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Business Sutra

Devdutt Pattanaik

Business Sutra

12 April 2013

In his new book, best-selling author, leadership coach and mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik showed how, despite its veneer of objectivity, modern management is rooted in Western beliefs and obsessed with accomplishing rigid objectives and increasing shareholder value. By contrast, the Indian way of doing business—as apparent in Indian mythology, but no longer seen in practice— accommodates subjectivity and diversity, and offers an inclusive, more empathetic way of achieving success.

Great value is placed on darshan, that is, on how we see the world and our relationship with Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. Business Sutra uses stories, symbols and rituals drawn from Hindu, Jain and Buddhist mythology to understand a wide variety of business situations that range from running a successful tea stall to nurturing talent in a large multinational corporation. At the heart of the book is a compelling premise: if we believe that wealth needs to be chased, the workplace becomes a rana-bhoomi—a battleground of investors, regulators, employers, employees, vendors, competitors and customers; if we believe that wealth needs to be attracted, the workplace becomes a ranga-bhoomi—a playground where everyone is happy.

About the Author

Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik writes and lectures extensively on the relevance of mythology in matters related to leadership, entrepreneurship, branding, management and governance. He serves as Chief Belief Officer of the Future Group and is also story consultant to Star TV. Trained in medicine, he spent 15 years in healthcare and pharmaceutical industries including Apollo Health Street and Sanofi Aventis, before joining Ernst & Young as Business Advisor. All this while, he spent his spare time studying and writing on sacred stories, symbols and rituals and their impact on culture. Currently Devdutt is a leadership coach and inspirational speaker to many organizations. His columns on management and culture appears in The Economic Times. His TV shows Business Sutra (CNBC-TV18) and Shastrarth (CNBC-Awaaz) are popular with viewers for their innovative approach and simplicity. He has written over 25 books for everyone from adults to children, for youth to business executives. They include Jaya, Myth=Mithya, The Book of Ram, 7 Secrets of Vishnu and The Pregnant King. Devdutt’s popular TED talk on the difference between Eastern and Western myths has been viewed more than 8 lakh times. (See: http://www.ted.com/talks/devdutt_pattanaik.html)