In today’s times, it’s hard to go wrong with religion and spirituality. Add a dash of self-help, and you have a recipe that seldom fails. ‘Sing, Dance and Lead’ (Penguin Random House India), the latest book by best-selling author Hindol Sengupta, taps into this winning mix by drawing from the life of Srila Prabhupada, the founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). The book distils leadership lessons by combining ancient Indian philosophy and wisdom with modern management principles.
Lessons from a ‘spiritual entrepreneur’
At 70, “an age when many of us seek rest, he undertook an extraordinary journey,” Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan said at the book launch on Wednesday at the Vice President’s Enclave.
He was referring to Srila Prabhupada’s 1965 voyage from Kolkata to the United States aboard a cargo ship to spread Krishna consciousness. A year later, he founded ISKCON; within 12 years, before his death in 1977, the organisation established a global presence.
“He didn’t have anything when he started, but he still persisted,” author Hindol Sengupta said.
“He has never been studied as a spiritual entrepreneur,” said Chanchalapati Dasa, vice chairman and co-mentor of the Global Hare Krishna Movement and senior vice president of ISKCON Bangalore, adding, “This is the first time another aspect of his personality is being explored and celebrated.”
Global North-South gap
In the book, Sengupta reflects on how most leadership lessons continue to be drawn from the West, with a conspicuous absence of examples from India and the Global South.
“I wondered why, in India, we do not talk about our own examples of breakthrough leadership and exemplary institution-building. While this seemed like a missed opportunity, it was one worth correcting,” he writes.
Sengupta has previously authored the best-selling ‘Sing, Dance and Pray’, a biography of Prabhupada.
‘Not a cult-like organisation’
Speaking on the leadership lessons young leaders can draw from the ISKCON founder’s journey, Madhu Pandit Dasa, chairman and mentor of the Global Hare Krishna Movement and chairman of The Akshaya Patra Foundation, said, “He didn’t build a cult-like organisation that would disintegrate after him, but one with a strong foundation.”
“Today, many people know ISKON, but very few know its founder. And that’s the greatest success of his leadership,” said VP Radhakrishnan.
Addressing the gathering, Union Minister for Culture and Tourism Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said that as opposed to visibility, speed and short-term gains, Prabhupada’s journey shows “how depth creates durability.”
Among the leadership lessons corporate leaders can take from him, Madhu Pandit Dasa added, are the importance of not centralising power and understanding that leadership is not about authority or dominance.
“His thoughts are more relevant today than ever in this rapidly transforming world,” the Vice President said.
“This is a book that makes you reimagine leadership not as a skill, but as a way of life,” Shekhawat added.
