Bombay Stock Exchange highlights role of dharma in Viksit Bharat

By Meghna Rewachand

MUMBAI: Within the storied precinct of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) on Tuesday, an assembly of religious and corporate leaders gathered to reflect on the role of dharma in developing Viksit Bharat.

'Dharmam Chara', organised by BSE and Sri Pratyaksha Trust, was presided over by the Sankaracharya of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam, Swami Vijayendra Saraswathi. Dharmam Chara is a project initiated by Kanchi Peetam which invites religious scholars, chartered accountants, lawyers, doctors and judges for discussion.

Sundararaman Ramamurthy, MD & CEO, BSE, delivered a welcome speech in Sanskrit and recited shlokas. He urged the audience to "speak the truth and walk the path of dharma."

KR Sekar, partner, Deloitte, said, "The Sankaracharya's guiding principle is that there should be dharma in business. But there cannot be business in dharma." He displayed the map of India and listed various activities carried out by the Kanchi trust.

Former SEBI chairman M Damodaran, present chairman of Excellence Enablers, spoke about the "strengthening of culture and dharmic principles towards Viksit Bharat". He equated dharmic principles with corporate governance. Arguing that the country cannot achieve developed nation status by 2047 without grounding its progress in ethical and religious learning, he called on every citizen to transcend short-term gains.

Former SBI chairperson Arundhati Bhattacharya, who is now president & CEO, Salesforce -- South Asia, addressed the 'confluence of dharma, values and women empowerment'. She said dharma was about "doing good for humanity". Each time she had wanted to give up during her career, there was someone who stood by her side and encouraged her, said Bhattacharya, terming this an act of dharma. She urged the audience to ask themselves, "Did I enable someone today or did I burden them with guilt?"

R Shankar Raman, president, Larsen & Toubro, spoke about 'social responsibility from a corporate perspective'. He said CSR funds could be channelised effectively in myriad ways, noting that rural India deserves equal attention. Raman said that the process of migration generates disparity in income and well being which gives rise to communal fissures. He ended by saying service to humanity is service to God, and all corporates must contribute.

V Shankar, chairman of SIES, mapped dharma onto India's economic canvas, saying 18 languages, 6,400 castes, 28 states and eight union territories are rolled into one Bharat.

Shankaracharya Vijayendra Saraswathi said, "It is good that Bombay Stock Exchange is exchanging ideas and feelings too. We need a level of non-political leadership to execute tasks that govt cannot or may not want to carry out. We require ethics in business, but business should not exist in religion. Satyamev Jayate remains the only enduring currency in Viksit Bharat."