Caring for Life: The Cipla Story Since 1935 traces the evolution of the Indian pharmaceutical company, from its humble beginnings in a rented bungalow in the heart of Bombay to the significant global player that it has become today.

The story unfolds against the backdrop of tumultuous events across the world and in India, a people’s struggle for independ-ence and the growth of a nation. Running parallel to the corporate narrative is a history of medicine and Cipla’s role in disease management, from combating conditions which affect millions, such as respiratory ailments, to rare diseases, such as thalassaemia.

Driven by an unshakeable conviction that high-quality drugs can be provided at affordable prices, Cipla’s groundbreaking offer of antiretroviral drugs at ‘$1 a day’ in 2001 opened a whole new front in the battle for affordable HIV/AIDS medicines around the world, saving the lives of millions. The acceptance of low-priced Indian generics fuelled the expansion of the Indian pharma industry, placing the country well on the path to being accepted as ‘the pharmacy to the world’.

In 2020, as Cipla completes 85 years, the company now has 46 state-of-the-art manufacturing units across the world and a presence in more than 80 countries. It offers over 1,500 products across various therapeutic categories in more than 35 dosage forms. And Cipla’s compassionate approach to medicine and health care goes well beyond the pursuit of profit and growth, as is exemplified by its Palliative Care & Training Centre, the flagship initiative of the Cipla Foundation.

Richly illustrated with over 350 photographs, this fascinating book will captivate anyone with an interest in the history of India and Cipla’s seminal role in the evolution of the Indian pharmaceutical industry.

Tulsi Vatsal, a graduate of Oxford University, is an independent researcher, writer and editor. She has authored a number of books on Indian history and culture. Vatsal is co-author of the Tata corporate history Horizons: The Tata-India Century 1904–2004 and has also co-authored two books on textiles—Sahib, Bibi, Nawab: Baluchar Silks of Bengal, 1750–1900 and Peonies and Pagodas: Embroidered Parsi Textiles. Her most recent work is an English-language translation (with Aban Mukherji) of Nandshankar Mehta’s Karan Ghelo: The Last Rajput King of Gujarat.