Looking East

I commend this book as a tribute to the work of Prof. S. K Chakraborty of IIM Calcutta, who back in 1974–1975, introduced me to accounting and control, and values-based management. He also influenced Sanjoy’s thinking deeply as a teacher and as a colleague for many years. Many of us IIMC alumni and professional managers who crossed S. K. C.’s path, learned to integrate values as an essential element of management. In this book Sanjoy has synthesized and codified a values based management that would make Prof. Chakraborty proud.

I hope this book will help readers to meditate on the deeper meanings and spiritual potential of management ideas, and not think of management only as an instrumental tool. The challenges ahead of us require a renaissance of management thinking. It will come only from continued and deeper integration of traditional cultural ideas with modern management. This book represents a strong step in that revival.

Dr Paul Shrivastava
Chief Sustainability Officer and
Director, Sustainability Institute
The Pennsylvania State University
State College, Pennsylvania, USA
Distinguished Alumnus
Indian Institute of Management Calcutta

10 September, 2020

The chapters in this book date back three decades covering my writings right from the beginning of my academic engagement. Hence the list of contributors to my mental and intellectual development is quite long. As I look back, I remember the silent inspiration stirred in me by my father late Paramesh Chandra Mookherjee, who gave me the first lessons in writing while in school from the daily the Editorial page of ‘The Statesman’, the most respected English newspaper in Calcutta those days. The love and affection that was showered on me in abundance by my beloved mother late Nani Mukherjee, herself a pioneer in child education, and my dear aunt late Mani Chowdhury, her eldest sister, imbibed in me the spirit to excel in life and work. This book has been dedicated to all three of them.

I also recall with awe and veneration the boundless love and inspiration I received from the philosopher and a leading exponent of the Tantras, Manoranjan Basu, also a spiritual adept with an elevated soul, who had inspired me first into writing while I was trying to assist him in his last and seminal work, ‘Science Consciousness Freedom’. The group of young people (most of them were my seniors), who were close to him, have always enriched me with their love and affection, thoughts and ideas on topics and issues ranging from spirituality, culture and so on, even to this day. I am indeed grateful to all of them – Dr Birendranath Das, Dipak Dasgupta, Amiya Kumar Majumdar, Mrityunjoy Chatterjee, Kriparam Dwivedi, Uttam and Indrani Basu and the two who had left us for their eternal abode – Debabrata Datta and Asis Kumar Majumdar.

I remember with gratitude the guidance and affection received from the principal supervisor of my doctoral thesis, the late Professor Sanat Kumar Mukherjee (former, Vice Chancellor, Birla Institute of Technology, Ranchi and former Head, Department of Production Engineering, Jadavpur University). Among the esteemed Faculty who had taught me at IIM Calcutta, I must mention the valuable suggestions and advice received time to time from late Professor Satyesh Chakraborty, late Professor Saila K. Ghosh, late Professor Amitava Bose (former Director, IIM Calcutta), Professor Gouranga P Chattopadhyay, Professor Surendra Munshi, Professor Raghabendra Chattopadhyay and Professor Leena Chatterjee. They had all contributed towards shaping my thoughts and writing ability.

I must mention with gratitude the confidence entrusted upon me by Professor Ashoke K Dutta, the first Director of IIM Shillong, who had recruited me as a Faculty in the area of ethics and values in 2009. I also fondly remember my cordial and productive working relationship with Professor Keya Sengupta, the presently retired senior-most Faculty of the Institute during her tenure as Acting Director on two occasions. I take this opportunity to thank all my colleagues at IIM Shillong, especially our present Director Professor D. P. Goyal and Mr Shishir Kumar Bajoria, the Chairman of our Board of Governors, for their unstinted support and cooperation. Mr Bajoria and Dr Goyal had been kind enough to write endorsements for this book and inspired me in this project. I am grateful to both of them.

It was in IIM Shillong only that I had the lifetime opportunity of meeting and interacting with Bharat Ratna (the highest civilian award to an Indian citizen conferred by the Government of India) Dr A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, former President of India for nearly a week spanning across three years in unforgettable spells of inspiration. It is impossible for me to express in words the powerful and enduring impact he made on me, elevating my consciousness, enriching my thoughts, touching my life and transforming my world-view with his profound wisdom, shower of blessings and ever effulgent love.

I also offer my deep gratitude to Guruji Shri G. Narayana, former Executive Chairman, Excel Industries Limited for all the love and light of wisdom received from him throughout my academic life. Among other corporate leaders, I am especially thankful to T. V. Narendran, Managing Director of Tata Steel and my contemporary alumnus of IIM Calcutta, and my dear old friend from school Satish Pai, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Hindalco Industries, for writing endorsements for my book in spite of their extremely busy schedule.

I have been blessed with illuminating insights into Philosophy, Western as well as Indian, Arts and Aesthetics along with affection and guidance received from the globally acclaimed philosopher Professor Arindam Chakrabarti of East-West Center, University of Hawaii, USA. Words are inadequate to express my gratitude to this illustrious academic – a brilliant mind endowed with versatile creative talents. I am also grateful to Shri Shraddhalu Ranade of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry for his creative insights into Integral education and innovative approaches to creative learning.

I had been fortunate enough to receive the blessings and support from the revered monks of the Ramakrishna Mission especially Swami Atmapriyananda, Pro-Chancellor, Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Educational and Research Institute and Swami Sarvapriyananda, Minister and Spiritual Leader, Vedanta Society of New York, both of whom have kindly written their endorsements for this book. I am also deeply thankful to Swami Narasimhananda, Secretary, Ramakrishna Mission Sevashrama, Kozhikode for his labour of love in meticulously providing the correct References for the chapter on Swami Vivekananda in this book.

Let me also take this opportunity to offer my heartfelt thanks to all my Lawrencian school mates for their love and warmth, and fond memories of a vibrant school life. In the same vein and spirit, I thank all my friends from the Faculty of Engineering (especially my batch mates of Mechanical Engineering), Arts and Science of my alma mater in graduation, Jadavpur University (JU) as well as other institutes of higher learning, along with my batchmates and friends, alumni of IIM Calcutta (IIMC) who have all helped me in broadening my perspectives and concerns, and rendering clarity and depth to my thoughts and ideas through arguments and debates, discussions and dialogues. Among them I would like to make special mention of those who have really enriched my knowledge and inspired me in my work – Joydeep Maharaj, spiritual head of Maramia Spiritual Society in Azimgunj, West Bengal (formerly Joydeep, the outstanding multi-faceted theatrical talent from the Department of English Literature, JU); Tarun Goswami, eminent journalist and eloquent speaker on Ramakrishna-Vivekananda (my Lawrencian batch mate); Prabal Kumar Basu, the renowned poet with a global presence, my Lawrencian friend; Barnali Roy, a Kolkata-based Publisher and Editor of repute; Narendranath Mitra (IIT Kharagpur alumnus), an architect, and a deep thinker with a wide range of interests and concerns; Gautam Mukerji (IIMC alumnus), a distinguished author and a lead corporate trainer with profound knowledge of varied subjects, and his wonderful wife Sushweta Chakraborty, a Reiki expert; Dr. Sriram Parasuram, globally renowned classical vocalist and virtuoso violinist, my batchmate from IIM Calcutta; and Chandradeep Mitra (my friend from IIMC), an exceptionally creative mind and an eloquent communicator, presently a Visiting Faculty at IIM Calcutta and other IIMs, among many others.

Kaberi had been my soul mate and truly best friend during the last twenty-seven years, suffering yet welcoming my pranks and tempests, eccentricity and idiosyncrasies, ever with a beaming and heartening smile. She had infused in me the finer artistic sensibilities contributing to my aesthetic refinement and appreciation of Indian classical music. It was her loving company and soothing care during my last one month of healing from an ankle fracture that finally helped me to concentrate on my pending work and complete this manuscript.