INDU JAIN : AN ENTREPRENUER & SPIRITUALIST

Indu Jain is one of the well known of the top 5 Indian women entrepreneurs, Indu Jain, is the Chairperson of India's biggest media group, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd which also owns the Times Group. The so known Multi Faceted" lady is known for different identities that is from being entrepreneur to humanist to educationalist to spiritualist. This lady has played a very prominent role in the success of the Times Group. Companys profile The times of India was founded on 3 November 1838 as THE BOMBAY TIMES and JOURNAL OF COMMERCE in British times. It was launched as a semi weekly edition by Raobahadur Narayan Diananath Velkar, a Maharastrian Reformist. The daily edition of the newspaper was started in 1850 and in 1861; the Bombay Times was renamed as THE TIMES OF INDIA. After Indias independence that the ownership of the paper passed on to the then famous industrial family of DALMIYAS and later it was taken over by SAHU SHANTI PRASAD JAIN of the Kunal Jain Group of Bijnore, UP. THE Bennet Coleman & Co. Ltd. is the Indias largest media group. It was based in Mumbai and in 1948; Ram Krishna Dalmia sold out the company to the present group Sahu Shanti Prasad. Indu Jain belongs to the Sahu family who is the current chairperson. The company provides services such as magazines, newspapers and internet. Huge brand names such as The Economic Times, Times of India, Femina, Sandhya Times, Times FM and Filmfare are under its ownership. Along with this, various television channels such as Times Now, Zoom and ET Now; and FM radio network like Radio Mirchi also constitute its holdings.

The Times Group acts as its supreme fame-generating source. It is the most circulated English daily newspaper, and is accordingly headed by Indu's sons Vineet and Samir. It was acquired from a British group, and today sells more than 3 million copies worldwide. It employs over 7000 employees, publishes five dailies including two largest in the country, and owns fifteen publishing centers, fifteen printing centers and fifty-five sales offices. It further runs two lead magazines, twenty-nine niche magazines, thirty two radio stations and two television channels, producing a turnover in excess of USD 700 million. Indu, carefully guides every step taken towards the development of The Times Foundation, and has successfully collected national and international acclaim for it. New Delhi is the landmark for its headquarters. BCCL strives to provide high quality of content in all its spheres of activity. Today, it has risen to the position of India's largest media conglomerate. Initially, it was present in areas of print media, but it's century old policy of innovation and birth of fresh ideas has diversified it into new fields. The company gets its name from the partnership of Thomas Bennett, The Times of India's first professional editor and F M Coleman. The Bhartiya Jnanipath, which was established in 1944, by the then President of BCCL, awarded excellence in creative literary writing to Indians in any language. Today, this prestigious award lies within the powers of Indu Jain, herself. She is the chairperson of the Bhartiya Jnanipath Trust, and rightfully heads the post being a true patron of art and literature herself.

The Symbol of Matriarchy

A spiritualist at heart, Indu handles the philanthropic genre of the Times foundation. She also writes spiritual columns for it. She is an active supporter of women's rights, and her passionate fight for various causes is well-known. Under her guidance, the Times Foundation runs community services, research groups and relief funds for various disaster reliefs such as floods, cyclones, earthquakes and epidemics. She encourages budding entrepreneurs and believes in their abilities to shine, and make way for themselves in the world. She stressed the need for oneness among faiths, in her speech at the United Nations in 2000, at the Millennium World Peace Summit of religious and spiritual leaders. The Oneness Forum, formally launched by the President of India in 2003, also works under the leadership of Indu Jain.

Recently, Indian Congress of Women (ICW) awarded Indu Jain, an International Lifetime Achievement Award, with women empowerment being the event's backdrop theme. She is the founder President of the Ladies wing of FICCI (FLO). Today, The Times Group is India's most profitable media company, and enjoys 50 percent urban market share of English dailies. Indu Jain acts as the guiding force of the group, and continues to infuse new energy into it, leading ways and heading all, like a true matriarch.

Indu Jain's Career: A humanist, an Indian women entrepreneur, spiritualist, educationalist and patron of art and culture, Indu Jain is also the founder President of the Ladies Wing of FICCI and Bhartiya Jnanpith Trust which hosts India's most prestigious and highest literary award (Jnanpith Award). She was ranked 317 richest person in the World and India's top 20 richest person. She is a strong believer of oneness among faiths and has spread this message in UN at the Millennium World Peace Summit. Indu Jain Background: This business leader belongs to the Sahu Jain Family, the Industrial family of India. She is from Agarwal Jain Community and hails from a small town of Najibabad, Uttar Pradesh. A widow with two sons named Samir Jain and Vineet Jain who now control the Times Group, she has taken the Times Group to a new level. This 75 year old Indian women entrepreneur handles the philanthropic genre of the Times Foundation. Indu writes spiritual columns in her papers and is an active supporter of women's rights and fighter for various social problems existing in the country. She encourages budding entrepreneurs and gives them a chance to shine with their abilities and make way for themselves in the world. Recently, Indian Congress of Women (ICW) awarded Indu Jain with an International Lifetime Achievement Award. The Times Group is India's most profitable media company, and enjoys 50 percent urban market share of English dailies. Indu Jain as a Chairperson of Times Group and a true matriarch, acts as the guiding force of the group, and continues to infuse new energy into it, leading ways and heading all.