Pathbreakers: How 10 Visionary Leaders Transformed India

Nearly two decades ago, veteran financial journalists Sucheta Dalal and Debashis Basu set out to interview some of India’s most accomplished leaders to understand the values, convictions and defining moments that shaped their remarkable journeys.

The authors’ curiosity to unravel the people behind the towering personas culminated in Pathbreakers, a gripping series of long-form conversations with achievers across diverse industries and professions.

In 2026, Pathbreakers returns in a powerful new avatar, reinterpreting leadership for a dramatically transformed India.

This updated edition features new in-person interviews with Mukesh Ambani, K.V. Kamath, Deepak Parekh, Uday Kotak, Sanjeev Bikhchandani, Satish Magar and Rajkumar Hirani. The book also revisits the conversations with icons such as Ratan Tata, Amitabh Bachchan and R.H. Patil, which continue to remain relevant to date.

Pathbreakers is a masterclass in resilience, character and leadership. Its pages reveal how extraordinary individuals overcame setbacks without losing sight of their vision.

With refreshing candour, Ambani reflects on the succession plan for Reliance; Kotak shares why he challenged the RBI in court; and Hirani explores how storytelling is evolving in the age of AI. The ten intimate interviews in this book are powerful portraits of some of modern India’s greatest institution-builders.

The legends’ hard-earned lessons will inspire and embolden a new generation to navigate a volatile world and leave an enduring legacy of their own.

Sucheta Dalal is an investigative business journalist best known for exposing the Harshad Mehta securities scam in 1992. She has held senior editorial positions at leading Indian newspapers and was awarded the Padma Shri in 2006 for her contribution to journalism. With Debashis Basu, she co-authored The Scam: From Harshad Mehta to Ketan Parekh, later adapted as the acclaimed web series Scam 1992, and Absolute Power, on the National Stock Exchange’s co-location scandal. She also wrote A.D. Shroff: Titan of Finance and Free Enterprise. She is managing editor of Moneylife, founder-trustee of Moneylife Foundation, and has served on several SEBI committees. Debashis Basu is a chartered accountant, award-winning journalist, author and investment professional. Since 1984, he has worked with leading publishing groups, including Business India, Businessworld, The Financial Express, The Times of India and Business Today. He is the co-founder of Moneylife and Moneylife Advisory Services, a portfolio management firm, and has served on SEBI’s Mutual Fund Advisory Committee. A prolific author, he has written and co-authored several influential books on business and investing, including the bestsellers The Scam, Absolute Power, Face Value and the Plain Truths series. He also writes a fortnightly column for Business Standard.