Immanuel Nobel, was a Swedish Inventor, who had three sons, Robert, Ludvig and Alfred.

Other Than inventing routine stuff, he was also ultra interested in explosives. Once, during his visit to Russia, he impressed the Tsar with his awesomeness. As a result, he settled in Russia.
His Son Robert, took forward his legacy. Once, as a part of business, he got a huge rifle contract for the Russian Army. So he sent his Brother Luvig, to Baku, to procure some wood for the rifle butt.

When Ludvig reached Baku, he found oil literally coming out of everywhere.
There was so much oil, thag people didn't know what to do with it. There were actual oil fountains.

Given that there were no mobile phones at that time, He decided to spend the 25000 roubles that he had for wood, and bought an oil refinery.

He decided to start selling Oil.
His brother Robert was angry, but Ludvig being the elder one, there was nothing he could do. Another big issue was the transportation of Oil, which was very expensive.

So Ludvig designed the first oil tanker, changing the oil industry forever.

He became immensely successful
Meanwhile, the younger Alfred went back to Sweden to do something with Dynamite.

Ludvig was the first Russian Oil baron. He started the Russian oil industry. At one point in time, He manufactured 50% of world's oil. He was beating guys like Rothschild and Rockefeller hollow.
But the oil industry was tough, and poor Ludvig died at the age of 57.

Like today, even in 1888, newspapers didn't have fact checkers. So they mistakenly thought, Alfred had died. And then they posted obits like "The merchant of death is dead". "The killer is dead"
As a result, really upset that he was going to be remembered as a bad guy, Alfred rewrote his will and instituted a prize that is given to the world's best.

Sometimes, it is the strangest occurrence that inspires something, that changes the world for the good.
Funny to think that one of the most prestigious prizes in the world today, one that recognizes the world's best, one that acknowledges people who make this world a better place, was a result of a mistaken Obituary.

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More from @thekaipullai

26 Nov
We often keep hearing, "Company A is awesome because it is valued at 1 Trillion USD. Company B is amazing because it is valued at 3 Trillion USD"

We are so beholden to th western benchmarks of valuation, that we sometimes ignore everthing else.

For eg, How will you value Amul?
It guarantees farmers minimum income. Always increases input costs while keeping output cost as low as possible. It never refuses to procurement from the farmer, even if there is a glut.

And finally, thanks to Amul, millions of people have come out poverty, got an education.
And then moved up the economic ladder, and are tax paying citizens, in the highest brackets.

Where in the Western model of Valuation do you fit all this in?

Sometimes I feel the Indian model of Capitalism is very mature and socially conscious.

And criminally underrated.
Read 4 tweets
26 Nov
The year is 1948. India is newly independent. You are from an elite family, who was just graduated from the Michigan state University, on Govt Scholarship and have come back to India.

You would think you life is all set and you are going to live happily ever after.
Then the Govt sends you to a rundown village in Gujarat, that nobody has heard of. Then they put you up in a grimy, sweltering car garage.

And then ask you, an English Speaking gentleman, to work with farmers, who can speak only Gujarati, a language you have no clue about.
And they ask you do it at a salary that is 20% of what you will get in the outside world.

You have three options. Either you run away. YOu suck it up for sometime and then run away. Or You start a revolution.

If your name is Dr Verghese Kurien, you choose option 3.
Read 11 tweets
24 Nov
TBH, the new Indian jersey looks more like a Cheap promotional flyer, stuck on a tree in a residential colony, instead of the jersey of a team that is controlled by one of the richest sporting bodies of the planet and represents a billion people.
When you give out a kit contract, you give it to companies who do this for a living.

Not to a company, whose continued existence in India depends on a mere legal technicality.
Sad part is, they used the 1992 Cricket World cup jersey to do this.

A jersey that most will agree, is one of the best, if not the best, jerseys ever worn by an Indian cricket team.
Read 4 tweets
20 Nov
Imagine you are a Product Manager, and you have been tasked to develop a product that could change the lives of millions of people, but has to be cheap, easy to use, should be durable, should be strong enough to be used by at least a 1000 people everyday, for 11 continuous hours
A device that should not break down and it should be mass produced, easily, with materials and talent available in India.

And all of this should be done, at 1/10th the cost of the existing competition.

Some PMs would quit, most would tell you have gone mad
That was the enormity of the task that was being faced by Govt Officials, in 1977, who wanted to do something about the fact that only 6% of India, had access to safe water.

For the layperson, the answer is, why don't they just get pumps?
Read 9 tweets
19 Nov
#TIL There's an IAS officer in Uttarakhand who has a YouTube channel that has 2.9.million subscribers.

He uploads videos of doing his job, that he is paid to do, with scant regard for privacy of others, and probably makes more money than his salary

Why does the Govt allow this?
I am sure, in his interview, he would have said crap like, I want to serve the country. I want to ensure India progresses. I want to make a difference to people's lives

And then you open a YouTube Channel

How do you go from upright citizen, to an equivalent of Carryminati?
I work in the private sector, and we have rules against this sort of thing.

I am surprised, if the Govt of India, doesn't have one.
Read 4 tweets
17 Nov
This is one example of Govt apathy and ridiculousness. The road behind my house is already so narrow, that if a bus or a truck comes, the road is blocked.

Suddenly, Some Govt officer decides to build a divider, on that road, for no reason, Which narrows the already narrow road. Image
Given that nobody can question you on how you waste our money, you do whatever you want. At least build it quickly.

You have been building it for the last six months. Four of which, no vehicles plied on that road, this giving you a free reign. But you didn't.
On top of that, rusting iron rods, protrude dangerously out of it.

On a road with no headlights, and vehicles jostling for space, it is only a matter of time before some car or a bike gets ripped by them.

And when someone dies, who is held responsible? Who Will pay the penalty?
Read 4 tweets

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