Ancient 'management gurus' begin the takeover

AHMEDABAD: What do the Bhagvad Gita, the Bible, the teachings of Buddha and the sermons of saints have to do with management and teaching? Lots these days. These religious treatises have emerged from the nooks of the prayer rooms to slots in bookstores marked for ‘books on management''.
There is a sudden spurt in publication of books using the essence of religious teachings and its application in day-to-day professional life.At the Ahmedabad Management Association (AMA) here, several workshops and lectures are organised on ''Indian wisdom in management.''
The AMA has organised a workshop this weekend on ''Zen teaching'' where teachers and heads of institutions would be trained in the art of Zen teaching. "We also have sessions on Bhagvad Gita for teachers", says its director KK Nair.
The AMA has also held various lecture series on ancient wisdom for management.
"We have invited Swami Anubhavanda (former head of Chinmaya Mission, Mumbai), Sadhu PujyaBrahma Viharidas, Swami Chidananda of the Chinmaya International Foundation for talks on Gita in management and excellence in education," he says.
Nair claims to have many buyers for the AMA''s publications and audio cassettes on ancient Indian wisdom for motivation, self development, management and other such topics. "They are usually fresh management graduates and even senior managers who have attended our workshops," he says.
At the Crossword here, the Bhagvad Gita has been on the best sellers list for a long time now. The teachings of Buddha, the Zen art of living, the Bible and the Bhagvad Gita have inspired management gurus and other professionals.
The result is that many now use the ancient wisdom in practice in their professional lives.
Himanshu Shah of Crossword says, "There are many books on Gita that have been popular". One of them is ''The Gita and the art of successful management'' which was very popular and got sold out. There are many similar books that provide the essence of religion for practical life.
"They are in the form of ''applied philosophy''. They are popular because unlike the holy scriptures that are not difficult to read, these books are easier to read as they come with a practical application for the philosophy," he says.
A book titled ''God is my CEO'' in the management rack at the book shop takes quotations from the holy Bible for use in management.
Each chapter begins with a Biblical reference and elaborates on how it is applicable in management in the practical life.
"Similarly a book on Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance is popular. It is a book on using the Zen philosophy in practical life," says Shah.
Sagar Shah, a 20-year-old student of the BBA course in H L College, says, "I was not interested in religion per se. But one of my guides asked me to read a short version of Gita for management. I have just started reading a bit of it," he says.
According to Himanshu Shah, many new management books written by Indian writers are now coming up with books on ancient wisdom for management.
This store recently received a new publication to add to their collection. It is a book called ''Ancient Wisdom and Management''.
Youngsters usually prefer buying the inspirational books rather than the pure holy scriptures. "They are interested in ''chicken soup'' kind of books, but those beyond 35 years buy the Gita and other books on religion", says Shah. The sales in this counter rise after Diwali through April as NRIs like to read on religion and culture of their country and pick up books, he adds.