You must have already known by
now that I completely love fiction especially thrillers, however, after a series
of fictions in the last few months it was time for a non-fiction when I chanced
upon Business Sutra, thanks to BlogAdda. As mentioned on the cover it is
undoubtedly - ‘A very Indian Approach to Management’ - and how.
Author Devdutt Pattanaik has an
eye for details and is master in observations in patterns and meanings in symbols.
How he decodes symbols and meanings derived from the symbols is admirable. He
starts with ‘as is belief, so is behaviour, so is business. If you think this
book is about business or business models then you are wrong. We often forget the
impact of our traditions our mythological stories characters on our belief or
behaviour.
The author brings forward and compares
many Indian stories with that of west – Greek & Biblical and explains how
they impact on our belief system and our way of life. The business management
system that we are following in India are essentially a concept of the west
where everyone has to fit within a mould to survive and excel. It’s the ‘ran-bhoomi’.
We often ignore the power of
imagination. But it’s this imagination which makes us different from all other
animals. It’s the imagination which makes us do other things than eat, mate and
survive. It’s the imagination that makes us a leader and anyone can be a
leader. Today’s western management model somewhere arrests this scope of
imagination in individuals. He explains them beautifully through philosophies
from Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism.
Though different stories and
symbols the author brings together mythology and business. As you read you can
figure out there are many of these which you know already but have never
imagined in this context. That’s what made this book special for me.
About the Author:
Devdutt Pattanaik is a multi-faceted
man. After having studied Medicine and spending 15 years in the pharma business
he is now the Chief Belief Officer with Future Group and a well-known author. You
can read more about him here. Most of his writings are inspired from mythology.
My thoughts:
From different stories of
Hinduism, Jainism and other religions you can relate to your workspace and your
work life. I liked the way Pattanaik explains about the long term, short term
goals, the caste system, and the case studies that he explains after every
sutra. It might be also because I have been a student of sociology that these
things appeal to me so much. The author’s drawings and illustrations make the
read easier.
I feel it’s a good read for
everyone – if you are working or not, if you are in business or not.
My Rating – 4/5
Book – Business Sutra
Author – Devdutt Pattanaik
Genre – Non Fiction, Business/Management
Publisher –
Published in – 2013
ISBN 13 –
ISBN 10 -
Pages – 446
Price – INR 695
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