Leadership Shastra: Lessons from Indian History (Hardcover) | Released: 13 Dec 2021

History is the past. Surely, its irrelevant todayIs it, though What if history could be made to work for us in very real waysIn Leadership Shastra, Pradeep Chakravarthy does just that. He studies the lives of well-known historical figures like Shivaji, Babur, Ahilyabai Holkar, Sankaradeva and many others with a view to understanding their motivations, actions and legacies. The book examines how developing a comprehension of our past could be the key to understanding our own selves, our actions, motivations and of those around us. This view of history as both useful and inspirational is unconventional: it is revealed here as a discipline that can be used for self-assessment and self-motivation.Engaging and enthralling, this is a book that will leave history buffs with much to think about, as much as it will serve as an introduction to the newbie. Review Heroes or villains, historical characters provide deep insights into how leaders take crucial decisions that impact the course of history-albeit not always in ways that they had imagined. Pradeep's book, written in an easy approachable style, looks at how different leaders through Indian history dealt with difficult trade-offs, motivated subordinates and attempted to achieve their aims. Importantly, he includes the failures, such as the later Mughals, which as an understanding of leadership failure are just as important.- Sanjeev Sanyal, economist & writerHistory seldom reveals itself when it is happening. A clearer view emerges only in retrospect. Pradeep Chakravarthy has carefully chosen a few historical figures to show how individuals make history, and what we can learn from them. The lessons have a meaningful impact on the conduct of our actions and businesses. His erudition, his unbiased approach to history, his choice of the historical characters and their possible impact on our day-to-day actions make for very meaningful reading.- Suresh Krishna, Chairman, TVS & Sons LimitedIve always loved history. But this book made me see history in a different light. Fascinating storytelling, engaging and insightful-Anant Goenka, Managing Director, CEATIf one is looking to learn from history, Pradeep connects the past to the present like no other author. Must read for everyone aspiring to be a leader!Rohit Kapoor, CEO, OYO (India and Southeast Asia)This is a three in one: interesting snippets of history, absorbing bio-sketches of historical figures and lessons in leadership.R. Seshasayee, Vice Chairman, Hinduja GroupConnecting the present to the past in a novel and actionable fashion, Pradeep provides fresh insights for women and men leaders to live life to their fullest potential.Priya Paul, Chairperson, Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels Ltd.Leadership Shastra should be required reading for everyone aspiring to be a better leader. Research-based accounts of leadership role models from Indian history are rare. Pradeep draws on his scholarship and passion to fill this critical gap and provides valuable and timely learnings for all students of leadership.-Dr Pramath Raj Sinha, Founding Dean, ISB and Founder & Trustee, Ashoka University About the Author Born in 1975, Pradeep Chakravarthy was educated in The School KFI, Madras Christian College, Jawaharlal Nehru University where he studied International Relations and the London School of Economics where he studied Human Resource Development. He is currently pursuing a PhD on the administration of the Pandya kingdom.Pradeep began his career by working in the family business, the TVS Group. He later worked at Cognizant, Infosys and McKinsey. In all these organisations, he worked in HR and Learning and Development, with clients, to improve performance through behaviour change.For the past few years, he has specialised in conducting workshops, one-to-one coaching sessions and heritage tours that seek to impart leadership and life lessons from Indian history and philosophy.L