Anand Mahindra is credited for transforming a small family business into an industrial conglomerate worth U.S $6.7 billion dollars and driving Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) into the Forbes' world's 200 most reputable companies list. With M&M's interests ranging from information technology to real estate to banking, the Vice Chairman and Managing Director takes time from his busy schedule to meet CNN's Anjali Rao on this weekend's TALK ASIA.

Mahindra believes his grandfather and great uncle laid a solid foundation when they established the company in 1945, two years before India became an independent nation: "You cannot acquire reputation in one lifetime. I really believe this reputation that Forbes has ascribed to us has been built ever since the start of the company."

Determined to make a mark in the global market, M&M has plans to be the world's largest producer of agricultural machinery by 2010. Mahindra is confident about attaining this goal: "I won't give you the exact figures. I'm sure some of our competitors are watching. But certainly we're not as far from that goal as you would've imagined."

Mahindra rival Tata Motors' takeover of Jaguar and Land Rover was closely watched by Mahindra; M&M was also in the bid.  Though Mahindra missed out on that deal, he believes that M&M still leads in its sectors: "In the segments in which we operate we're still by far number one."  Talking about competition in a broader sense, Mahindra explains why the fierce competition with China may be the best thing that has happened to India: "If I ever want to convince bureaucrats in India about the need to move faster, the best thing you can do, is buy them a ticket to Shanghai."

The automotive tycoon also shows Rao into M&M's showroom and explains the success of his brain child - the Scorpio SUV, which is now being used as a case study at the Harvard Business School: "It was about building a completely new car platform, engine, power trainers as we call it at the price point. And the key was, we could do it because we collaborated with suppliers, given them much more of a role than historically a car company has done."

Facing the public's mounting environmental awareness, M&M has produced India's first hybrid SUV. Mahindra proudly explains: "We have very interesting tagline plans for all our vehicles and that's called Guilt Free SUV."

Despite being destined to inherit the business, Mahindra explains why he studied film making at Harvard, "I simply wanted to prove that I could do well in something so far removed from what daddy was helping me to do that I'd build my own confidence."

For more program information on TALK ASIA visit www.cnn.com/talkasia.  

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