THE DAY THE CHARIOT MOVED

It was towards the end of October of 1976, two months into my master’s in political science, I decided to quit my studies at the Utkal University in Bhubaneswar. There were two reasons for it. One, I was not enjoying what was being taught; it wasn’t the place I wanted to be. Two, I did not want to depend on my family for higher studies. My father had retired when I was in Class VIII, and ever since, I had been a drag on my eldest brother, Debi Prasad Bagchi, who was the only family member with a steady income at that time.

Hence, I decided that pursuing an MA at a place that did not challenge me enough was a waste. I decided to grab the only job available in a small town like Bhubaneswar of 1976 and wait until I would turn twenty-one, the minimum age at the time for writing the civil services examination to join the Indian Administrative Service.

The day after I told my professor at the university that I was leaving, I learnt that there was a recruitment test at the State Secretariat for the temporary position of lower division clerks. I showed up for it and, to everyone’s dismay, on 1 November 1976, I was appointed as a lower division clerk with the Government of Odisha’s industries department for a salary of Rs 305. By 2024 standards, after adjusting for inflation, that would be equivalent of Rs 10,000. I lasted in the job for less than a year. I wasn’t going to wait around at the State Secretariat for two long years to be able to write my civil services examination.

Review

Rotary News

Accounts of how tardily various governments run programmes in education, healthcare etc abound. Hence it is like a breath of fresh air to read Subroto Bagchi’s account … Read More

Political Business Daily

SUBROTO Bagchi's latest book, 'The day the Chariot moved - How India grows at the grassroots' published by Penguin RandomHouse (2025) has created waves … Read More

CONSTANT CHANGE

When asked about change, IT innovator and visionary Subroto Bagchi had the simplest advice: There will never be a time when we won't be confronted with change, so we might as well embrace it. It's scary. It feels dangerous.

You can't predict what will come next. But if you embrace it, it can be an opportunity rather than a hindrance. Change may be the only constant in the universe but it is one of the most fundamental issues we struggle with.

Whether it is changing a travel route or a career or our own lives for the better, there are very few people in the world who don't fear at least some kind of change.

Constant Change is the transcript of Bagchi's convocation address at the University of Florida in May 2014. Witty, entertaining and insightful, it hits home for everyone.

Review

Frontline

Highly readable, crisply written...inspirational reading for any new Indian entrepreneur.

Sell: The Art, the Science, the Witchcraft

Everyone is a salesperson by some measure and selling is not a pushy, winner-take-all, macho act. It is an empathy-led, process-driven, knowledge-intensive discipline.’ In his book, Sell – the first book on the subject by an Indian practitioner of business – bestselling author and inspiration to generations of entrepreneurs, Subroto Bagchi presents the concepts of selling and salesmanship from his unique perspective. Elaborating on the essential skills required to be a successful seller – whether of a product, a service, an idea, an organization, or even of personal skills – Bagchi crystallizes his on-the-ground knowledge about salesmanship through stories and anecdotes from his vast repertoire of experiences and extensive reading to provide wise and profound insights and advice on making an impact on others and acquiring the power to influence their decisions. A comprehensive and contemporary treatise on the art, science and ‘witchcraft’ behind selling, Sell will redefine the meaning of salesmanship.

Review

Hindu Business Line

A breezy read, Bagchi does what he does best: selling; and in this book, selling the good tale. Bagchi is a delightful raconteur.

ON LEADERSHIP AND INNOVATION

Marked by Bagchi’s trademark wit and wisdom, and enlightening at every turn, On Leadership and Innovation is a stimulating read. In a bonus chapter, readers will also get a glimpse into Bagchi’s latest bestselling book, The Elephant Catchers, published by Hachette India in 2013.'

Review

SiliconIndia

There was no looking back after I decided to purchase this book.

Zen garden: CONVERSATIONS WITH PATHMAKERS

In the world around us, we find two kinds of people: some who are path-dependent and some who are path-creators. The world goes round because of the former; these are the people who deliver predictability. But the world gets better, because the latter exist. These are people who see things that do not exist or see what others do not see. I am fascinated with their stories, collected over time, and published in Forbes India. Now the entire collection has just been brought out as Zen Garden (Penguin). Let me share a few stories from my encounters with these path-creators.

Review

GoodReads

When you finish reading a good book, you are left with some kind of a parting sadness as your journey with the book comes to an end.

The Elephant Catchers: Key Lessons for Breakthrough Growth

'Unlike an operation to catch rabbits, trapping an elephant calls for expertise over enthusiasm. Those who hunt rabbits are rarely able to rope in elephants.’

Many organizations, even those that may have a brilliant start, falter in their attempts to achieve transformational growth in their later phases. In The Elephant Catchers, Subroto Bagchi distils his years of on-the-ground learning to explore why this happens, and what such organizations and their people must do to climb to the next level and beyond. Through a combination of engaging anecdotes from his experiences as co-founder, and subsequently Chairman of Mindtree, and insightful stories from our everyday world, Bagchi demonstrates a crucial point: Organizations with real ambition to get to the top need to embrace the idea of scale and then ensure that it systematically pervades every aspect of its functioning.

Review

The Times of India

Bagchi’s success as a writer lies in his ability to bring business and life together to illustrate key lessons.