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Harvard Business School, India Today Group to launch South Asian edition of HBR
NEW DELHI: Harvard Business School Publishing Corporation and The India Today Group today announced a partnership to publish Harvard Business Review South Asia, an English-language edition of the world’s most influential business management magazine.
Harvard Business Review South Asia will run the same editorial content as the flagship U.S. edition and will include regional advertising. This will mark the 12th edition of the magazine. Collectively, Harvard Business Review’s English-language and translated editions reach nearly half a million readers worldwide.
Thomas A. Stewart, editor and managing director of Harvard Business Review, was quoted in an official statement as saying, “India is the world’s second’s fastest growing economy and boasts one of the world’s most dynamic and innovative business communities.”
He added that his company was “delighted by this partnership” as it is important for HBR to be on the ground in India as her contributions to “world business and management thinking increase.”
Aroon Purie, editor-in-chief of the India Today Group, said: “India has an enormous appetite for the kind of authoritative business content that HBR uniquely delivers. To keep pace with the competitive demands of an increasingly complex global economy, South Asian business leaders are looking for cutting-edge insights and tools to take their companies and their careers to new levels of performance.”
The premier issue of HBR South Asia will be launched at a special event in Mumbai on 16 October 2006, featuring a panel discussion with HBR editor Thomas Stewart and CEOs of India’s leading companies.
Harvard Business Review (www.hbr.org) is a leading monthly magazine of management thought and practice.
The magazine has a worldwide circulation of 242,000. Based in Boston, Massachusetts, Harvard Business Review is a business unit of Harvard Business School Publishing, a wholly owned, not-for-profit subsidiary of Harvard University.
In addition to HBR, HBSP’s offerings include books from Harvard Business School Press, newsletters like Harvard Management Update and the Balanced Scorecard Report, conferences, management development programs and services, and case studies from Harvard Business School and other leading academic institutions around the world.
Raymond Carvey, executive vice president and Chief Operating Officer of Harvard Business School Publishing, said: “Reaching the business leaders of India and greater South Asia is an important objective for Harvard Business School Publishing as we strive to bring our content to new markets and audiences around the world.”
He added that partnering with the India Today Group would help them in understand better and serve the needs and interests of those who are driving the rapid growth of this “vital (Indian) economy.”
Since its founding in 1922, Harvard Business Review has bridged the worlds of academia and business by publishing groundbreaking ideas from experts at the forward edge of management and leadership practice, in a format that businesspeople can apply in their own careers and companies.
The ideas published in HBR have wide-ranging impact, influencing strategy at leading corporations, setting the terms of management debate and discussion, and inspiring business leaders.
The India Today Group is India’s leading, diversified media group with interests in magazine, newspaper, television, radio, Internet and book publishing. It is India’s largest magazine publisher with print titles in the current affairs, general interest, lifestyle and business segments.
Speaking on this new partnership, Ashish Bagga, CEO of the India Today Group, said: “As the country’s largest magazine publisher, identifying niche segments and launching leading international media brands is an integral part of the growth strategy of the India Today Group.”
The India Today Group has successful licensing partnerships to publish other leading global media brands such as Reader’s Digest, Cosmopolitan, Golf Digest, Men’s Health, Good Housekeeping and Scientific American in India. In addition, the Group also represents the leading magazines Time and Fortune.
The November issue line up will include Harvard Business School professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter on innovation, Wharton School professor Michael Useem on governance, and HBS professor Andrew McAfee on information technology.
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Induction cooktop demand spikes 30× amid LPG supply concerns
Supply worries linked to West Asia tensions push households and restaurants to turn to electric cooking alternatives
MUMBAI: As geopolitical tensions in West Asia ripple through global energy supply chains, the familiar blue flame in Indian kitchens is facing an unexpected challenger: electricity.
What began as concerns over the availability of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) has quickly evolved into a technology-driven shift in cooking habits. Households across India are increasingly turning to induction cooktops and other electric appliances, initially as a backup but now, for many, a necessity.
A sudden surge in demand
Recent data from quick-commerce and grocery platform BigBasket highlights the scale of the shift. According to Seshu Kumar Tirumala, the company’s chief buying and merchandising officer, demand for induction cooktops has risen dramatically.
“Induction cooktops have seen a significant surge in demand, recording a fivefold jump on 10 March and a thirtyfold spike on 11 March,” Tirumala said.
The increase stands out sharply when compared with broader kitchen appliance trends. Most appliance categories are growing within 10 per cent of their typical demand levels, while induction cooktops have witnessed explosive growth as households rush to secure an alternative cooking option.
Major e-commerce platforms including Amazon and Flipkart have reported rising searches and orders for induction stoves. Quick-commerce apps such as Blinkit and Zepto have also witnessed stock shortages in major metropolitan areas including Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru.
What was once considered a convenient appliance for hostels, small kitchens or occasional use has suddenly become an essential addition in many homes.
A crisis thousands of miles away
The trigger for this shift lies far beyond India’s kitchens.
Escalating conflict in the Middle East has disrupted shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical energy corridors. Nearly 85 to 90 per cent of India’s LPG imports pass through this narrow waterway, making the country particularly vulnerable to supply disruptions.
The ripple effects have been swift.
India currently meets roughly 60 per cent of its LPG demand through imports, and tightening global supply has already begun to affect domestic availability and prices.
Earlier this month, the price of domestic LPG cylinders increased by Rs 60, while commercial cylinders rose by more than Rs 114.
To discourage panic buying and hoarding, the government has also extended the mandatory waiting period between domestic refill bookings from 21 days to 25 days.
Restaurants feel the pressure
The strain is not limited to households. Restaurants, hotels and roadside eateries are also grappling with supply constraints as commercial LPG availability tightens under restrictions imposed through the Essential Commodities Act.
In cities such as Bengaluru and Chennai, restaurant associations report that commercial LPG availability has dropped by as much as 75 per cent, forcing many establishments to rethink their kitchen operations.
Some restaurants have reduced menu offerings, while others are rapidly installing high-efficiency induction systems, creating hybrid kitchens where electricity now shares the workload with gas.
For smaller eateries and roadside dhabas, the shift is less about sustainability and more about survival.
A potential structural shift
The government has maintained that there is no nationwide LPG crisis and has directed refineries to increase production to stabilise supply.
Nevertheless, the developments of March 2026 may already be triggering a longer-term behavioural shift.
For decades, LPG has been the backbone of cooking in Indian households. However, recent disruptions have highlighted the risks of relying on a single fuel source.
Increasingly, households appear to be hedging against uncertainty by adopting electric cooking options to guard against price volatility and delivery delays.
If the current trend continues, the induction cooktop, once viewed as a niche appliance, could emerge as a quiet symbol of India’s evolving kitchen economy.
