Rashmi Bansal's Blog, page 3

Staying Hungry & Foolish - 5 years on

Aug 29, 2008 : The first bill of sale for ‘Stay Hungry Stay Foolish’ is raised



Aug 29, 2013: Over 400,000 copies sold, 9 language editions, hundreds of emails from grateful readers





Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine such an outcome when I took up this project in Sept 2007. The idea of this book came from Prof Rakesh Basant of CIIE (Centre for Innovation, Incubation & Entrepreneurship at IIM Ahmedabad), the National Entrepreneurship Network (NEN) and Sanjeev Bikhchandani.



At first they only sought my advice on how to do it with the help of two RAs (Research Assistants). Instead, I offered to do it myself.



I did it for a lark, to meet some interesting people and to learn something from them. Maybe because of that purity of thought and purpose, it all came together as it did.



The time given to me was just 3 months, later extended to 6 months. It finally got done ‘just in time’ for the IIMA Entrepreneurs Conference on 30th June 2008. 1000 copies had been printed to be distributed free of cost to the delegates, as well as students on campus.



Yes, we did plan to make the book available to the public. But the slow channels of the book trade had decreed a release in Jan 2009 – six months later. That’s when Sunil Handa and Sanjeev Bhikchandani came together and said, “Let’s publish it ourselves.” The book was ready, IIM Ahmedabad and Eklavya Foundation could together do the job.



The plan was to print 5000 copies – half of it on ‘order’ basis. The entrepreneurs featured in the book paid money upfront for 100, 200, 500 personal-use copies. The rest was to be put into bookshops. With great difficulty Eklavya managed to rope in a Mumbai-based distributor – Shree. The deal was struck by offering 5% more margin than other publishers. We had no option, as I was not a ‘known’ author.



Originally, we wanted the price of the book to be Rs 95, at par with popular fiction titles. But our book had 330 pages, it was not economically viable. The price was fixed at Rs 125.



The book made its debut at Crossword Ahmedabad, a franchise store owned by friend and wellwisher Mr Gaurav Shah. Within a week, Gauravbhai called to say the book is in the ‘bestseller’ list. Can we send more copies? Not only Ahmedabad, but Crossword stores across the country were the first to pick up ‘Stay Hungry Stay Foolish’ in large quantities and give it prominent display. I will always be grateful to them for this support!



I sent the book to numerous editors, hoping for reviews. The result was scanty and mostly bad. One particularly mean review came from T R Vivek writing for VCCircle.com. Since the original article is hidden behind a paywall, I share what I wrote on my blog at the time.



Oh and later, I also made it to the ’10 silliest books of the decade’ list along with Paolo Coelho and Rhonda Byrne.



However, the feedback from readers themselves was astonishingly and overwhelmingly positive.



“I read my book and quit my job to start my own company.”



“This year I am distributing your book instead of sweets on Diwali.”



“I keep this book next to my bed and every night I read the ‘advice’ section.”



Everywhere I go, I meet people whose lives have been touched, whose hopes have been ignited. This is what motivated to write 4 more books about inspiring real-life Indian entrepreneurs (not from IIMA). Why I have made the writing of inspirational books my whole and sole career.



It’s been 5 fantastic years.



I take this opportunity to thank everyone who believed in me – my alma mater, which set me on this path and in particular Prof Rakesh Basant (he had some reservations about my ‘style of writing’ but ultimately didn’t make me change a word :).



My first publishers IIM Ahmedabad & Eklavya Foundation and in particular Sunil Handa (he brought an entrepreneurial touch to what could have been ‘just another book’. We did every small thing with childlike zeal, enthusiasm).



In fact I realise it can be *lucky* to not have a large publisher initially. I suspect hey would have over-edited and mangled my manuscript to death.



And finally, I want to thank all my readers, everywhere. It is because of you that ‘Stay Hungry Stay Foolish’ is still on bestseller lists. (And I hope you continue to pick up my other books :)



I hope my writings continue to serve as a window into the mind of self-made men and women. The brave and the bold, building a new India, one company at a time.



If you have any story/ incident to share about how ‘Stay Hungry Stay Foolish’ spurred you to action or affected your attitude, please send it to me. The id is mail AT rashmibansal.in.



Over the next one month, I will share these hungry & foolish stories. For the reading pleasure of all.

Ode to India

Geeli mitti ki bheeni sugandh

Lo ho gaya phir Bharat bandh



Padosi ke pressure cooker ki seeti

Second a/c from Howrah to VT



Arnab ke cheekhne ki awaaz

Chhole bhature with sirkewala pyaaz



Office mein boss ke lafde hain

‘Bhaiyya aaj ke dus kapde hain’



Dopahar ki gully cricket

Chai ke saath do glucose biscuit



Do rupaye ka dhaniya patta

Fabindia ka overprice dupatta



Kaamwali ke gold ke jhumke

Rickshe ki ‘top ten’ sunke



Mere bua ke saale ke devar ki shaadi

Aaj phir badhi desh ki aabaadi



Laughter club ke buddhon ki khee khee

Vada pav ki hari mirch teekhi



Picture mein Vicco Vajradanti ka ad

Durga Shakti Nagpal very sad



McDonalds ka aloo tikki burger

Reliance & Reliance ka merger



Bin bulaye mehman aa gaye

Zimbabwe India ko rula gaye



Border par ho gayi firing

Suna hai Infosys is hiring?



Eid ke chand ka intezaar

Chandrayan ke launch ka samaachar



Bharat desh hai ajeebogareeb

Lekin hai mere dil ke kareeb



Ek apnepan ka ehsaas hai

Isme kuch to khaas hai



Happy 66th Independence Day

Jana Gana Mana Adhinayak Jaya He

The Art of Healing - II

After years of self-flagellation and self-examination I have reached one important conclusion: My battle for internal peace and stability is with no one but myself.



This knowledge arrived in many bits and pieces. From books, from teachers, from spiritual practice. A line from here, a phrase from there – expanding my mind bit by bit. From the Art of Living program I understood the importance of breathing correctly. From Isha’s Inner Engineering program, the fact that you have ‘only this moment’, so live in this moment instead of the past or the future.



Books which contained eureka moments for me:



1) The Secret (Rhonda Byrne): The idea that thoughts create your reality is very powerful. If you change your thinking, your reality will change.

2) You Can Heal Your Life (Louise Hays): We are all carrying within us wounds from the past. But we can heal ourselves.

3) Many Lives, Many Masters (Brian Weiss): We are born again and again and we keep coming back to learn more ‘lessons’. Our greatest tormentors are our greatest teachers.

4) Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield): All human relationships are about exchange of energy. Unconsciously, we seek energy from the other and create conflicts.

5) Srimad Bhagavad Gita: The soul is eternal and can never be destroyed.



So far so good. But intellectual knowledge is one thing, accepting these principles and living by them is another. There is a deep resistance within me. Especially to the idea that I am the sole creator of everything that I experience. It is so much easier to blame the world.



He made me angry.

She let me down.

Usne aisa kyun kaha.



The Bhagvad Gita says: “The nonpermanent appearance of happiness and distress, and their disappearance in due course, are like the appearance and disappearance of winter and summer seasons. They arise from sense perception,and one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed.”



Why is it almost impossible to do that?



When I attended the Bhav Spandana program at the Isha Ashram I experienced the fact that ‘joy is our true nature’ . That love is an energy that radiates from within us. I want this experience to be my only reality. Yet a month later, it slips away from my grasp. I continue to experience that state of bliss from time to time but I yearn for it to last longer.



Knowledge of impermanence is great but desire for permanence remains.

The quest continues, more lessons are learnt.



There is a person in my life who irritates me intensely. I used to blame this person for my irritation. I now realise it is my choice to get irritated by another’s actions or words. It doesn’t feel like a choice, it is almost automatic. Because that is my ‘sanskar’.



A sanskar is a habit or belief which is deeply ingrained in us. The reason for that is it is a carry-forward from many lifetimes. I have a tendency to lose my temper. I have done this so many many many times that it is what comes to me most easily. To respond in a different manner would require conscious effort. And a deep desire to change myself.



This point was driven home to me while watching the series ‘Healer Within’ with Brahmakumari Sister Shivani. It is available on Youtube and watching one episode a day is something I look forward to. Episode no 17 held a crucial revelation.







There are 3 ways in which we exchange energy. One is that we ‘reflect’ it. Someone is good to me, I am good to him. Another is mean to me, I am mean to him. The way you treat me is the way I treat you. This is the basest and most common way in which we lead our lives.



The second way is to ‘absorb’ another’s energy. Someone shouts at me, I stay silent. That person could be my parent, or boss or husband. I need my job, I don’t want to create a scene. So I do not attack. However, I am creating pain within me. Over time, this negativity I am absorbing will show its effect. I may experience a physical illness or a mental breakdown. So, this path is also not a desirable one.



The third way of living is to transform energy. I am dealing with a negative person, still I neither reflect nor absorb their energy. I tell myself ‘that is his sanskaar’ but my sanskaar is peace. My power and my peace is my protective shield. I withdraw myself from the influence of their sanskars, instead radiating pure wishes and blessings to them. In doing so, I have transformed that energy.



Wow. I realise that all my life I have been a reflector or absorber. I never considered this third way of living. The most powerful way of living.



In the video Suresh Oberoi asks Sister Shivani, “But how long can I be good to someone who is not good to me? And why should I be good?”



This is the resistance within us, which prevents the experience of internal peace. Main kyun karoon, woh to saala kuch karta nahin.



Life has thus become a competition in making each other miserable. Or waiting for someone to come along and make us happy.



I come back to that important conclusion: My battle for internal peace and stability is with no one but myself.



I must step onto this battlefield, face my demons. Or live in uneasy truce, with them.



Also read: The Art of Healing I

Who am I?

I have always thought, “I am middle class.” And growing up, I probably was.



Middle class meant the kind of family which was not deprived but you could not just have anything you wanted.



You went out for dinner on an extra-special day like your parents’ anniversary - to Delhi Darbar or Kailash Parbat. A movie in the theatre was a rare treat, as was ‘choco-bar’ and Simba wafers in the interval. ‘New clothes’ included the kind my mom stitched on an Usha sewing machine with a foot pedal. Her special forte was increasing the length of old dresses by adding a jhaalar (extra lace).



Today, we eat out just because we’re in the mall and ‘feel like it’, even though dinner is waiting at home. I can watch 3 films back to back, if I want to and spend more on popcorn than the ticket price. I can buy as many new clothes as I desire, whether ‘on sale’ or ‘fresh stock’.



So am I not ‘middle class’ anymore?



My uncles were not middle class, they were ‘business class’. They had a lot more money than my father, who was a government servant. Yet, I never thought of them as rich.



Our 12 member family lived in 3 rooms and a kitchen. Everyone slept on the floor, when guests came they slept on the verandah. The toilets had no water, let alone a flush. They had cash tucked away somewhere, I don’t know where. But they hardly cared about spending it.



Business class was different from middle class.



My parents drilled it into our brains early: “You have to study hard and make something of yourself.” In the scientists’ colony I grew up in, marks and ranks were discussed among aunties. Every year we exported a batch to IIT Bombay and another to America on full scholarship. We never thought of this as an ‘achievement’, it was just a normal.



Meanwhile my cousins joined BCom and joined the family business – often side by side. They married early, to girls with BA, and started a family within a year. They earned a lot of money and now their children want to do engineering and MBA. Move to a big city and take up a job.



Business class wants to be ‘middle class’ – hurray.



I had a friend in college who I thought of as ‘rich’. She had a car and driver, went swimming and holidayed abroad. Today, I can have all those things – and more.



If I am not ‘middle class’ – then who am I?



Because if thrift and hard work no longer defines me, that’s what I pass on to my daughter. Can I get her another new t-shirt (though she does not need it?). Should I prod her to study hard when I know that marks don’t really matter. Is an international school necessary, or was a regular school good enough?



Where do I set the boundaries, when in my heart I want her to have everything my money can buy?



And yet, I want her to ‘make something of herself’ – not stand on my shoulders. To be defined by who she is, not the handbag she carries. I want her to have lots of money and use it wisely. But also, to value all the things money can never buy.



I am ‘mix n match’ – a grand collage of values and ways of life.



I am the New Middle Class.

'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag' - 4.5 stars

To make a film about a champion who narrowly lost the biggest race of his life is a monumental challenge. Nobody wants to watch a man put in his very best and yet fail, on a giant multiplex screen.



That is the genius of director Rakeysh Mehra and scriptwriter Prasoon Joshi. The film starts with the Rome Olympics – a race we know Milkha Singh lost. A fact we cannot change. Yet, ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’ moves you, entertains and elevates you. You emerge from the theatre feeling good, feeling that winning is really really important but it’s not everything.



Rakeysh Mehra decided to make this film not just because Milkha Singh was an outstanding athelete. But because of his undying spirit.



“This boy, who came from a village and was an orphan at 11, actually witnessed the massacre of his family members, including his brothers and sisters. He picked a knife to survive at 11. He spent time in (Delhi’s) Tihar Jail before he joined the army. He wanted respect and to be a human being against all odds. That’s what a wonderful human being he is, and that’s what got me into the movie, not the records he made.”



And that’s what makes ‘Bhaag Milka Bhaag’ special. It’s the story of a man, not Superman. He is vulnerable and he is flawed, like us all. He did not have a ‘vision’ for himself – at the very start. He didn’t even know what he was capable of.



Why does a man run, anyway? When trials were being held, Jawan Milkha Singh ran for an extra glass of milk. When he went for the Brigade Games, he ran to earn a navy-blue ‘India’ blazer. After failing at the Melbourne Olympics, he ran to regain self-respect.



At the Rome Olympics, he ran carrying the hopes of all of India, on his slim shoulders. Perhaps that burden was too heavy. The film doesn’t go deep into this aspect except to allude to personal demons from the time of Partition.



A man can run into the future, or he can run from his past. ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’ – just three words but two different meanings, depending which track or which field you are standing on.



In the film Milkha’s coach says to him, “A sportsman’s life is about discipline and tapasya.” That’s equally true of the efforts put in by Farhan Akhtar in this film. He plays Milkha Singh to perfection, right down to running stance. To get that athletic body language, the actor trained with sprint coach Melwin Crasto and physical trainer Samir Jaura on the racetracks at St Stanislaus High School in Bandra for 13 months.



“When I decided I would do this role, I promised him that I would do whatever it takes for this role.”



It’s a whole bunch of people working in this spirit, that make the film what it is. I must mention the child actor Jabtej Singh who is outstanding as the young Milkha Singh. And the rousing ‘Zinda hai toh’ sung by Siddharth Mahadevan, which is completely in sync with the spirit of the film.



Critics are saying the movie is too long, has unnecessary songs and too many cinematic liberties. But I don’t agree. A work of art is not meant to be ‘perfect’. If it’s powerful, it carries you beyond the logical mind into a parallel universe. And lingers on afterward.



‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’ gets 4.5 star from me, for doing just that.



The bonus is that it will inspire a few kids out there to dream big and run the race of life with more vigour and confidence.

Leaning in at the IIMs

This column was originally published in Businessworld, dt Jul 1-15, 2013



It's Time for Women to Dream Big



The Economic Times reports: Data from the five IIMs at Calcutta, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Lucknow and Indore shows that the institutes are set to welcome a record number of women in the 2013-15 batch. With the exception of IIM Ahmedabad, which has acceptances from 80 women, the other four will all have more than a hundred women each on their rolls.



The question is - what happens next? Will these women make a significant impact on corporate India - at top management and in leadership roles?



My somewhat cynical answer is: 'unlikely'. Unless we address this issue as a whole.



To create female leaders you need to address the supply side, which is what the IIMs are doing. But that is just step one. To keep the supply moving through the corporate pipeline is the bigger challenge. We can't ignore that and expect women to simply 'figure it out' on their own.



I belong to the class of 1993 at IIM Ahmedabad, which had a record number of women. We were 30 girls in a class of 180 ( double the previous year). Twenty years later just about 50% of us are in full-time jobs.



The issue is not lack of competence but the choices we made.



When I interviewed Sangeeta Patni for my book 'Follow Every Rainbow', she summed it up beautifully.



"A woman is a womb plus a man. There's no difference in terms of ability, or what she can achieve. But a woman needs to know how to take care of her need to nurture and raise a baby. This is the place many women falter in their careers."



You are expected to navigate this issue 'naturally'.



Natural is to feel exhausted and guilty and give up.



What we need is to sensitise female students about the road ahead, and the turns it is known to take. So that they can navigate the twisting path of career + family. Instead of getting knocked off the road itself.



You can have your kids early and jump back into a career, make a success of it. I have friends who have done that.



You can have your kids late, when you have 'brand value' in an organisation.

That works too.



You can take a break, or not take a break.

Rely on your mother. Or your mother-in-law.

Find a good maid. Or a great creche.

There are many many many ways to do it.



The most important thing is you must believe it's possible. And that it's important. And work towards 'keeping my career' with the same intensity as you had when 'getting into IIM'.



Three concrete suggestions to IIMs:

1) Hold a series of talks by women (preferably own alumni) who are in leadership roles today. Let them candidly share 'how I did it'. Some of them will even take on the role of a mentor.



When a young woman has just had a baby and is almost quitting/feeling hopeless, the moral and practical support of someone who's 'been there, done that' can make all the difference.



2) Also sensitise the male students. Many of them will marry their own batchmates or other qualified women. But then they slip back into 'caveman' mode and focus on their own careers.



The most progressive, educated couples never actually sit down and talk about this issue. Or think of out of the box solutions. It is understood that if children are to be raised, women will occupy the backseat in the family car.



3) Make 'Lean In' by Sheryl Sandberg compulsory reading for both men and women. And all professors too. All the above points are raised and tackled beautifully in the book.



Women must be more confident, more assertive and dream big dreams.

This has to start right from bschool and never stop.



As Sheryl Sandberg says in the book: "A truly equal world would be one where women ran half our countries and companies and men ran half our homes."



That should be the outcome of more women in IIMs, in IITs, in IAS, in primary schools and colleges, in every walk of life.



To see this happen in my own lifetime, is a cherished dream. And fond hope.



Also read my previous blog on this subject: Lipstick Jungle

Just another 'carrer query'

'Career queries' like this one really bug me.



"... I am expecting an admission in IIT for computer science or mathematics.At the same time I am also getting an admission in IISc for BS. In future I want to do MBA from a good university. I want to work as a investment banker. I am very confused which option would be better for my carrer.



While reading your books and articles I realised you are the only person who can solve this problem with your valuable guidance... Expecting your reply soon.Thanking you in anticipation."



I don't think this is what the founding fathers of IIT had in mind when they set up these institutes! Young men who are completely focused on the idea of an MBA even before they enter a BTech.



It's clear that this dude wants only one thing in life. A good life.



Therefore, the query is a no-brainer. An IIT-IIM combination is most likely to lead him to an investment bank.



Whereas IISc would be a good option if he actually had some interest in science and was open to a career in academics or research.



Call me an idealist but I always imagined that the brightest and best minds would want to work on solving the problems of humanity. The mysteries of the universe. The purpose of life itself.



These goals are often unattainable but desirable. If people did not strive for such goals the frontiers of human life would be very limited. The comforts we enjoy would not exist.



And even at a very mortal, individual level, we are limiting ourselves. This boy - all of 16 or 17 - has no idea who he is. What he is. Does he have the capacity to work towards an idea without external incentives? Or is he merely a slave without visible chains.



I see the potential of IITs grossly unfulfilled, unutilised.



Last year, I had the privilege of visiting MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). My daughter and I took the 'campus tour'. At the end of it - we were both bowled over. Not just by the buildings but the idea of an institution that nurtures and stimulates geeks. That celebrates technical genius.



MIT graduates earn respect for creating new technology.



For discovering new particles.



For writing formulae and inventing and building.



I wish there were more IIT graduates who would wear these kind of badges and return to their institutes. To enlighten young minds about other possibilities in life.



You can aspire for more than a job on Wall Street.



You can set your sights on a Nobel Prize

Visiting West Africa

I am visiting Ghana and Ivory Coast between May 27-Jun 6. On the way back I will be in Dubai for 3 days.



If any of you know of interesting people - especially entrepreneurs - pls get in touch! I am keen to meet both Africans and those of Indian origin.



Also need some help in arranging a book signing event in both Accra and Dubai at a city bookshop. Or at a local university/ for a local club/ interest group.



Even though West Africa is not the most popular destination for Indians I am sure someone out there has more knowledge abt this part of the world than me. Drop me a line at rashmi_b at yahoo.com if you have any information or advice to share.

The Teacher’s New Clothes

Everyone agrees that there is something wrong with India’s education system. But sometimes, it takes an outside view to understand just how low we have fallen.



In 2007, Brown University student Thane Richards came to India as an exchange student. Thane spent 7 months at St Stephen’s College, one of India’s crown jewels in education. While he had rich and varied experiences outside the classroom, the value addition inside the classroom was close to nothing.



In Thane’s own words:



In one economic history class the professor would enter the room, take attendance, open his notebook, and begin reading. He would read his notes word for word while we, his students, copied these notes word for word until the bell sounded… If it were not for the fact that attendance counted towards my marks, I would have never showed up at all.



This was not an isolated incident but typical of the teaching pattern. Another pattern was classes being cancelled because teachers failed to show up. The students worked out a system to inform each other about which professor is bunking today, via sms.



Similar stories can be heard from students across colleges and universities in India. Everyone clamours to get into the ‘best’ institutions but it’s got nothing to do with the quality of education. It’s for the right branding and the company of highly driven, intelligent and interesting peers.



Occasionally, individual professors rise above the system. Driven by passion, motivated by some deep internal reservoir, they stimulate, challenge and nurture young minds. They give knowledge and they give of themselves.



Every one of us has had teachers like this. Just one or two of them but they have made all the difference.



Maybe they are born with the right temperament and attitude. The question is – can we create more?



First of all – and let me be blunt about it – a teacher must be a psychologically sound person. Far too many teachers I have seen and experienced have terrible issues related to self-esteem, anger management and deep insecurity. No doubt such issues are common and therefore would be seen in any industry.



However I single out teaching because, teachers are in supreme position, a position of power. A teacher rules over his or her class of 30, 60 or 100 students. There is no question (in the Indian system) of who must listen to whom. And that’s where the problem starts.



You are not happy within yourself – what do you do? Take it out in class. The children cannot protest. They cannot ‘quit’. All they can do is switch off. And let out their frustration by giggling and making jokes behind your back.



The lower you rank in students’ eyes as a human being, the worse you are as a teacher – no matter how proficient you may be in your subject.



This, I think, applies more strongly in school, when children are young and more impressionable. But it stands good at university level as well. Apart from sound academic knowledge, a professor must have a desire to share that knowledge. With young bodies warming the benches - even if they are looking sullen, sleepy and bored.



The professor with low self esteem will see such faces and see a giant problem. He will say to himself, “These useless young people today – they are not interested. Why should I put in efforts!”



This professor will do the bare minimum and justify this as the ‘right approach’.



But a professor with high self esteem will see the class as a challenge and an opportunity. He will think, “I know these are all bright young minds. If I put in my best effort and teach them well, they will get interested in my subject.”



Right intention achieves right results. The proactive professor’s classes are always full, and full of energy. These are the ‘living legends’ on every campus.



The professors who go the distance in the classroom are also - invariably - the ones available to students, outside the classroom. A student can walk up to such a teacher with a personal issue or an academic issue and get a patient hearing. And some sound advice.



I do not know how and when the entire education system will get fixed. But if we can create more procative and self-motivated teachers, it will start getting fixed - from within.



I would go so far as to call such teachers as ‘entrepreneurs’ because with the same limited resources and raw material to work with, they are able to ‘solve’ a problem. Which is, how to transfer both knowledge and wisdom to young people.



The least we can do is to celebrate such teacher-entrepreneurs. If you have experienced such a teacher, who has altered your mind and spirit, do write in with the details as follows:

- name of teacher/ professor & school/ college

- period you were taught

- what was different or unique about him/ her in the classroom

- what impact he/ she made outside the classroom

- any specific personal experience or encounter which impacted you for life

- a picture of this teacher if possible (either alone or with you or with entire class)

- is he/ she still in service

- contact email id/ facebook page of the teacher (so that more past students can be in touch).



You can email the information to rashmi_b at yahoo.com and I promise to feature them in this space over the next few days.

Amar Management Katha

Business Sutra – a Very Indian Approach to Management

(this review first appeared in The Asian Age on 21st April 2013)







After 3 weeks with Devdutt Pattanaik ‘Business Sutra’ as my reading companion, I have reached page 185 (the book is 400 plus). And yet I venture to write this review because i) I am way past my deadline and ii) that is the nature of this book.



‘Business Sutra’ is simply brilliant. So different from any other book on business or management that you cannot digest it all at once. Each morsel has to be broken off, chewed and savoured. Often, I find myself going back to an earlier section to reabsorb what is being said.



At the crux of this book lies this argument: “Despite the veneer of objectivity and logic, management science is itself firmly rooted in a cultural truth, the subjective truth of the West, indicated by its obsession with goals.” The author attributes this to the fact that the purveyors of management science are mostly engineers, bankers and soldiers from twentieth century North America, which is deeply entrenched in the ‘Protestant work ethic’ – a unique blend of Greek and Biblical beliefs.



Devdutt’s contention is that “as is belief, so is behavior, so is business.” And that India’s belief system is very different from the West. A simple example is that India celebrates both the rule-following Ram and the rule-breaking Krishna. Indian thought yearns for accommodation and inclusion – there is room for multiple beliefs.



All this is well and good (and known to us) but hey – what’s the application to business? Devdutt’s real skill lies in linking up philosophy and abstract ideas to concrete day-to-day management issues. For example, he explains the difference between a karta (a proactive decisionmaker) and a karyakarta (one who simply follows decisions taken by others). To do this, he uses a mythological story which goes like this:



One day, the sage Narad asked Vishnu, “Why do you insist that the image of Garud be placed before you in your temples? Why not me? Am I not your greatest devotee?”



Just then, a crash is heard outside the main gate of Vaikuntha. Vishnu asks Narad to investigate. Narad reports that a milkmaid has tripped and fallen.



“What is her name?” asks Vishnu.



Narad runs out again to ask.



“Where was she going?” asks the Lord.



Each time Vishnu wants some further detail and Narad dutifully goes to find out. Then, Garud walks in and when he is questioned, he already has the complete details. In fact, he has even anticipated that Vishnu would want to buy the remaining pot of milk and knows the price the milkmaid is expecting.



Garud always anticipates situations and takes calls accordingly without checking with his boss – this makes him a ‘karta’. Narad has the same freedom but does not make use of it, making him a follower or karyakarta. Finally Vishnu – who allows Garud to be a karta is a ‘yajaman’.







This entire mythic sequence is followed by a six-eight line modern business ‘case’ – this one involves Arindam (Vishnu), Meena (Garud) and Ralph (Narad). Almost every page has beautiful line drawing (by the author himself) which depicts the idea in visual form and also breaks the monotony of text.



And yet, let me reiterate – it’s not an easy read. Terms like yagna, yajaman, tathastu and svaha in the context of business take some getting used to. But they are necessary, as the English word ‘leader’ does not bring out the subtle difference between a yajaman and a karta (both leaders in their own way). A glossary is provided at the end of the book with the conventional context and business context of every non-English word.



Devdutt has astounding depth and breadth of knowledge as well as clarity of thought. He does not have any formal qualification either in management science or Indian mythology and that’s probably a good thing. He did grow up listening to stories of sales and marketing from his father, who did his MBA from New York University in 1960. The passion for mythology was something Devdutt discovered when he was studying at Grant Medical College.



As a qualified doctor, he chose the unusual path, joining the pharmaceutical industry rather than clinical practice. This was in order to give himself the time and the funds to pursue his study of mythology. Having worked with big pharma, a dotcom, a cultural organization and Ernst & Young, Devdutt finally came into his own as ‘Chief Belief Officer’ at Kishore Biyani’s Future Group. A role and designation which helped him flesh out the ideas that resulted in this book.



What I take away from ‘Business Sutra’ is that there is no objective reality or ‘truth’. Every individual sees the world according to his or her own imagination. The most important quality a human being can develop is the ‘gaze’ or ability to ‘see’ others as they see themselves. ‘Growth’ happen when we include those whom we once excluded and stop seeing people as villains.



The duty of every yajaman is to create more yajamans within the organization. Yes – talent management, but when you look at it the business sutra way, you understand that by helping others grow, we grow ourselves. Whether or not you believe in physical rebirth, you cannot argue with the idea of mental rebirth which is most possible and desirable for us all.



The last line of the book states: “When the mind expands, Lakshmi follows.” Expand your mind by reading the book and see what happens. You owe it to yourself.



The book will also look great on your bookshelf - it has excellent design and printing quality. The only issue is the size and weight (not the kind of book you carry to read on a flight). I hope an abridged and simplified paperback edition is released soon to solve that issue and also, to help these ideas reach a much larger audience.



Business Sutra - published by Aleph

Rs 695