Spiritual Management - An Interesting news article from "The Hindu"

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Date:12/07/2005 URL:

http://www.thehindu.com/2005/07/12/stories/2005071212220100.htm

Some money, some mantras, some management

Lakshmi B. Ghosh

 

NEW DELHI: Much before they learn to master the boardroom mantras for

success and win business with the right moves and counter-moves,

Delhi University's commerce students can now take a lesson in self-

realisation as well.

With the University making it compulsory for its colleges to offer

Philosophy as a concurrent subject in the restructured new B.Com

(Honours) course, the most popular commerce course on the campus will

no longer be just about getting the numbers right but also a chance

to master the path to nirvana.

Although Philosophy was available to students as a subsidiary paper

in some colleges until last year, the restructured programme now

makes it mandatory for all colleges to offer the course in the second

year.

Students will still have a choice to opt for any of the other choices

offered by their college, but with all students finally getting the

option, teachers are hoping that the students will realise the need

to not just learn how to make money but also the stress-free way to

enjoy it.

"It is a great move because students will learn the importance of

self-realisation. Money is not the ultimate end. So students who have

been learning accounting and business management will now also learn

about life management, time management and, most important, spiritual

management.

Philosophy is an integral part of most top MBA courses. And it may be

good for the students to start early,'' says Rachna Sharma, who

teaches the subject at Hans Raj College.

>From the Bhagvad Gita to Vedas, Upanishads to Satyagraha and Non-

Violence to Buddhist and Jain ethics, Paper No. XV -- Introduction to

Philosophy -- is also being seen as an important tool to help

students deal with the high stress that the subject is known to

impart.

To be taught as a concurrent subject in the second year of B.Com

(Honours), Philosophy was earlier a subsidiary paper in the second

year and has now become a compulsory subject for students of the

course.

The change comes with the introduction of the restructured B.Com

(Honours) programme last year, with Business Ethics being the new

entrant in the first year.

According to teachers, a majority of the students often did not opt

for the subject earlier because they did not see the need for

Philosophy in the Commerce stream. "Most MBA programmes teach the

Gita or other aspects of Indian Philosophy. It has become

increasingly necessary for students stepping into the commerce field

to also learn the art of handling stress.

The choice is now up to the students and we are hoping that many will

now go for the option so it adds to their life later,'' says another

teacher.

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