Bharat Entrepreneurs

The GMR group had no airport experience till 2001, yet it bagged a 30 year grant to develop a futuristic airport in Shamshabad, Hyderabad. This bid was won only after the GMR proved that it was technically competent by tying up with a minority partner, Malaysia Airport Holdings. However, it was not until 3 years later that the agreement was signed. The GMR group is believed to be investing about Rs 1,500 crores into this project with a capacity of handling 12 million passengers in 2008 alone. They have a mandate to develop a world-class international airport spread over 5,500 acres in Shamshabad, about 25 kms from the main city of Hyderabad.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MOCA) announced that the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport at Shamshabad will commence operations from midnight of Saturday. The Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt is expected to land at 0025 hours on Sunday. Thus March 23rd 2008 will be the first operational day for the Airport at Shamshabad.

Partners for GHAIL or GMR-HAIL ( Hyderabad International Airport Limited):

GMR Infrastructure Ltd. has a stake of 63 %. Airports Authority of India is at 13 %, while the Government of Andhra Pradesh has 13 % of the stake. Malaysian Airports Holding Berhad is at 11 %

The GMR group is all set to position Hyderabad as a prominent player on the global aviation map contributing to the prosperity, development and economic well-being of the region.

In the year 2004, the government of India announced its intention to privatize its airports in Mumbai and New Delhi. The impressive list of Business Barons interested were Anil Ambani, Subhash Chandra and Anil Agarwal. Yet, the GMR group beat them all!

The GMR group spent spent $8 million on the bid, persuaded Fraport AG to partner with them so as to gain the stamp of being technically competent. In the end the effort paid off. New Delhi was chosen as the venue on which to build an Airport. The impressive growth potential was what attracted Mr. G.M Rao to invest in it.

Things seem to be going well for the GMR group at this moment. It remains to be seen as to how profitable it will eventually be.

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SUBHASH CHANDRA
One would be surprised to know that a one time rice trader is now one of the biggest media mogul. He is Subash Chandra, the man who gave birth to the first Hindi satellite channel (Zee tv, ZeeC Entertainment Enterprises) . He is also the promoter of ESSELGroup, which runs diversified businesses like Amusement parks (to tell you Essel world in Mumbai is the largest amusement park in Asia), Media and Entertainment (DISH tv), Retailing (Asian Sky Shop is India’s leading telemarketing company), packaging, Gaming (Playwin), Telecom and IT etc. He is now under the Top 20 richest Indians in Forbes list and that too in the ’self-made’ wealth category.

1992, THE STORY

This was the year when Subhash Chandra launched Zee TV in INDIA. . This was no ordinary step because at that time all the indian viewers were (may be in other words ‘had to be’) inside the ring of Doordarshan, a non-satellite, government controlled network. He was able to foresee the huge business potential in satellite channels and television media. Initially, Zee was in partnership with STAR TV. However, the partnership ended when Rupert Murdock’s FOX news corporation acquired STAR TV.

MR. Subhash Chandra now has about 65% of the post-deal stake in Zee Telefilms ltd.,

THE REAL ENTREPRENEUR

Subhash chandra had two qualities in abundance… Courage and a ‘No-Compromise’ attitude in achieving his goals.
In 2003, Zee telefilms bid for the rights to telecast the cricket world cup. It ended up in the highest unsuccessful bid, ever. Again in 2004 and 2006 he tried to bid for the telecast rights but in vain. And then, in 2007, he launched ICL, Indian Cricket League, which shook BCCI severely and it started IPL immediately to compete with it.
“They denied us the cricket content, so we had to create the content” was how Himanshu Modi, the Business head of ICL and ZEE sports channel, put it.

ACTIVITIES

• He founded Transnational Alternate Learning for Emancipation and Empowerment thorough Multimedia (TALEEM), a foundation creating access to quality education , helping research in Communication and Media, Health etc..,
• He is the president of Global Vipassana Foundation, which is a philosophical organisation that spreads spritual teachings .
• He is also the chairman of Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation of India that runs a non-formal one-teacher schools all over india.

AWARDS
Mr. Subhash Chandra bagged lots of awards and honorary degrees. A few among them are

• Entrepreneur of the Year’ by Ernst & Young in 1999.
• Business Standard’s Businessman of the Year’ in 1999.
• ‘Global Indian Entertainment Personality of the Year’ by FICCI for 2004.
• Almost forgot to mention, he is ranked 16 in top 40 Indian Richest Business men by FORBES and 4th richest Asian in Britain by THE SUNDAY TIMES.

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