Harvard University to teach a course on Ramayana and Mahabharata this fall
Courtesy: https://indianewengland.com/2017/08/harvard-university-teach-course-ramayana-mahabharata-fall/
Ramayana, a narrative poem of about 25,000 slokas is divided into seven kandas. Mahabharata, the longest poem ever written, contains around 100,000 verses, and is divided into eighteen parvan and Bhagavad-Gita forms part of it.
Hindu statesman Rajan Zed commended Harvard University for highlighting Hindu heritage.
Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, urged major universities of the world; including Oxford, Stanford, Cambridge, Princeton, UC Berkeley, Yale, Columbia, Toronto, Tokyo, Melbourne, etc.; to frequently offer Hinduism focused classes, thus sharing rich philosophy-concepts-symbols-traditions of this oldest religion with the rest of the world
Harvard University, whose motto is Veritas (Latin for “truth”) has about 22,000 students, boasts of “48 Nobel Laureates, 32 heads of state, 48 Pulitzer Prize winners”.
Hinduism, the third largest religion of the world, has about 1.1 billion adherents and moksh (liberation) is its ultimate goal. There are about three million Hindus in USA.
Prof. Monius is a historian of religion specializing in the religious traditions of India. Her research interests lie in examining the practices and products of literary culture to reconstruct the history of religions in South Asia, according to her profile on Harvard University website.
Her first book, Imagining a Place for Buddhism: Literary Culture and Religious Community in Tamil-Speaking South India, examines the two extant Buddhist texts composed in Tamil; her current research project, “Singing the Lives of Śiva’s Saints: History, Aesthetics, and Religious Identity in Tamil-Speaking South India,” considers the role of aesthetics and moral vision in the articulation of a distinctly Hindu religious identity in twelfth-century South India, according to her profile.
Her future research projects will explore the relationship of Hindu devotional and philosophical literature in Tamil to its Sanskritic forebears, as well as consider the transmission of South Indian strands of Buddhism and Hinduism to Southeast Asia.
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Harvard students studying the Gita, Ramayana: Univ president
Courtesy: https://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report-harvard-students-studying-the-gita-ramayana-univ-president-1640315
While Indians aspire to bag a foreign degree, some Harvard University
students, on the other hand, are studying the Bhagavad Gita and
Ramayana. At least 200 business students from the prestigious American
university are also working with business houses in Mumbai and Chennai
to get global experience.Harvard University president Prof Drew Gilpin Faust, who was speaking at Sir Cowasjee Jehangir Hall (Convocation Hall) of University of Mumbai, said, “We see education transforming into positive effects in India. We need to face the challenges of exploding number of students. To counter the challenge, technology will play an important role.”
She said nearly 15 million students sought higher education in India between 1971 and 2007, while over 18 million sought higher education in the US.
Mumbai University vice-chancellor Dr Rajan Welukar said, “We look forward to leadership development programmes from Harvard in the future.”
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Harvard learns management lessons from India Inc.
Courtesy: https://www.equitymaster.com/5MinWrapUp/detail.asp?date=06/17/2011&story=4&title=Harvard-learns-management-lessons-from-India-IncWho has not heard of Harvard University? Nearly every management professional has aspired to be a student of the prestigious Harvard Business School (HBS). Therefore it would be interesting to know that the HBS uses India Inc as case studies to impart management lessons to its students. That's right. Over the years, the phenomenal success of Indian companies has landed them in the form of case studies for business schools all over the world. And HBS is no exception to this.
As reported by a leading daily, nearly 120 plus Harvard case studies from South-Asia are India centric. Reasons for this are several. The phenomenal economic growth rates spanning two decades. The growth of a significant middle-class. And most importantly, the increased presence of global firms in India and vice versa. Therefore, it is little wonder that the world's most prestigious management schools are lining up to draw lessons from the various success stories. Professors are using these lessons to fill in the specific needs in their course syllabus.
But this is not just one way traffic. Indian companies too are benefitting from becoming case studies in such universities. These universities typically take in some of the best minds in the world as students. These students come up with innovative approaches and solutions to some of the problems that the companies are currently facing. For example, Eureka Forbes, an Indian water filtration device manufacturer, drew an important learning on how to lower the cost of its water filters. Many companies, including the likes of TCS have drawn on these learnings to improve their business processes further. Becoming a case study also helps them in garnering international exposure which is essential for companies aspiring to be significant global players.
The truth is that India Inc has taken on the challenge of operating in India and expanding outside of its boundaries in its own unique way. And the world has now realized this fact and is taking notes.
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How Bhagavad Gita has charmed US corporates
Courtesy: https://www.rediff.com/money/2006/nov/02bspec.htm
Signs of worldly success abounded as members of the Young Presidents' Organization met at a mansion in a tony New Jersey suburb. BMWs, Lexuses, and Mercedes-Benzes lined the manicured lawn. Waiters in starched shirts and bow ties passed out vegetarian canapés.
And about 20 executives -- heads of midsize outfits selling everything from custom audiovisual systems to personal grooming products -- mingled poolside with their spouses on a late September evening.
After heading inside their host's sprawling hillside house -- replete with glittering chandeliers, marble floors, and gilded rococo mirrors -- the guests retreated to a basement room, shed their designer loafers and sandals, and sat in a semicircle on the carpet.
The speaker that evening was Swami Parthasarathy, one of India's best-selling authors on Vedanta, an ancient school of Hindu philosophy. With an entourage of disciples at his side, all dressed in flowing white garments known as kurtas and dhotis, the lanky 80-year-old scribbled the secrets to business success ('concentration, consistency, and cooperation') on an easel pad.
The executives sat rapt. "You can't succeed in business unless you develop the intellect, which controls the mind and body," the swami said in his mellow baritone.
At the Wharton School a few days earlier, Parthasarathy talked about managing stress. During the same trip, he counseled hedge fund managers and venture capitalists in Rye, N.Y., about balancing the compulsion to amass wealth with the desire for inner happiness.
And during an auditorium lecture at Lehman Brothers Inc.'s Lower Manhattan headquarters, a young investment banker sought advice on dealing with nasty colleagues. Banish them from your mind, advised Parthasarathy. "You are the architect of your misfortune," he said. "You are the architect of your fortune."
Big Business is embracing Indian philosophy
The swami's whirlwind East Coast tour was just one small manifestation of a significant but sometimes quirky new trend: Big Business is embracing Indian philosophy. Suddenly, phrases from ancient Hindu texts such as the Bhagavad Gita are popping up in management tomes and on Web sites of consultants.
Top business schools have introduced 'self-mastery' classes that use Indian methods to help managers boost their leadership skills and find inner peace in lives dominated by work.
More important, Indian-born strategists also are helping transform corporations. Academics and consultants such as C. K. Prahalad, Ram Charan, and Vijay Govindrajan are among the world's hottest business gurus.
Management gurus of Indian origin
About 10% of the professors at places such as Harvard Business School, Northwestern's Kellogg School of Business, and the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business are of Indian descent -- a far higher percentage than other ethnic groups.
"When senior executives come to Kellogg, Wharton, Harvard, or [Dartmouth's] Tuck, they are exposed to Indian values that are reflected in the way we think and articulate," says Dipak C. Jain, dean of the Kellogg School.
Indian theorists, of course, have a wide range of backgrounds and philosophies. But many of the most influential acknowledge that common themes pervade their work. One is the conviction that executives should be motivated by a broader purpose than money. Another is the belief that companies should take a more holistic approach to business -- one that takes into account the needs of shareholders, employees, customers, society, and the environment.
Some can even foresee the development of a management theory that replaces the shareholder-driven agenda with a more stakeholder-focused approach.
"The best way to describe it is inclusive capitalism," says Prahalad, a consultant and University of Michigan professor who ranked third in a recent Times of London poll about the world's most influential business thinkers. "It's the idea that corporations can simultaneously create value and social justice."
Karma Capitalism
You might also call it Karma Capitalism. For both organizations and individuals, it's a gentler, more empathetic ethos that resonates in the post-tech-bubble, post-Enron zeitgeist.
These days, concepts such as "emotional intelligence" and "servant leadership" are in vogue. Where once corporate philanthropy was an obligation, these days it's fast becoming viewed as a competitive advantage for attracting and retaining top talent. Where the rallying cry in the 1980s and '90s may have been "greed is good," today it's becoming "green is good."
And while it used to be hip in management circles to quote from the sixth century B.C. Chinese classic The Art of War, the trendy ancient Eastern text today is the more introspective Bhagavad Gita. Earlier this year, a manager at Sprint Nextel Corp. penned the inevitable how-to guide: Bhagavad Gita on Effective Leadership.
The ancient spiritual wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita seems at first like an odd choice for guiding today's numbers-driven managers. Also known as Song of the Divine One, the work relates a conversation between the supreme deity Krishna and Arjuna, a warrior prince struggling with a moral crisis before a crucial battle.
One key message is that enlightened leaders should master any impulses or emotions that cloud sound judgment. Good leaders are selfless, take initiative, and focus on their duty rather than obsessing over outcomes or financial gain. "The key point," says Ram Charan, a coach to CEOs such as General Electric Co.'s Jeffrey R. Immelt, "is to put purpose before self. This is absolutely applicable to corporate leadership today."
Indian philosophy perfect for firms
The seemingly ethereal world view that's reflected in Indian philosophy is surprisingly well attuned to the down-to-earth needs of companies trying to survive in an increasingly global, interconnected business ecosystem.
While corporations used to do most of their manufacturing, product development, and administrative work in-house, the emphasis is now on using outsiders. Terms such as "extended enterprises" (companies that outsource many functions), "innovation networks" (collaborative research and development programs), and "co-creation" (designing goods and services with input from consumers) are the rage.
Indian-born thinkers didn't invent all these concepts, but they're playing a big role in pushing them much further. Prahalad, for example, has made a splash with books on how companies can co-create products with consumers and succeed by tailoring products and technologies to the poor.
That idea has influenced companies from Nokia Corp. to Cargill. Harvard Business School associate professor Rakesh Khurana, who achieved acclaim with a treatise on how corporations have gone wrong chasing charismatic CEOs, is writing a book on how U.S. business schools have gotten away from their original social charters.
Vijay Govindarajan, a professor at Dartmouth College's Tuck School of Business whose books and consulting for the likes of Chevron and Deere & Co. have made him a sought-after innovation guru, links his theories directly to Hindu philosophy.
He helps companies figure out how to stop reacting to the past and start creating their own futures through innovation. Govindarajan says his work is inspired by the concept of karma, which holds that future lives are partly determined by current actions. "Karma is a principle of action. Innovation is about creating change, not reacting to change," he says.
Of marketing and Bhagavad Gita
There are also parallels between Indian philosophy and contemporary marketing theory, which has shifted away from manipulating consumers to collaborating with them. "Marketing has tended to use the language of conquest," says Kellogg professor Mohanbir S. Sawhney, a Sikh who discusses the relevance of the Bhagavad Gita to business on his Web site. Now the focus is on using customer input to dream up new products, Sawhney says, which "requires a symbiotic relationship with those around us."
Kellogg's Jain, who is working on a book about the customer-centric business models of Indian companies, believes that many Indian thinkers are drawn to fields stressing interconnectedness for good reason. "We have picked areas that are consistent with our passion," he says.
Whatever the common themes, India, of course, is hardly a showcase of social consciousness. While companies such as Tata Group or Wipro Technologies have generous initiatives for India's poor, the country has its share of unethical business practices and social injustices.
In addition, some Indian academics bristle at the suggestion that their background makes their approach to business any different. They're quick to point out the wide range of religions, influences, and specialties among them.
Indeed, it's not surprising that thinkers from a country with as diverse an economic and social makeup as India would have different perspectives on the influences on their work. "We are a fusion society," says Harvard's Khurana.
As a result, many Indian management theorists "tend to look at organizations as complex social systems, where culture and reciprocity are important," he says. "You won't hear too many of us say the only legitimate stakeholders in a company are stockholders."
What's more, India's extreme poverty imposes a natural pressure on its companies to contribute more to the common good.
Indian thinkers influencing US firms
Indian thinkers are affecting not only the way managers run companies. They are also furthering their search for personal fulfillment. Northwestern's Kellogg even offers an executive education leadership course by Deepak Chopra, the controversial self-help guru and spiritual healer to the stars.
Chopra also is on the board of clothing retailer Men's Wearhouse Inc. and has conducted programs for Deloitte, Harvard Business School, and the World Bank.
In a stark, brightly lit classroom, Chopra, sporting glasses with heavy black frames studded with rhinestones, led a class through a 20-minute meditation in June.
"Sit comfortably in your chair with your feet planted on the ground," Chopra instructed the 35 mostly midlevel executives from corporations that are as far afield as ABN Amro Bank and sporting goods retailer Cabela's Inc. "Our mantra today is: I am.'"
Other B-schools are adding courses that combine ancient wisdom with the needs of modern managers. A popular class at both Columbia Business School and London Business School is "Creativity & Personal Mastery," taught by Columbia's Srikumar Rao.
Many attendees are fast-track managers who are highly successful at work but still miserable, says Rao. His lectures, which include mental exercises and quotes from Indian swamis and other philosophers, win praise from managers such as Goldman Sachs Group Inc. Managing Director Mark R. Tercek.
"Business schools ought to be championing this stuff," says Tercek, a yoga practitioner. "We can hire the smartest damn people in the world, but many of them ultimately don't succeed because they can't motivate and work with those around them. I think the Indians are on to something."
India's biggest impact
They may be on to quite a lot. Some Indian theorists have said their ultimate goal is to promote an entirely different theory of management -- one that would replace shareholder capitalism with stakeholder capitalism.
The late Sumantra Ghoshal was attempting to do just that. At the time he died, the prolific London Business School professor was working on a book to be called A Good Theory of Management.
As Ghoshal saw it, the corporate debacles of a few years ago were the inevitable outgrowth of theories developed by economists and absorbed at business schools. Corporations are not merely profit machines reacting to market forces; they are run by and for humans, and have a symbiotic relationship with the world around them.
"There is no inherent conflict between the economic well-being of companies and their serving as a force for good in societies," wrote Ghoshal.
In their own ways, other Indian thinkers are picking up the mantle. Khurana's forthcoming book, From Higher Aims to Hired Hands, looks at the professional responsibility to society that managers and the business schools who train them were initially designed to have.
The quest, says Prahalad, is to develop a capitalism that "puts the individual at the center of the universe," placing employees and customers first so that they can benefit shareholders. This is a lofty if improbable goal. But if it is attained, business leaders may find that India's biggest impact on the global economy may be on the way executives think.
Corporate America swears by the Gita
Why the 'Gita' is a must - read at this American university
Courtesy: https://www.dnaindia.com/lifestyle/report-why-the-gita-is-a-must-read-at-this-american-university-1228670
It all began as a pilot project last year, to teach the Gita to business students as a ‘signature course’ on a full-time basis. From this year, the Gita has become part of the core curriculum at the SHU, which happens to be a Roman Catholic-run institution.
Ironically enough, the initiative was triggered by a concern that the proportion of ‘active’ Catholics filling the faculty and administrative positions was falling. This was making it difficult for the college to maintain its religious identity. The university then constituted a group, and entrusted it with the task of designing an inter-disciplinary course that would help students obtain answers to “perennial questions”. Naturally, this being part of an effort to emphasise the university’s Roman Catholic identity, the answers were to be sought in the Bible, which would be made compulsory reading.
That’s when AD Amar, professor of strategy, policy and knowledge in the university’s School of Business stepped in. As a member of the core curriculum group, he suggested that looking for perennial questions in the Bible would not yield insights from different civilisations and that “it would give students only one perspective.”
The faculty then asked that the answers to the perennial questions “be expanded”. Eventually they decided to consider the ‘answers’ as given by various religions, including Islam and Buddhism. “Many Americans do not understand Hinduism. They find it too complex. In fact, Americans find Buddhism simple and feel it can be imbibed from one known leader, such as the Dalai Lama,” says Amar.
So at one of the core curriculum meetings, Amar proposed that Hinduism should be included. As the world’s oldest religion, he argued, it had put in most thought into the ‘perennial questions.’ His suggestion was accepted, and the SHU committee included the Gita, along with the Koran, the Bible, besides texts from the Buddhist sutras and the Greek philosophers. The course was called The Journey Of Transformation.
“American students will find the Gita rather difficult to navigate due to cultural barriers and a lack of context. But they are all fascinated by India, and being keen to learn, they will be interested,” says Amar.
The Journey Of Transformation will be taught alongside another course, Christianity And Culture In Dialogue. The University will train faculty to take these additional courses, and whoever agrees to take it on will get a stipend of $1,000 for training, and a ‘bounty’ of another $1,000 the first time they teach the course. While six new professors were hired last year for this course, another six are set to be hired this year. If other universities, too, take a leaf out of SHU’s book, then America could well churn out a new generation of business graduates well-versed in the perennial questions. If the recession is still on by the time they pass out, a spiritual grounding in the Gita could prove more than useful.
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Gita is new mantra for US businesses
Big businesses in the United States are embracing Indian philosophy, in a significant new trend.
Courtesy: https://www.hindustantimes.com/india/gita-is-new-mantra-for-us-businesses/story-fpqCGC5AogKS7AnycBDzPL.html
A recent whirlwind East Coast tour by Swami Parthasarathy, one of India's best-selling authors on Vedanta, was just one small manifestation of the new trend, according to BusinessWeek magazine.
Suddenly, phrases from ancient Hindu texts such as the Bhagavad Gita are popping up in management tomes and on websites of consultants, while top business schools have introduced "self-mastery" classes that use Indian methods to help managers boost their leadership skills and find inner peace in lives dominated by work.
More important, India-born strategists also are helping transform corporations. Academics and consultants such as C.K. Prahalad, Ram Charan, and Vijay Govindrajan are among the world's hottest business gurus, Pete Engardio and Jena McGregor write in the Oct 30 issue of the publication.
About 10 percent of professors at places such as Harvard Business School, Northwestern's Kellogg School of Business and the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business are of Indian descent -- far higher than other ethnic groups.
"When senior executives come to Kellogg, Wharton, Harvard, or [Dartmouth's] Tuck, they are exposed to Indian values that are reflected in the way we think and articulate," the weekly quotes Dipak C. Jain, dean of the Kellogg School as saying.
Indian theorists, of course, have a wide range of backgrounds and philosophies. But many of the most influential acknowledge that common themes pervade their work.
One is the conviction that executives should be motivated by a broader purpose than money. Another is the belief that companies should take a more holistic approach to business - one that takes into account the needs of shareholders, employees, customers, society and the environment.
Some can even foresee the development of a management theory that replaces the shareholder-driven agenda with a more stakeholder-focused approach.
"The best way to describe it is inclusive capitalism," the magazine says, citing Prahalad, a consultant and University of Michigan professor who ranked third in a recent Times of London poll about the world's most influential business thinkers. "It's the idea that corporations can simultaneously create value and social justice."
You might also call it Karma Capitalism. For both organisations and individuals, it's a gentler, more empathetic ethos that resonates in the post-tech-bubble, post-Enron zeitgeist.
These days, concepts such as "emotional intelligence" and "servant leadership" are in vogue. Where once corporate philanthropy was an obligation, these days it's fast becoming viewed as a competitive advantage for attracting and retaining top talent.
Where the rallying cry in the 1980s and 1990s may have been "greed is good", today it's becoming "green is good".
And while it used to be hip in management circles to quote from the sixth century BC Chinese classic The Art of War, the trendy ancient Eastern text today is the more introspective Bhagavad Gita, the Businessweek said.
Earlier this year, a manager at Sprint Nextel Corp. penned the inevitable how-to guide: the key message of "Bhagavad Gita on Effective Leadership" is that enlightened leaders should master any impulses or emotions that cloud sound judgment. Good leaders are selfless, take initiative, and focus on their duty rather than obsessing over outcomes or financial gain, the weekly said.
"The key point," it quotes Ram Charan, a coach to CEOs such as General Electric Co.'s Jeffrey R. Immelt, as saying "is to put purpose before self. This is absolutely applicable to corporate leadership today".
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Business Schools Take On Indian Philosophy
Indian-born management thinkers such as Ram Charan, Vijay Govindrajan
and Srikumar S Rao are among the world's hottest business gurus and they
are transforming American business schools.
Courtesy: https://www.braingainmag.com/business-schools-are-embracing-indian-philosophy.htm
NEW YORK – Bob Miglani, a senior director in Pfizer and author of Treat Your Customer told BrainGain that the lessons in leadership contained in the Bhagavad Gita were being applied widely in corporate America because the old, dog-eat-dog workplace had changed.
“The principles are being applied because the workforce today requires managers to be more collaborative rather than authoritative,” said Miglani.
“I think American executives are also getting exposed to spiritual values which are most often delivered by Indian management professors, in top American business schools. Indian professors such as Srikumar Rao are ideally placed to be the executive coaches of the next generation of Fortune 500 firms because they manage to balance their teachings with an East-West flavor. These academics are very smart and their message comes across so easily…in a warm and fuzzy sort of way,” added Miglani.
Professor Srikumar Rao, who is also a prolific author developed his course, "Creativity and Personal Mastery," in the mid-90s and has taught it at Columbia Business School, the London Business School and the Haas School of Business at Berkley. Rao hands out eclectic reading lists and his lectures include mental exercises, breathing and meditation techniques and "total immersion exercises."
‘Invest in the process, not the goal’
“In the Indian tradition, you are taught action is in our control, but the outcome/goal is out of our hands. I encourage executives to invest completely in the process and not the goal. If they invest every fiber of their being into the process they are likely to enjoy the outcome. It is a paradox. When you become detached from the outcome, strangely enough the probability of achieving the goal rises dramatically,” says Rao.
Rao’s new book Happiness at Work is flying off US bookshelves and provides a unique way of thinking about problem solving.
About 10 percent of the professors at places such as Harvard Business School, Kellogg School of Business, and the Ross School of Business are of Indian origin. Dipak C. Jain, dean of the Kellogg School, acknowledged, "When senior executives come to Kellogg, Wharton, Harvard, or Tuck, they are exposed to Indian values that are reflected in the way we think and articulate."
The Gita Gets Trendy
The magazine said the Bhagvad Gita was popular because “for both organizations and individuals, it's a gentler, more empathetic ethos that resonates in the post-tech-bubble, post-Enron zeitgeist.” It’s also probably more in synch with today’s concepts such as "emotional intelligence" and "servant leadership."
Uttara Choudhury is Associate Editor, North America for TV 18’s Firstpost news site. In 1997, she went on the British Chevening Scholarship to study Journalism in the University of Westminster, in London.
“The principles are being applied because the workforce today requires managers to be more collaborative rather than authoritative,” said Miglani.
“I think American executives are also getting exposed to spiritual values which are most often delivered by Indian management professors, in top American business schools. Indian professors such as Srikumar Rao are ideally placed to be the executive coaches of the next generation of Fortune 500 firms because they manage to balance their teachings with an East-West flavor. These academics are very smart and their message comes across so easily…in a warm and fuzzy sort of way,” added Miglani.
Professor Srikumar Rao, who is also a prolific author developed his course, "Creativity and Personal Mastery," in the mid-90s and has taught it at Columbia Business School, the London Business School and the Haas School of Business at Berkley. Rao hands out eclectic reading lists and his lectures include mental exercises, breathing and meditation techniques and "total immersion exercises."
He uses Indian philosophy, parables, anecdotes from the Bhagavad Gita and other ancient texts to guide business school graduates to self-improvement and corporate enlightenment.Through his “self-mastery” course, Rao has also helped managers boost their leadership skills. He has coached people on Wall Street and executives at Johnson & Johnson, McDonald's, United Airlines, Google and Microsoft. His course is highly rated for helping people balance the compulsion to amass wealth with the desire for happiness.“In the Indian tradition, you are taught action is in our control, but the outcome/goal is out of our hands. I encourage executives to invest completely in the process and not the goal.”
‘Invest in the process, not the goal’
“The West is indoctrinated heavily into achieving goals: good grades will get you into a good college which in turn will get you a good job. If you succeed your life is good, otherwise you are doomed. So everyone is goal-centric and gets set up to face inevitable disappointments,” Rao told BrainGain.Professor Rao’s course is highly rated for helping people balance the compulsion to amass wealth with the desire for happiness.
“In the Indian tradition, you are taught action is in our control, but the outcome/goal is out of our hands. I encourage executives to invest completely in the process and not the goal. If they invest every fiber of their being into the process they are likely to enjoy the outcome. It is a paradox. When you become detached from the outcome, strangely enough the probability of achieving the goal rises dramatically,” says Rao.
Rao’s new book Happiness at Work is flying off US bookshelves and provides a unique way of thinking about problem solving.
About 10 percent of the professors at places such as Harvard Business School, Kellogg School of Business, and the Ross School of Business are of Indian origin. Dipak C. Jain, dean of the Kellogg School, acknowledged, "When senior executives come to Kellogg, Wharton, Harvard, or Tuck, they are exposed to Indian values that are reflected in the way we think and articulate."
The Gita Gets Trendy
BusinessWeek noted that while it used to be hip in management circles to quote from the sixth century B.C. Chinese classic The Art of War, the trendy, ancient, Eastern text today is the more introspective Bhagavad Gita. Times have changed since Gordon Gekko quoted Sun Tzu in the 1987 movie Wall Street. The US magazine pointed out that the rallying cry in the 1980s and 1990s may have been "greed is good" but Indian management thinkers are now celebrating the idea of what you might call “Karma capitalism” by underscoring that executives should be motivated by a broader purpose than money.BusinessWeek noted that while it used to be hip in management circles to quote from the sixth century B.C. Chinese classic The Art of War, the trendy, ancient, Eastern text today is the more introspective Bhagavad Gita.
“To Sun Tzu, author of the once-hip management treatise The Art of War, victory should be the great object. Winning the battle is all about unyielding discipline. The Bhagavad Gita, is more in keeping with today’s zeitgeist, contains the wisdom of Lord Krishna. Focus on your thoughts and actions, rather than the outcome,” noted the US magazine. “Good leaders are selfless, take initiative, and focus on their duty rather than obsessing over outcomes or financial gain.”“Good leaders are selfless, take initiative, and focus on their duty rather than obsessing over outcomes or financial gain.”
The magazine said the Bhagvad Gita was popular because “for both organizations and individuals, it's a gentler, more empathetic ethos that resonates in the post-tech-bubble, post-Enron zeitgeist.” It’s also probably more in synch with today’s concepts such as "emotional intelligence" and "servant leadership."
Uttara Choudhury is Associate Editor, North America for TV 18’s Firstpost news site. In 1997, she went on the British Chevening Scholarship to study Journalism in the University of Westminster, in London.
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Other good reads:
Article: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Corporate-America-swears-by-the-Gita/articleshow/132248.cms
Corporate America swears by the Gita
Corporate America swears by the Gita
Corporate America swears by the Gita
