Barons of Banking: Glimpses of Indian Banking History

• The book profiles Sir Sorabji Pochkhanawala, Sir Purshotamdas Thakurdas, Sir Chintaman D. Deshmukh, A. D. Shroff, H. T. Parekh and R. K. Talwar. It traces their roles in the development of major financial institutions and examines the evolution of Indian banking through their careers.

  Dadabhoy also explores the history of five major institutions: the Central Bank of India, Reserve Bank of India, State Bank of India, ICICI and HDFC. The book discusses important committees and commissions whose recommendations influenced the direction of Indian banking.

  Divided into four parts, the work draws on archival material, including material made available by the Reserve Bank of India. It also examines the notable disagreement between Sir Osborne Smith, the first Governor of the RBI, and Sir James Grigg, the Finance Member of the Viceroy's Executive Council.

• Bakhtiar K. Dadabhoy is an Indian author and biographer who has written extensively about influential figures in business, banking, public life and culture. His other books include Jeh: A Life of JRD Tata, Sugar in Milk: Lives of Eminent Parsis, The Magnificent Diwan, Zubin Mehta: A Musical Journey and Homi J. Bhabha: A Life.

Barons of Banking provides a historical account of India's banking sector by combining institutional history with biographical portraits. The book shows how individual visionaries contributed to the creation and development of major financial organizations while responding to the changing economic and political environment of India.

Beginning with pioneering figures from the early history of Indian banking and moving through the development of institutions such as the RBI, SBI, ICICI and HDFC, Dadabhoy presents banking as an important part of India's economic transformation.

The book is particularly valuable for readers interested in Indian financial history, business leadership and the personalities who helped shape the country's banking system. It combines archival research with accessible storytelling, making it relevant to both general readers and banking professionals.