The selection of the top 10 builders in India throws light on the criteria that really matters.  Does practice make perfect? You tell us.This is an exercise we have undertaken for the 6th year in a row. CW has been undertaking a perception-based survey and validating our findings by vetting them through an informed jury since 2006. And as with all processes, this one has been continually refined and fine-tuned keeping in mind past experiences and suggestions of previous juries.One thing that showed up this year was a larger representation of builders from other regions. While five were from western India, four were from Bengaluru and one from Kolkata, showing that an increasing number of builders have been able to create a pan-India image for themselves.Another aspect that came to the fore is corporate governance. Among this year's winners, two of the largest players in the market are absent. What prompted this reaction? How important is the brand vis-à-vis size? What are the roles of reputation, transparency and commitment in the perception of a builder's brand? Can a player wing it without any of the above? Our survey seems to think not.Corporate governance in the construction industry has never been as important  as today. Recent events testify to this. On the one hand we have the Maharashtra state government, which has levied a 100 per cent premium on additional FSI that was hitherto sold by builders under the garb of an open terrace or flowerbeds;on the other, we have the Competition Commission of India, which has slapped a Rs 630-crore fine on India's largest builder(in terms of revenue) DLF, in a 237-page order, accusing it of unfair practices, abuse of market dominance and brutal disregard of consumer right; while another landmark Supreme Court decision has reprimanded the Uttar Pradesh government for acquiring land under false pretext and has even ordered for the land to be returned to the farmers or the matter to be settled in court. At the time of going to press, a newspaper report quoted Sunil Mantri, Immediate Past President, Maharashtra Chamber of Housing Industry, as saying, Developers are hoping that Anna Hazare's agitation against corruption and implementation of the Lokpal Bill will save them from paying kickbacks to politicians and bureaucrats. As a result, property prices may decrease. A penny for his thoughts. Or perhaps, should we say an 'Anna'?Winners2008:Brigade GroupDLF GroupGodrej PropertiesHiranandani DevelopersKalpataru PropertiesK Raheja CorpK Raheja UniversalShapoorji Pallonji & CoSobha DevelopersUnitech Group  2009:Brigade GroupDLF GroupGodrej PropertiesHiranandani DevelopersKalpataru PropertiesK Raheja CorpK Raheja UniversalKumar BuildersLodha GroupUnitech Group  2010 :Brigade GroupGodrej PropertiesHiranandani ConstructionsKalpataruMahindra Lifespace DevelopersOberoi RealtyPrestige GroupK Raheja CorpSobha DevelopersTata housing2011:Ambuja RealtyBrigade GroupGodrej PropertiesHiranandani ConstructionsMahindra Lifespace DevelopersMantri DevelopersOberoi RealtyPrestige GroupSobha DevelopersTata Housing