 "Illustration: Ajay Mohanty")
A speaker is addressing some 50 people. The audience, mainly comprising men attired in modish suits, listens intently, occasionally enraptured. A few of them scribble quick points on their notepads; the others politely nod in approval. The event is being played out at a five-star hotel in New Delhi, inside a quiet hall almost as large as a ballroom. Once the speaker has delivered one last pearl of wisdom, the gathering breaks into a delicate applause.
Soon, exquisite liquor and sumptuous cuisines are rolled out and the next couple of hours are spent talking about business operations, investments and succession plans.
