As part of the United World College lecture series, management guru Gurcharan Das spoke of the 2G scam, business rivalries and lessons from the Mahabharata
As part of the United World College lecture series, management guru Gurcharan Das u00a0spoke of the 2G scam, business rivalries and lessons from the Mahabharata
The United World College's Lecture Series, The United Wheels of Change, saw educationists, students, best-selling authors and captains of the industry rubbing shoulders and clinking glasses at the lawns of the Tata Experimental Theatre yesterday.
The highlight of the evening was a lecture by Gurcharan Das, management guru and author of India Unbound, in which he brought out the connection between present-day governance, dharma and the Mahabharata.
Management guru Gurcharan Das brought out the connection between present-day governance, dharma and the Mahabharata at Tata Experimental Theatre yesterday
"Draupadi had asked Bheeshma 'How did you let this happen? What is the dharma of the ruler?' I had quoted this story with reference to the PM's silence on A Raja when I wrote for a publication. The PM knew about this scam at least a year ago. In fact, he had even told Raja not to do this. But later, he kept silent," Das said.
He also had a few words of praise for the media as he recalled how it exposed the allegedly dubious background of the President's relatives while she was a candidate, but stopped criticising her after she assumed the post.
"We were all delighted that, for the very first time, the presidential candidate was a woman.
But, we heard disturbing news of her background from the media, which did a splendid job of exposing how a bank went broke because her relative took a loan, which was never repaid. It also exposed how one of her family members was involved in a murder case," he said.
"But, after she took oath, the media stopped writing about these things in deference to the flag, constitution and symbol of the state that her position represented."
Envy, irrationality
Das also commented on the ongoing rivalry between the brothers of one of the country's leading business families. "The sin of capitalism is greed.
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The sin of socialism is envy. When two very famous brothers fought recently, people said it was all about greed.
But I, having read the Mahabharata, said that it is about the younger brother's envy of the elder one. I am talking of the time before the samjhauta took place. Well, I thought that it was more about the younger brother wanting to bring down his elder brother. Envy can make us do the irrational," he said.
Speaking about the urgent need to reform the bureaucracy, judiciary and the police, he said, "Simply becoming aware of dharma is not going to solve our problems. I don't think that India's government school system can be reformed in my lifetime. Frankly, I have given up hope.
"But my hope is that by 2020, when 50 per cent of India is part of the middle class, change will happen."
Land Reclamation
HDFC Chairman Deepak Parekh, who was at the venue, told MiD DAY that the only way to create housing for Mumbaikars is to reclaim land from the sea.
"I don't see any problem. In fact, the land you are standing on right now was reclaimed from the sea. That is the way Singapore manages to grow.
These days, even the rich cannot afford to own houses in Mumbai. If we have to house the middle-class and others, I think we have to reclaim land," he said.
"It was done 30 years ago. So what's the problem in doing it again?" he asked.
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