Beating the odds

While MNCs and large corporations are shutting shop and sacking their minions, Anand Mahindra seems to be doing the exact opposite. Mahindra...

While MNCs and large corporations are shutting shop and sacking their minions, Anand Mahindra seems to be doing the exact opposite. Mahindra British Telecom has recently announced that it will be going on a massive hiring spree. The company plans to add more than 30 per cent employees over the next 12 months to its 3,000 strong employee base. That Anand Mahindra8217;s fate has taken a positive turn is obvious from this hiring spree which follows an especially lean phase for the company. Mahindra 038; Mahindra had to take several tough measures in the face of the global slowdown of the telecom industry. And Anand Mahindra8217;s fortunes are soaring not only in telecom but also in Mahindra 038; Mahindra8217;s other divisions. Mahindra Defence Systems has signed an agreement with Lockheed Martin Information Systems of UK to develop simulators for the defence sector. So while most tycoons flounder, Anand seems to be having an unprecedented though well-deserved windfall.

The Celluloid venture

There8217;s no stopping Vijay Mallya when it comes to newer methods of cashing in on his various brands of alcohol. Whether this is because Mallya is wary of the market or he8217;s striking while the iron is hot, only time will tell. But as of now Mallya and his various brands are making waves on celluloid. First it was in Analyze That and Kaante, but now he8217;s moved on to bigger fish. Not happy with small fry Mallya and his boys at McDowell have hitched their wagon to Raveena Tandon8217;s Stumped and Vivek Oberoi8217;s Dum. In fact the print ad running in theatres says McDowell presents Stumped. This isn8217;t the first time that Mallya has moved away from the well-trodden path. Not wanting to restrict himself to merely one industry, Mallya has dabbled in it all 8212; from polo to fashion. The recent feelers into celluloid might be owing to the recent happenings in the fashion world. With certain international design houses giving the pink slip to India8217;s favourite designers, it seems Mallya has wisely decided to steer clear of fashion houses and designers for a while.

Planning for the future

All is not well in the land of airlines. And Naresh Goyal seems to be trying to pull out all the stops to make sure that his airline isn8217;t affected by the upheavals in the industry. Can8217;t blame the man. After all, it8217;s been just a few months of relative stability in the airline industry, and in Jet especially. And close on the heels of this stability has come the government8217;s recent decision to tax the free and concessional passes which are given to airline employees. So while the employees are up in arms and have just stopped short of a strike, Goyal has decided to try his darndest to maintain his market share. Maybe this has something to do with the sudden decision by Goyal to extend the 8216;Everyone can fly8217; scheme indefinitely. This is a direct hit to Indian Airlines, who still haven8217;t announced whether or not they will be extending their scheme. Statistics have shown that a majority of people using the domestic airlines nowadays are traditional railway passengers. And as long as Jet can hold on to these passengers and in fact pull them away from Indian Airlines, Goyal can be confident of the fact that he has managed to rule the skies yet again.

Dilip Cherian, runs a public affairs firm Perfect Relations. He is an economy watcher and tycoon tracker. None of the people he writes about are his clients. Your insider tales are welcome at dilipcheriannow-india.net.in