S. Vishnu Sharma
IIM Lucknow elective course on ‘The Wisdom of Indian Philosophy is changing the way students approach real life tasks, by deriving inspiration from India’s roots.
While the course is taught in English and has some traces of modern theories, it primarily relies on the tenets of Indian philosophy derived in Sanskrit from Patanjali Yoga Sutras, Samkhya Karika, Upanishads with references from the Bhagavad Gita, say sources from IIM Lucknow.
Indian Philosophy
Indian philosophy predates Thales of Miletus, who is regarded as the first Greek philosopher and the creator of western philosophy, by at least a millennium.
This dynamic course employs a holistic and integrated approach, by incorporating numerous fields such as metaphysics, aesthetics, epistemology, sociology, psychology, ethics, life sciences, and even the dynamics of interpersonal relationships and man’s interactions with the outside world, say sources from IIM Lucknow.
Course
The course is 15 hours long, and currently running its fourth year. In the current academic year, the elective is running in both the Lucknow campus for the core MBA programme and at the Noida campus for Working Executives MBA programme, say sources from IIM Lucknow.
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The course is created and floated by Professor Anadi Pande, who was motivated to introduce this curriculum to students in order to help them manage themselves better, reducing stress, anxiety and amongst other things to enhance focus and improve quality of mind, say sources from IIM Lucknow.
Values from scriptures
Speaking about the increasing stress in students in the recent years, and how the values from scriptures can help them in a stress-free learning, Prof. Anadi Pande, Course coordinator, and Professor, Strategic Management, IIM Lucknow said we live in a highly globalized, dynamic, and changeable world, with surfeit of information, intense competition, the acronym BANI aptly sums up its characteristics.
Samkya, Yoga and Vedanta enable us to connect with our true nature, achieve peace and have a focused mind, said Prof Pande of IIM Lucknow.
A superior mind is a tremendous instrument which can not only de-stress, improve our psychosomatic condition but enable us find innovative solutions to challenges in our work place and the material world, said Prof Pande of IIM Lucknow.
Conviction
In order to strengthen the conviction of the students, the course is not a mere teaching of India’s prized scriptures. Professor Pande rather, bridges the old adages with contemporary research and medical evidence on theories of consciousness.
This way, students can see the real-life implications of such teachings. The curriculum also serves to sensitise students to the ideas of ethical action, which may be of use when they embark on the corporate world.
One of the primary objectives of this programme is to equip students with skills and ethics that promote organizational well-being and ideal corporate citizenship. The theory of Karma is also an important part of this course, say sources from IIM Lucknow.
Indian Philosophy
The course targets Indian philosophy and its three dominant systems, namely, Samkhya, Yoga, and Vedanta. It also grazes over concepts and theories around ethics, which may perhaps serve as an inspiration for one’s conduct in life.
Various Sanskrit sutras are also recited and discussed in the classroom, to help students feel more connected to Indian philosophy. It was given the ‘Best Non-Conventional Course’ Award by MBA students of IIM Lucknow in 2022-23.
Leaders
Highlighting how this course will help students in becoming better leaders, Prof. Pande of IIM Lucknow added hierarchy of organizations is hierarchy of minds.
And where this principle is violated, the organization suffers. Achieving Samadhan which is the essence of Indian philosophy and its ethics, means ability to harmonize multiple perspectives in a solution that resolves all conflicts, said Prof Pande of IIM Lucknow.
Such a competence is an extremely prized, inalienable skill of a leader. The journey to inculcate the competence of samadhan necessarily goes through building emotional intelligence and resilience, said Prof Pande.
‘Indian philosophy is a highly rational and practical philosophy. What is good for spirituality is very valuable for sustainable material success as well.’
Mind Management
Moreover, an integral part of this course is, ‘Mind Management’, which teaches students how to develop meditative practices like Kriya Yoga to improve their ability to focus, have a clear mind, and stay sharp. This can in-turn also aid their decision-making skills, say sources from IIM Lucknow.