`Do not be afraid of making mistakes, but never repeat them.'With these words of paternal advice, Habil Khorakiwala set forth to create one of India’s most respected, research-based pharmaceutical companies—Wockhardt Limited. In Odyssey of Courage, Khorakiwala narrates a saga of Indian enterprise, talent and creativity.Hailing from Palanpur, Gujarat, the Khorakiwalas arrived in Bombay in 1896 to build one of the city’s iconic retail chain stores—Akbarallys. Opting to strike out on his own, Khorakiwala entered the pharmaceutical business in 1967. Despite fierce competition at home and abroad, Wockhardt has emerged as a global firm with subsidiaries in the US and Europe. The pharma giant is now ready to launch an antibiotics ‘super drug’ that will mark a new stage in the evolution of the Indian pharmaceutical industry.Odyssey of Courage is more than just the story of Wockhardt. It offers invaluable insights into the making of a knowledge-based Indian multinational. Policymakers, business executives, students of management and public policy will relate to Khorakiwala’s experiences in ‘learning by doing’, taking risks and handling crises and in managing change—within the industry, within India’s policy environment and within the world of global pharma.
