But how can one keep to the right track constantly when doing business, especially in India’s quite challenging circumstances?
I will give you an example. In our industry, quality control is paramount. And you may have heard recently that some of our competitors had been called up by the US FDA for quality issues. I went to our quality people and asked them if there had ever been pressure on them to fudge reports, because of our need to sell products on time and meet the bottom line. They confirmed there was no such thing. The quality person reports to the Chairman and not to the product manager. We just finished three audits by the US FDA and there was no deficiency found. So it is your responsibility at the head of the company to create such a culture where nobody is afraid to act in such a way, where people are not only obsessed with the bottom line and instead care for the long-term value and reputation of the company.

You can always take shortcuts, it is up to you. But the culture we have been trying to create in our company is about long-term reputation and ethics. If at the top we follow it, everybody else tends to do it. We cannot say we are 100% lily white. But we try. That is the goal, to be at the leading edge.

In the way your life has unfolded, do you feel there is such a thing as a guiding and protective force?
For me, there is a force out there, intangible, with a big protective influence on our family. Sometimes we do not know exactly why we do things, we take some risks even though it does not seem reasonable. But we look at that protective force and feel that Krishna will look after us.

... contd.