There is no dearth of books on leadership. But this is a book on leaders with a difference. These leaders are inspirational leaders who have reached the top in their chosen field, but have never lost touch with ground truths and the millions at the "bottom of the pyramid". Following the path-breaking concept of the late C. K. Prahalad, the leaders profiled in this volume have led organizations which in some manner touch the lives of legions of ordinary people in the country. Whether it's the area of consumer goods, basic infrastructure, healthcare, banking, energy, education or women workers in the informal sector, these leaders have been leading change and changing lives and one would hope they would continue to do so for many more years to come. Based on exclusive interviews, these are profiles in courage, vision and exemplary leadership. The exclusive insights that the profiles provide into the lives and work of these inspirational leaders would be of immense interest to the lay reader, invaluable for students of Human Resources and virtually priceless for those who study leadership as both a discipline and an art. This volume also signals the start of a series on different dimensions of emerging leadership in India that will shape its future in the years to come.

While the leadership profiles form the core of the book, for the benefit of the reader there is a section dedicated to the late C. K. Prahalad, the great Indian management thought-leader, and a brief section reviewing some of the recent published literature on leadership issues.