DK Kapila The Oracle

  Pre Reforms and Post Reforms – A  Historical  Context.                                                                       Dinesh K Kapila  CGM (Retd) NABARD  (Published in The Business Sandesh of 02/06/2026) The context for this  are  a series of conversations and interactions with young entrepreneurs and executives. I realized to them the structural reforms of the 1990s were more of a  seamless  continuation of the earlier decades.  To effectively communicate th e major shift  in concept, orientation and policy  from the pre reform period to the y ounger generation, we  have to move away  move away from  a  dry macroeconomic  mode  and  incorporate an element of  storytelling   backed by  honest, bala...

  Hair Salons ought to have Oldie Hours Dinesh K Kapila Now this suggestion is by experience. That hair salons or as we say hairdressers or barbers need to introduce ‘oldie hours’, like happy hours at bars. Believe me, it will work. Rather generate returns. Returns which they cannot calculate or even fathom as they are focused solely on the youngsters. As you well, mature and then mature more in terms of the years passing by, the thick crop of hair on the head starts to thin out. Tablets, lotions and oils really do not work. That slice of a moon which is your bald pate starts to be visible and then only increases, very stealthily. It just creeps up on you. This thinning on the pate reduces the need for prolonged long sittings for a hair cut. Fifteen minutes is all it takes. Therein lies the problem. I was sitting at a hair salon. Patiently. Requested to wait. Quietly looking around and observing the immense range of services being rendered, head massage, curls being straight...

  Between 2001 and 2025, India transitioned from a phase of "jobless growth" to a period of massive job creation. Total employment surged from roughly 40 crore to over 61.6 crore, driven by the service sector and informal/gig economies. Meanwhile, overall labour productivity increased steadily, though manufacturing specifically has struggled with fragmented, low-productivity growth. Aggregate Employment & Labour Productivity (2001 vs. 2025) 2001: Employment: Around \(400\) million workers. The early 2000s were frequently characterized by "jobless growth"—where the economy grew at roughly \(4 - 5\%\), but job creation in the organized sector remained largely stagnant. Labour Productivity: Output per worker was relatively low, growing at about a \(3 - 4\%\) annualized rate, deeply constrained by a lack of formalized skilling and heavy reliance on the agricultural sector for employment. 2025: Employment: Reached over \(616\) million (61.6 crore) workers aged 15 and...

  Military Leadership – Its Relevance for CEOs in the Corporate World. Dinesh K Kapila , Chief General Manager, NABARD (Retd) .   (Published in The Business Sandesh of 05/05/2026) The characteristics of Military leadership at the senior level are often not considered as an appropriate paradigm for the corporate world. The two worlds, specially in the Indian context are viewed as two exclusive separate streams. However one has to distinguish between the stereotyped image prevalent in India of a military leader and search for its essence and relevance for the corporate sector. The traits and views of military leaders such as Marshals Zhukov & Rokossovsky of Russia, Generals Eisenhower & Patton of USA, Field Marshal Montgomery of the UK and our very own Field Marshals Carriappa and Manekshaw can impart valuable insights.     My father, Major General Rajendra Nath, PVSM (Retd), a Brigade Commander in the 1971 War in Bangladesh, often advised that whatev...

  There was a song by RD Burman Tribal setting and a refrain like Ha ha Hun Here is my version Main takla ho raha Hun Ha ha Hun ha ha Hun Taklapan rok pa nahin raha Hun Ha ha hun ha ha Hun Hair cream laga kar thak Gaya Ha ha hun ha ha Hun Tel Malish to aur uda gayee Ha ha Hun ha ha Hun Yeh kambhakt Taklapan Rukta nahin Ha ha Hun ha ha Hun Koi Elaj to Batao Ha ha Hun ha ha Hun Photographer bhi kehte hain Sir upar dekho upar dekho Varna taklapan dikhta hai Ha ha Hun ha ha Hun Doctor kehta khush Raho Abhi bhi kuch to hai Ha ha hun ha ha hun Yehi Soch kar baitha Hun Ha ha Hun ha ha Hun The song I am thinking of is almost certainly "Hummbeee..." (often referred to as the "Title Track" or "The Tribal Song") from the film Yeh Gulistan Hamara (1972). It’s famous for Danny Denzongpa’s energetic chanting and Pancham Da’s wild, rhythmic "Ha Ha Hun" grunts. Here is the hilarious "Baldness Blues" version transcribed into Hindi script, keeping the r...

  My Two Bits on the War We are all looking at the war with Iran, by the USA - Israel as close alllies, from a perspective drawn from it’s impact on the economy and markets. Agreed the USA seems to have waded into war without a clear strategy and objective. And its record in Libya, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan is poor. And without a lasting commitment and results. Israel views Iran primarily from the prism of a threat to its nationhood. However. Iran started the process. Building an Anti Israel narrative bordering on a threat to its very existence as a nation. Iran does not have a border with Israel but yet built up its forces and a force to take it on. Then building up its armed proxies, HAMAS, Hezbollah, Houthi’s, these we know, superbly armed and highly militarised. And aggressive. Lebanon itself is a nation divided and with a faltering economy due to the Hezbollah. These were just what we know, other modes were building up propaganda in other nations. The result, this nation, led b...