Interview with Subhash Chandra, interviewed by Das Narayandas, Mumbai, India

Dr. Subhash Chandra is the Chairman of Zee and Essel Group, as well as a member of the Parliament of India. In this interview, Dr. Chandra discusses the trajectory of his career, which began at age 17, when he was called home from school to help save his family's business. With little prior experience, Dr. Chandra worked to cultivate a reputation of trust and respect as a business leader in the local community. He credits these qualities to the teachings of his grandfather, who founded the family business in 1926. Dr. Chandra describes some of the initial obstacles he faced in the early years of his career in the packaging industry: lack of capital, competition from multinationals, and saturated markets. However he also emphasizes his determination to withstand periods of loss and the strength of his long-term vision, both of which helped him eventually secure a joint-venture with Propack, giving his company a global presence. Dr. Chandra goes on to relate how and why he began to diversify the company later in his career, from packaging to leisure, entertainment, infrastructure, and more. Of the many risks involved, Dr. Chandra explains that his main motivation was to fill niche an