MAM
Audible inks deal with rajpal & sons, expanding into hindi audio books
Mumbai: Further cementing its commitment to break barriers of all kinds in order for a variety of stories to reach the largest audience possible, Audible today announced an exclusive deal with Rajpal & Sons. The world’s largest audiobooks platform joins hands with one of India’s oldest and largest literary Hindi publishers, thus giving consumers access to over 230 titles across genres, such as Hindi classic and contemporary literature, self-development, poetry and translations. The catalogue includes over 150 bestsellers, including titles with translations to English, as well as Hindi and Urdu titles.
The deal marks a milestone in Audible’s India journey, which launched in 2018 and has expanded to over 200,000 titles, with over 700 Audible-exclusive deals with Indian authors. This strategic move will allow their consumers to not only access audiobooks in multiple languages, but also further showcases Audible’s ability to understand and cater to the diverse Indian market.
While a robust slate of bestselling authors like Divya Prakash Dubey, Anand Neelakantan and Anu Singh is already available on the service, this partnership will further expand this roster to include classic literary authors like Vishnu S. Khandekar, Khushwant Singh, R.K.Narayan and contemporary authors like Ashok Kumar Pandey, Manisha Kulshreshta, Bhagwant Anmol. In addition, the company recently launched the India-only app, Audible Suno, which provides free access to over 60 exclusive audio shows narrated by India’s most famous voices.
Rajpal & Sons, a publisher of timeless classics, is also been known for their translations of both Indian and international literature, including the Hindi translation of the award-winning title Rue De Boutique Obscure (English translation: Missing Person) by Nobel Prize winning author Patrick Modiano. Some of the popular Hindi titles include Kurukshetra by Dinkar and Meri Priya Kahaniyaan by Amrita Pritam, Lokpriya Shayar Aur Unki Shayari series by Prakash Pandit, Ashadh Ka Ek Din by Mohan Rakesh and Kitne Pakistan by Kamleshwar. This diverse offering will allow Indian listeners to choose the book they would like to experience, language no bar.
Additionally, Audible has signed exclusive Hindi titles from Manjul Publications, the leader in the self-development space, with translations of books such The Power of Your Subconscious Mind by Joseph Murphy and Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari, , The Answer (Allan and Barbara Pease), Tipping Point (Malcolm Gladwell) in the pipeline.
Some of the books being translated exclusively for Audible include Hindi translations of international bestselling titles like The Alchemist and Adultery by Paulo Coelho.
Audible country head Shailesh Sawlani stated, “We are very excited about our partnership with Rajpal & Sons, an Indian publishing company with a global legacy. We believe that it will enable our customers to access a whole new world of stories in Hindi. Not only do these include very popular and much loved stories written in Hindi but also translations of popular English works, thus providing easy and convenient access to our non-English readers. At Audible we always keep the customer at the forefront of all our initiatives and I am confident about this association going a long way in making sure we continue delighting our customers.”
Rajpal & Sons partner Pranav Johri said, “We are always looking for new ways for Indian stories which reflect our rich culture to a global audience, and the partnership with Audible, a pioneer in its space, allows us to do just that. Indian readers can now expect distinctive fiction and non-fiction audiobooks on Audible’s high-quality, user-friendly app. Our endeavor is always to make sure content reaches a wider audience in terms of geographical spread and their preference to consume content over different mediums like print, digital and audio. Our association with Audible is a significant step in that direction.”
Brands
YES Bank hands the keys to SBI veteran Vinay Tonse as it bets on a new era
Former SBI managing director appointed as YES Bank’s new MD and CEO
MUMBAI: YES Bank is done rebuilding. Now it wants to grow. The private sector lender has appointed Vinay Muralidhar Tonse as managing director and chief executive officer-designate, with RBI approval secured and a start date of April 6, 2026 confirmed. The three-year term signals the bank’s intent to shift gears from crisis recovery to full-throttle expansion.
Tonse, 60, is no stranger to scale. Most recently managing director at State Bank of India, he oversaw a retail book of roughly $800bn in deposits and advances, one of the largest in the country. Before that, he ran SBI Mutual Fund from August 2020 to December 2022, a stint that saw assets under management surge from Rs 4.32 lakh crore to Rs 7.32 lakh crore across market cycles. Add stints in Singapore and four years leading SBI’s overseas operations in Osaka, and the incoming chief arrives with a genuinely global CV.
His academic grounding is equally solid: a commerce degree from St Joseph’s College of Commerce, Bengaluru, and a master’s in commerce from Bangalore University.
The appointment follows an extensive search and evaluation process by the bank’s Nomination and Remuneration Committee. NRC chairperson Nandita Gurjar said the committee unanimously backed Tonse, citing his leadership track record, governance credentials and ability to drive the bank’s next phase of transformation.
Non-executive chairman Rama Subramaniam Gandhi was unequivocal. “I am certain that Vinay Tonse, with his vast experience as a senior banker, will propel YES Bank to its next phase of growth,” Gandhi said, adding that the bank remains focused on strengthening its retail and corporate banking franchises and expanding its branch network.
Rajeev Kannan, non-executive director and senior executive at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, the bank’s largest shareholder, said Tonse’s experience across retail, corporate banking, global markets and asset management positioned him well to lead the lender. SMBC said it looks forward to working with Tonse and the board as YES Bank pursues its ambition of becoming a top-tier private sector lender anchored in strong governance and sustainable growth.
Tonse succeeds Prashant Kumar, who took the helm in March 2020 when YES Bank was in freefall following a severe financial crisis, and spent six years painstakingly stabilising the institution, rebuilding governance and restoring operational scale. Gandhi was generous: “The bank remains indebted to Prashant Kumar, who is responsible for much of what a strong financial powerhouse YES Bank is today.”
Tonse, for his part, struck a purposeful note. “Together with the board and my colleagues, I remain deeply committed to creating long-term value for all our stakeholders,” he said, pledging to build on Kumar’s foundation guided by his personal motto: Make A Difference.
Beyond the balance sheet, Tonse played cricket at college and club level and represented Karnataka in archery at the national championships — sports he credits with teaching him teamwork, situational leadership, discipline and focus. In quieter moments, he reaches for retro Kannada music, classic Hindi songs, and the crooning of Engelbert Humperdinck, Mukesh and Kishore Kumar.
YES Bank has its steady-handed rebuilder in Kumar to thank for survival. Now it has a scale-obsessed growth banker at the wheel. The next chapter starts April 6.
