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Why the Heck Not?

Why the Heck Not?

Blueprints for Success from the Man Who Built DLF

K P Singh
,
Aparna Jain
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Every professional and budding entrepreneur should ideally have three types of mentors. One who has been incredibly successful, one who is genuinely respected and well liked and one who has incredible courage. To me, the almost ninety-five-year-old Kushal Pal Singh (K.P. Singh), chairman emeritus of DLF, is the perfect embodiment of all three.

  • From the Foreword by Aparna Jain

The riveting saga of DLF is inextricably linked to the entrepreneurial genius of K.P. Singh, a man whose name has become synonymous with housing and urban real estate infrastructure in India.

Known affectionately as KP, Singh was born in the small town of Bulandshahr. He began his career as an officer in the Indian Army before circumstances nudged him into the family business. Starting off at the Qutab Stud Farm and American Universal Electric (India), KP’s greatest challenge emerged when his wife, Indira, and sister-in-law, Prem, persuaded him to helm DLF, a real estate company founded by his father-in-law, Chaudhary Raghvendra Singh. In a sector marred by nefarious repute, KP remained head and shoulders above other players, and strictly adhered to the prevailing laws and regulations. Within a few decades, KP had transformed DLF and set new standards for urban development in India.

KP’s pivotal role though was in catalysing the transformation of a barren Gurgaon into a knowledge city that reshaped the nation’s future. He persuaded Jack Welch of General Electric to explore and invest in India across multiple sectors—locomotives, power, aviation, medical systems, and eventually BPOs. This attracted significant investment and positioned Gurgaon as a hub of innovation and growth for a number of Fortune 500 companies.

Through captivating anecdotes and insights, Why The Heck Not delves into Padma Bhushan awardee KP’s interactions with industry leaders, policymakers, farmers and communities. Learn how he navigated challenges, fostered collaborations, and revolutionised the Indian real estate landscape. A must-read for entrepreneurs, business enthusiasts, and anyone seeking inspiration, this book offers valuable lessons on all aspects of leadership, innovation, and the power of perseverance and collaboration.

[

Imprint: India Viking

Published: Nov/2024

ISBN: 9780143472889

Length : 304 Pages

MRP : ₹799.00

Why the Heck Not?

Blueprints for Success from the Man Who Built DLF

K P Singh
,
Aparna Jain

Every professional and budding entrepreneur should ideally have three types of mentors. One who has been incredibly successful, one who is genuinely respected and well liked and one who has incredible courage. To me, the almost ninety-five-year-old Kushal Pal Singh (K.P. Singh), chairman emeritus of DLF, is the perfect embodiment of all three.

  • From the Foreword by Aparna Jain

The riveting saga of DLF is inextricably linked to the entrepreneurial genius of K.P. Singh, a man whose name has become synonymous with housing and urban real estate infrastructure in India.

Known affectionately as KP, Singh was born in the small town of Bulandshahr. He began his career as an officer in the Indian Army before circumstances nudged him into the family business. Starting off at the Qutab Stud Farm and American Universal Electric (India), KP’s greatest challenge emerged when his wife, Indira, and sister-in-law, Prem, persuaded him to helm DLF, a real estate company founded by his father-in-law, Chaudhary Raghvendra Singh. In a sector marred by nefarious repute, KP remained head and shoulders above other players, and strictly adhered to the prevailing laws and regulations. Within a few decades, KP had transformed DLF and set new standards for urban development in India.

KP’s pivotal role though was in catalysing the transformation of a barren Gurgaon into a knowledge city that reshaped the nation’s future. He persuaded Jack Welch of General Electric to explore and invest in India across multiple sectors—locomotives, power, aviation, medical systems, and eventually BPOs. This attracted significant investment and positioned Gurgaon as a hub of innovation and growth for a number of Fortune 500 companies.

Through captivating anecdotes and insights, Why The Heck Not delves into Padma Bhushan awardee KP’s interactions with industry leaders, policymakers, farmers and communities. Learn how he navigated challenges, fostered collaborations, and revolutionised the Indian real estate landscape. A must-read for entrepreneurs, business enthusiasts, and anyone seeking inspiration, this book offers valuable lessons on all aspects of leadership, innovation, and the power of perseverance and collaboration.

[

Buying Options
Paperback / Hardback

K P Singh

K.P. Singh is presently the chairman emeritus of DLF Ltd—having retired as its executive chairman in 2020—India’s largest real estate company with a presence in various cities of India. Singh is known globally for his role in building modern India through his work as a real estate developer, creating high-end urban infrastructure to attract foreign and domestic investments. His efforts led to the creation and development of DLF City Gurgaon, Haryana, a model for urban development in India which is now being replicated elsewhere in the country. Singh has received many awards, including the Padma Bhushan in 2010 and the EY ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022. At ninety-five, he remains active in sports and philanthropy, having established the KP Singh Charitable Foundation to support the life of vulnerable sections of society in the country.

Aparna Jain

Aparna Jain spent twenty-three years in business development and marketing roles in technology and media sectors in India and the USA. At age forty, she pursued an international certification in leadership coaching to transform corporate India and in 2011, she founded Zebraa Works, a consultancy focused on corporate leadership coaching, training, and advocacy for diversity, equity and inclusion. Aparna is champion for inclusion of women in leadership levels at the corporate workplace. She written for a number of publications. An insomniac, she is a voracious crime fiction reader and is passionate about tennis. Aparna has authored books, including Own It: Leadership Lessons from Women Who Do, which was shortlisted for the Tata Literature Live Business Book Award 2016, and two best-sellers for adolescents, Like a Girl and Boys will be Boys. This is her fifth book.

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