New Delhi: Royal Enfield bikes represent more than just a legendary brand name, which has had its shares of ups and downs. In a new book titled Indian Icon — A Cult called Royal Enfield, author Amrit Raj maps the story of the brand, the company and the individuals who have made it what it is.
The book is also the story of the clash of Royal Enfield’s old guard with the new, leading to dramatic changes in the business. For the first time, the book bares the behind-the-scenes takeover dramas and the bare-knuckle battle to create a premium homegrown consumer brand for the global markets.
The book, published by Westland Books, is due to be released on 30 November on ‘SoftCover’, ThePrint’s e-venue to launch select non-fiction books.
Author Amrit Raj was national editor with Mint, and led the newspaper’s national corporate bureau till April 2019. He wrote extensively on Indian corporates, family businesses, and other corporate matters. He is currently pursuing a senior role at a technology company.
Extensively researched, the book takes the reader to the heart of the Royal Enfield story, which will prove to be a worthy addition to the shelves of business readers as well as Royal Enfield aficionados.
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Praise for the book
R.C. Bhargava, chairman of Maruti Suzuki, said the book is a “fascinating story of the transformation of a brand and business into a cult”, and an Indian example of entrepreneurship, grit, passion, and resilience.
“Amrit Raj has done a stellar job of capturing how Royal Enfield was reborn and showing us how a group of like-minded people achieved the seemingly impossible,” Bhargava has written.
Hormazd Sorabjee, editor of Autocar India, said the author’s take on decoding the cult of Royal Enfield through the eyes of people who have served the brand in official and unofficial capacities is admirable.
Sunil Kant Munjal, chairman of Hero Enterprise, called it an “honest assessment” in a lively and conversational manner.
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So where to buy the book?