From Aakash Institute's JC Chaudhry's numerology startup to Adar Poonawalla's journey about racing against time to create Covid-19 vaccines, his strategy for other businesses, our latest podcasts and videos, and more, here are our popular stories of the week
1.   The numbers game
JC Chaudhry did not own a pair of chappals till he was 12, or a pair of trousers till he went to college. Then in 2021, Chaudhry’s sprawling educational institute, Aakash Educational Services Ltd (AESL), was bought by edtech decacorn Byju’s for nearly $1 billion in 2021, and making Chaudhry among the richest Indians. All this success, he says, is due to his belief in numbers and numerology. Now with his new business, Nummero, the septuagenarian hopes to dispel misinformation and myths surrounding numerology, and solve people's problems. He even plans to set up an institute that would integrate numerology with modern science. Read more about his plans, here.
2.   Acts of kindness
The India Philanthropy Report 2023 released on March 2 shows that family philanthropy is expected to grow at ~18 percent CAGR from FY22 to FY27, but there is still a gap between giving potential of these families and needs of vulnerable communities. To address persistent economic and social inequalities, there is a critical need for family philanthropy to step up with increased propensity and ambition, write Dasra’s Neera Nundy and Jyotirmoy Chatterji. Read the full story here.