Ashok R. Garde - Chanakya on Management

Published by Jaico Publishing House

A-2 Jash Chambers, 7-A Sir Phirozshah Mehta Road

Fort, Mumbai - 400 001

www.jaicobooks.com

Ashok R. Garde

CAKYA ON MANAGEMENT

First Jaico Impression: 2006

Eleventh Jaico Impression: 2012

No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in

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mechanical including photocopying, recording or by any

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without permission in writing from the publishers.

Printed by

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Foreword____________________

It is nearly 30 months since I first read Prof. Ashok Garde's illuminating text titled "Canakya's Aphorisms on Management". Many will know Canakya as Chanakya, who was the mentor of the great Emperor Chandragupta Mourya of the 4th Century BC.

I then thought that the Business Schools should have it in their Library. Business School teachers are sure to find materials in it to support some presentation or the other on whatever subject is their prime concern.

I shall not comment on the contents except exhorting that whoever comes across this book should quickly read the "Introduction" because it succinctly describes its value to the reader. It may often result in that person wanting to own a copy for a serious reading.

I am glad that "Jaico Publishing House" is undertaking to popularize these Aphorisms amongst people all over India and abroad. Hopefully they shall aggressively promote its readership by encouraging the prestigious Business Schools such as the IIMs of India and the Ivy League B-Schools of USA and top Schools of Europe to order more than one copy for their library, because it is likely to be simultaneously used by several Professors and students.

In his introduction, the author has repeatedly referred to the book's utility to the CEO. I believe it will be useful for Managers at all levels and also the aspiring Managers. HR Managers should seriously consider procuring copies for study by their various functional heads. They can extract what appeals most to them for application in their area and having a "discussion" meeting with their peers or their reportees.

Mr. Ashok Garde was interviewed and selected by Dr. Vikram Sarabhai for the ATIRA job as a Scientist. But he soon learnt the art of management just as Dr.Vikram Sarabhai, a Scientist himself, became a highly successful Management Professional, who left his impact not only in the Private and Public Corporate organizations he served but also motivated people like Mr. Garde to become a great supporter of the Management movement in Ahmedabad. When AMA (Ahmedabad Management Association), founded by Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, proposed that ATIRA provide AMA a part of its spare land for housing the AMA Training and Development Center for the Working Managers and shared AMA's vision of making it the role model for various Local Management Associations (LMAs), who were members of the All India Management Association, Mr. Garde helped to work out a Win-Win situation for ATIRA, (whose Director he was), AMA and the people of Ahmedabad. ]aico may find the LMAs a useful means of popularizing the very valuable Management insights provided in this book.

Foreign Executives doing business with or in India do like to read about Indian culture and ethos. They will find this book interesting and will readily buy it but (and it is a big 'but') the question is that how will they know about the book and how can they easily get it. I do hope Jaico will work on seeing that it is available on the internet.

The author has written the sutras in the Sanskrit Devanagari Script and also in phonetic English script. If a reader pursues the book frequently he may find himself understanding several Sanskrit words. He or she may then read Panchatantra and Hitopadesa looking for morals for use In today's world of Management situation.

Today, as never before, more and more businessmen and Management gurus are talking about the importance of ethics, which, since time immemorial, the Indian thinkers and businessmen have highlighted as a must to be practiced in business and everyday conduct calling it "the arthashastra dharma" This "Dharma" has nothing to do with "religion" as is generally understood. Chanakya has a lot to say about the ethics and good governance

In India, the legendary Chanakya invokes respect bordering on awe. To scholars outside India, he is better known as Kautilya. He is the author of a full treatise on Governance. He practiced what he taught nearly 2400 years ago. He trained Chandragupta Mourya to be a fair, just and efficient Chief Executive Officer of a kingdom. His dynasty succeeded in making India attain great heights in all fields, with the Greek Commander in Chief of Alexander, the Great, getting his daughter married to Chandragupt Mourya.

Mr Garde has painstakingly brought out the manifold implications of each sutra. Experienced managers will note that many a sutras succinctly state a principle underlying their own experiences, but which they did not 'see' in that light before! The philosophical underpinning of managerial actions - any action - as propounded by Chanakya have been well brought out by the author. Consequently, those managers who work towards internalizing use-worthy sutras can become high achievers without being highly stressed by work.

With over 45 years of experience in top management and entrepreneur-ship, I feel that the ideas of Chanakya are worth following today, especially when adhering to the ethical path is the only 'mantra' to ensure long term survival and growth of an enterprise in a fiercely competitive globalised market. I hope that this book reaches a large number of managers in India and abroad and they benefit from it.

P.V.R.N. IYER

President

All India Management Association, New Delhi

Former Member

Board of Governors of Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad

Preface_____________________

Some management thinkers in India were looking for an Indian ethos in management, since neither the American nor the Japanese styles seemed to fit well into the Indian culture. I made a small attempt to look at Pancatantra, the world's first documented training programme for top management. Thereafter, I came across several popular Hindi versions of Cakya Stras. Many appeared to be incorrectly interpreted, but quite a few were startlingly insightful and usable for guiding managerial actions.

By 1994, in the 4th year as the CEO of ATIRA, I started picking up a few sutras and. using them as guide rules. Not all sutras are principles of management. Many are like 'laws of behaviour at work', indicating 'what will happen when' with a high probability. The flow of ideas is very different from the management thoughts of 1950s. In some ways, the total thought process is akin to the management thinking in the late 20th century, which includes 'what managers should be, rather than only 'what managers should do'. The idea that the manager should manage himself well on the emotional front has been seeping in gradually in the recent past.

The Indian ethos is visible all along in Cakya Stras, and most concepts are meaningful in our current cultural context. This realisation led me to think of writing a commentary on Cakya Stras from the management point of view. This desire was consistently reinforced by Shri KK Nair, Executive Director, AMA and Dr. Balabhaskaran, Dean, ICFAIAN Business School, Ahmedabad.