Lakshmi Mittal has become something of a cult figure in the global steel industry. His company Mittal Steel is the largest steel maker in the world. After the recent merger between Mittal Steel and Arcelor which raged a big debate throughout the Europe, Laxmi Mittal currently controls 10% of the total steel production and the combined entity that has come into force post-merger is three times the size of its nearest competitors. Lakshmi Niwas Mittal was born on June 15, 1950 at Sadulpur, in Churu district of Rajasthan, in a poor family. The extended family of 20 lived on bare concrete floors, slept on rope beds and cooked on an open fire in the brickyard in a house built by his grandfather. Laxmi Mittal belongs to Marwari Agarwal caste and his grandfather worked for the Tarachand Ghanshyam Das firm, one of the leading Marwari industrial firms of pre-independence India. In March 2006, Lakshmi Mittal was listed as the third wealthiest person in the world after Bill Gates and Warren Buffet by Forbes Magazine.

Ghanshyam Das Birla is considered as a doyen of Indian Industry. He was the man who laid the foundations of the Birla Empire. G.D. Birla was a multi-faceted personality. He was a close associate of Mahatma Gandhi and advised Gandhiji on economic policies. He was the most important pre-Independence contributor to the Indian National Congress. Ghanshyam Das Birla was the founder of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). He is also popularly known as the builder of Birla Mandirs. Born on April 10, 1894, G.D. Birla, was a native of Pilani. His grandfather Shiv Narayan Birla was a traditional marwari moneylender. Ghanshyam Das Birla entered the business arena during the time of First World War. He established a cotton mill in Sabzi Mandi, and later on established Keshoram Cotton Mills. Along with cotton mills he diversified to jute business and shifted his base to Calcutta city in Bengal, the world's largest jute producing region. He established Birla Jute Mills in Bengal, much to the consternation of established European merchants. In 1919, with an investment of Rs. 50 lakhs, the Birla Brothers Limited was formed and a mill was set up in Gwalior. In 1930s, G.D. Birla set up Sugar and Paper mills. In 1940s, he ventured into the territory of cars and established Hindustan Motors. After independence, Ghanshyam Das Birla invested in tea and textiles through a series of acquisitions of erstwhile European companies. He also expanded and diversified into cement, chemicals, rayon and steel tubes. Ghanshyam Das Birla also founded several educational institutions. Birla Institute of Technology and Sciences (BITS) Pilani has today evolved into one of India's best engineering schools. He also established many temples, planetariums, and hospitals. Ghanshyam Das Birla died in 1983 at the age of 90. In his honour, G.D. Birla award for scientific Research has been established to encourage scientists for their contribution in the various fields of scientific Research.

Rahul Bajaj is the Chairman of the Bajaj Group, which ranks among the top 10 business houses in India. The Bajaj Group has diversified interests ranging from automobiles, home appliances, lighting, iron and steel, insurance, travel and finance. Rahul Bajaj is one of India's most distinguished business leaders and internationally respected for his business acumen and entrepreneurial spirit. Rahul Bajaj is an alumnus of Harvard, St. Stephen's and Cathedral. He took over the reins of Bajaj Group in 1965. Under his stewardship, the turnover of the Bajaj Auto the flagship company has risen from Rs.72 million to Rs.46.16 billion. Rahul Bajaj created one of India's best companies in the difficult days of the licence-permit raj. He established factories at Akurdi and Waluj. In 1980s Bajaj Auto was top scooter producer in India and its Chetak brand had a 10-year waiting period. The initiation of liberalization in India posed great challenges for Bajaj Auto. Liberalisation brought the threat of cheap imports and FDI from top companies like Honda. Rahul Bajaj became famous as the head of the Bombay Club, which opposed liberalization. The scooter sails plummeted as people were more interested in motorcycles and the rival Hero Honda was a pioneer in it. The recession and stock market collapse of 2001 hit the company hard and it was predicted that the days of Bajaj Auto were numbered. However, Bajaj Auto re-invented itself, established a world-class factory in Chakan, invested in R&D and came up with Bajaj Pulsar Motorcycle. Bajaj Pulsar is currently a leader in its segment. Recently, Rahul Bajaj was elected to Rajya Sabha from Maharashtra.

Born to Their Highnesses, the Maharaja Hanwant Singh and Maharani Krishna Kumari, princess of Dhrangadhra State, Gaj Singh was destined to succeed his father at the tender age of four. In those dramatic years between his birth and his father's tragic and fatal air accident in 1952, the Rathore State of Marwar-Jodhpur had merged into the Union of India, contributing an area of 36,000 Sq Miles and a history of upwards 700 years. The young head of the Rathore clan was recognized The Maharaja of Jodhpur by Presidential decree, the thirty-eighth of his dynasty Today the Rathore colors fly proudly once again. The Maharaja's major thrust has been in tourism, a sector with widespread benefits which has emerged the life-line of modern day Marwar, indeed Rajasthan. Besides the conversion of his own palaces into hotels, foremost among them the Umaid Bhawan, one of the great palace hotels in the world, and the Mehrangarh Fort into an internationally acclaimed museum, the Maharaja has provided dynamic leadership to the innovative Heritage Hotel movement, undoubtedly the future of tourism in Rajasthan. The Maharaja has also served, until recently, as the Chairman of the Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation, Government of Rajasthan. The preservation of traditional arts & crafts, the arts and music, sport, particularly equestrian sport, and the conservation of our natural and man-made heritage remain other areas of strong interest and activity.

Starting her career with the Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India (ICICI) in 1980, Shikha Sharma was picked to head the life insurance division of ICICI when it became the first bank in the private sector to get a license to carry out the business of insurance. She was able to maintain a lead from the first day which helped the organisation to remain the largest private sector life insurance company in India. Early Life Shikha Sharma was born to a soldier who travelled all over India, before settling down in Delhi. She completed her school education at the Loreto Convent in Delhi and graduated in economics from the Lady Sreeram College, Delhi. She finished her post graduate diploma in software technology from the National Institute of Software Technology, Mumbai. She also completed her Masters in Business Administration from the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmadabad. Career Shikha Sharma started her career with ICICI, India's largest financial service provider in 1980. She joined ICICI right after graduating from IIM, Ahmadabad. She is the Chief Executive Officer, Managing Director of Axis Bank Limited and Chairperson and associate Director of Axis Asset Management company Limited since June 1, 2009. Legacy Shikha Sharma is one of the two women entrepreneurs who are at the helm of a private bank in India.. Timeline 1980: Shikha Sharma started her career with ICICI as a project officer. 1992: Set up ICICI Securities which was a joint venture of ICICI and J. P Morgan. 1995: Moved to ICICI Securities and was deputed to J.P. Morgan. 1997: Rejoined ICICI as the General Manager in charge of Strategic Planning and Development. 1998: Became the Managing Director of ICICI Personal Financial Services. 2009: Became the Chief Executive Officer, Managing Director of Axis Bank Limited and Chairperson and Associate Director of Axis Asset Management Company Limited.

Over the years he has led the emergence of Pantaloon Retail as the leading retailer in the country. While retail continues to form the core business of Future Group, Mr. Biyani has led the group to foray into allied businesses across the consumption space. Led by its flagship enterprise, Pantaloon Retail, the group operates around 16,000,000 square feet (1,500,000 m2) of retail space in over 85 cities and towns and 65 rural locations across India. Headquartered in Mumbai (Bombay), Pantaloon Retail employs around 35,000 people and is listed on the Indian stock exchanges. Future Group’s retail arm follows a multi-format retail strategy and some of its leading formats include, Big Bazaar, Central, Food Bazaar, Pantaloons, Ezone, Home Town and Planet Sports. It also operates popular shopping portal, futurebazaar.com and rural retail chain, Aadhar. Future Group’s other businesses include financial services, insurance, brand development and logistics.

Gautam Hari Singhania (Rajasthani:born 9 September 1965) is an Indian businessman. He is the Chairman & Managing Director of the Raymond Group. Gautam Singhania was born in an industrialist family, to Vijaypat Singhania and Ashabai Singhania.[1] Gautam Singhania joined the Singhania family's JK Group of companies in 1986. He later joined the family's Raymond Group, becoming a director in 1990, the managing director in July 1999, and the chairman in September 2000. He restructured the group and sold Raymond's non-core businesses (synthetics, steel and cement).[2] Under him, the group moved its focus to fabrics, apparel brands, prophylactics (KamaSutra condoms), and men's toiletries. He has also focused on international partnerships for Raymond, including joint ventures with UCO of Belgium (denim) and Gruppo Zambaiti of Italy (shirting). Gautam Singhania is married to Nawaz Modi Singhania. The couple has a daughter (born December 2005).[1] Gautam Singhania is passionate about fast cars, boats, planes and nightclubs.[1] He has driven a Formula 1 car in France, a Ferrari 360 Modena in a road and track rally across Europe, and a Lamborghini Gallardo in Europe's CannonBall Run. He has also formed the first ever super car club in India. Singhania owns M Y Ashena, a tri-deck luxury yacht constructed entirely out of Burma Teak wood. The yacht was designed by traditional boat builders from a village in Gujarat.[3] He also owns Moonraker (a yacht), Shazma (a traditional three-masted Arabian sailing dhow), speedboats named after James Bond movies (Octopussy, Goldfinger, Thunderball, Golden Eye) and some other speedboats (Smokin Joe and Raymond).[4][5] Singhania also owns a Challenger 604 business jet and a 03 helicopters.

He has made invaluable contributions toward strengthening the core and infrastructure sectors in India and has steered the Essar Group to a premier position in global industry. Mr Ruia began his career in the family business in 1965 under the guidance of his father, the late Nand Kishore Ruia. Along with brother Ravi, Shashi Ruia laid the foundation of the Essar Group, which is today a multinational conglomerate with operations in more than 25 countries, 75,000 people, and revenues of USD 17 billion. Essar is a leading player in the sectors of Steel, Oil & Gas, Power, Communications, Shipping Ports & Logistics, Construction and Minerals. Shashi Ruia's vision saw the Essar Group gain a first mover advantage in many of these businesses. For example, when the telecom sector was opened up for private participation, Essar was among the first companies to offer mobile telephony services. Today, Essar is a partner with Vodafone in India's booming telecom market. In USA, Essar has investments of over US$ 3 bn in steel, coal and BPO, employing over 13,000 people. Mr Ruia has masterminded the group's business strategy and consolidated a range of activities through backward and forward integration. This has enabled the group unleash unique synergies across its businesses. Mr Ruia is on several important national bodies and industry associations. He was on the managing committee of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), an apex body of India's trade and business associations. He has also been the Chairman of the prestigious Indo-US Joint Business Council and is a former president of the Indian National Shipowners Association (lNSA). In 2007, Mr Ruia joined an elite list of achievers, which include the likes of Richard Branson, Peter Gabriel, Ray Chambers, Pam Omidyar, Amy Robbins and Richard Tarlow, who will independently fund The Elders.

Poonamchand Suthar couldn’t continue his education after fifth standard because he had to assist his father in carpentry work. Shri P L Mistry(Suthar) has been awarded posthumously by Second National Grassroots Technological Innovation and Traditional Knowledge Awards - 2002 for his great inventions like Wise platform ticket machine, automatic air pump for bicycles and other innovations. The other innovations that he had developed and in most cases patented are: Improved tea coffee maker, Animal body weight drawn water lifting pump, Device for constant pressure of water in pipeline/tap, mproved machine for making chapatis/puris,System for prevention of train collision and accident due to derailment and sabotaging, Improved churner, Small flour mill, Folding cradle, Cloth washing and drying machine, Folding swing bed, Automatic lighting and delighting kerosene lamp and Power generation from road traffic.Like many innovators, he had worked on many ideas, not all of which were equally feasible or practical. Nonetheless, his life story needs to get included in the syllabus of primary education so that many more children can draw inspiration and embark upon similar innovative trails. Obviously, science and technology policy planners never cared to highlight the role of grassroots innovations. It is his destiny that now he has been forgotten. Late Shri Poonamchand Lakha Mistry born in 1914 in a poor family, was an outstanding innovator of his time. He was the eldest among four brothers. He thought about several problems affecting common people as well as large systems like railways. In some cases he succeeded with the actual prototype and a few remained just as his dream. Poonamchand couldn’t continue his education after fifth standard because he had to assist his father in carpentry work. While pursuing carpentry, he developed interest in creative activities, and at the age of 17, he prepared a functional miniature steam locoengine. The then administrator of British government instead of encouragement, advised him to destroy his loco-engine. He, however, stashed away his creation but this incident couldn’t suppress his creative talent to develop innovative things. In due course, he established a flour mill and a motorcar repair workshop.