in between? It is a success story based on a firm belief in magic. Read more

Discover

1) New reality of Indian skies
From the likes of the flamboyant Vijay Mallya of the ill-fated Kingfisher Airlines to the cautious and wily Naresh Goyal of Jet Airways and the blue-blooded Nusli Wadia of Go First, India’s skies have a history of bringing death knell to many. Five years ago, India’s skies boasted Jet Airways, Air India, Vistara, AirAsia India, Go First, SpiceJet, TruJet, Zoom Air and Air Deccan. With this backdrop, there are two airlines still soaring high—IndiGo, with a 63 percent market share and Air India, along with Air India Express. With almost 90 percent of the market firmly under their control, they have the distinct advantage of shaping the aviation sector over the next few years. How does this shape the reality of Indian skies? Here's a quick look. Read more

2) What spooked Indian stock markets?
In the sharpest single-day decline since August, Indian stock markets lost over 1 percent on September 20. During the day, the BSE Sensex tanked 868.70 points before closing at 66,800.84, losing 796 points or 1.18 percent. The 50-share index Nifty also declined 313.5 points, closing for trade at 19,901.40, down 231.90 or 1.15 percent. So, was it overheated bond yields in the US or the ever-increasing crude oil prices that broke investors’ confidence in Indian markets? Let's find out. Read more 


3) Insurance for Bappa
Mumbai's GSB Mandal has bought a record Rs 360 crore insurance this year and has also insured devotees for the first time. Others, including Lalbaugcha Raja, have also invested heavily in insurance to protect the Mandal from theft, fire, and terrorism and to cover devotees in case of accidents, stampedes or even prasad poisoning. Here’s a quick primer on why even Ganpati Bappa needs insurance. Watch more


4) Thank you for representing
Producer Rhea Kapoor, who is also a daughter of actor Anil Kapoor, has always advocated for female-centric films—the chick-flick genre—as you can see in her body of work from Aisha, Khoobsurat, Veere Di Wedding, and the latest Thank You For Coming. The film, starring Bhumi Pednekar in the lead, premiered at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival. It is being applauded for its sex-positive approach and as a worthy addition to the feminist romp genre. In this video, debuting director Karan Boolani, who happens to be Rhea Kapoor's husband, co-producer Ekta Kapoor and the film crew share their views on balancing boldness with business and tackling female sexuality. Watch here