A new chapter for Hyderabad’s entrepreneurs has begun, where books meet ideas and conversations spark change. Framed by the skyscrapers of Hitech City and the glowing Durgam Cheruvu cable bridge, the Founders Library & B Café sits high on the 8th floor of RMZ Spire, right in the heart of Hyderabad’s IT corridor. Launched by The Bower School of Entrepreneurship, it is Hyderabad’s newest home for dreamers and doers.
The view itself feels like an invitation to dream bigger. Step inside, and you’re surrounded by an atmosphere that makes you want to read, reflect, and build something new.
At the launch of Founders Library & B Café on Tuesday, some of the city’s most influential voices from government, academia, and entrepreneurship came together to reflect on how books have shaped their journeys. What began as a panel discussion soon turned into an inspiring exchange of ideas, as each leader revealed a title that left a lasting mark on their life and work.
The book that shaped IAS Officer Jayesh Ranjan was Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome. Now serving as the Special Chief Secretary of the Government of Telangana, he shared how his father’s influence nurtured his early reading habit, one that played a vital role in helping him clear the IAS exam in just a year, securing the top rank. Though humorous in tone, the book carried a deeper lesson for him to find joy and perspective even in moments of struggle. Jayesh Ranjan reflected that reading beyond the syllabus, especially original works on psychology during his Delhi University days, made learning richer and more meaningful.
He said the book carried three key takeaways for him to see the brighter side of life even in times of adversity, to stay grounded and optimistic, and to find meaning beyond routine learning.
Jayesh Ranjan, Special Chief Secretary for Special Projects (SPEED) and Investment Cell, CMO, Government of Telangana.
The books that guided Former Dean of ISB, Ajit Rangnekar, were The Practice of Management and Managing for Results by Peter Drucker. He said Drucker’s writings transformed how he viewed leadership, systems, and people, teaching him to think beyond traditional management frameworks. Rangnekar reflected that most business books hold one powerful idea, and it’s through wide reading that those ideas connect and spark innovation. For him, Drucker’s works were not just manuals but sources of intellectual discipline and inspiration.
His takeaways: every management book carries one big idea worth discovering, leadership begins with clarity of vision, and curiosity drives lasting innovation.
Meanwhile, Pavan Allena, Founder of the Bower School of Entrepreneurship and Founders Library & B Café, shared how the idea for the space began long before its launch. Observing Hyderabad’s evolving startup ecosystem, he wanted to create a place that brought together “the best coffee, the best books, and the best people with energy.” He added that the library has already received over 4,000 books from across Bangalore and other cities, establishing a vibrant hub for thinkers and dreamers alike.
The book that inspired Nagendra V. Chowdary, Chief Education Officer at ICFAI Group, was The Art of War by Sun Tzu. He described it as a timeless guide to discipline, adaptability, and foresight qualities every entrepreneur must develop. He explained that the book’s lessons on planning, flexibility, and understanding human behaviour mirror the challenges entrepreneurs face today.
His takeaways: strategic patience wins long battles, understanding people is key to leadership, and clarity of purpose must guide every action. “Entrepreneurship,” he said, “is modern-day warfare, where anticipation and composure define success.”
The books that influenced the Former CEO of T-Hub, M. Srinivas Rao are: Good to Great, The High-Performance Entrepreneur, and more. Srinivas Rao said that picking one book was impossible because each taught a different lesson. Good to Great showed him how small, consistent choices lead to greatness. The High-Performance Entrepreneur by Subroto Bagchi, Founder of Mindtree, helped him understand the discipline behind building strong teams, while The Difficulty of Being Good by Gurcharan Das deepened his sense of ethics in leadership. His takeaways: think big but stay grounded in values, keep learning from both Indian and global perspectives, and always ask “why” before “how.”
For Harsh Pamnani, Marketing Head at T-Hub stories of founders. He said that real growth comes from connecting insights across stories. His takeaways: founders’ journeys are not just business lessons but life lessons, reflection makes learning deeper, and conversations bridge knowledge gaps. “When we read the stories of founders,” he said, “we are collecting dots and growth begins when we start connecting them.”
An autobiography etched in the mind of a thought leader, the story of a poor immigrant boy who built an empire through persistence, left a deep impression on Kiranmai Pendayala, Board Member. She said it reminded her that success built on resilience and consistent effort goes far beyond what formal education can teach.
Her takeaways: persistence outlasts talent, reading keeps the brain young, and great ideas need both imagination and discipline. “The day you stop learning and depend only on gadgets, new neural cell creation slows down,” she said, explaining how peer discussions and reading keep the mind active and evolving.
For the Professor of Co-Innovation at IIT Hyderabad, Ramesh Loganathan, learning through experience is the foundation of true education. He spoke about bridging the gap between theory and practice for entrepreneurs, noting that “bringing experience into teaching is never easy, good teachers are few.” He explained that when startups meet mentors, they are encouraged to reframe their challenges as questions and find the answers themselves, a process that opens up wider thinking spaces.
His takeaways: teaching should provoke curiosity, experience is the best textbook, “Entrepreneurs,” he said, “should learn from others’ experiences, but not necessarily implement everything, because every business journey is unique.”
The lesson of resilience stood at the heart of true education for Malcolm Nicolson, Head of Sreenidhi International School. He emphasised that learning must connect to real life and go beyond grades to build character. His takeaways: resilience is as important as intelligence, failure builds lasting confidence, and teamwork teaches real strength. He shared how his school introduced an Adventure Course designed to help students “struggle safely and learn to rise again.”
In the end, the launch of Founders Library & B Café became more than a celebration of books, it was a tribute to how reading shapes thinkers, leaders, and dreamers. Every story shared proved that ideas often begin with a single page, and Hyderabad’s newest space now promises to keep that spark alive, one reader at a time.
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