Radhakrishnan
Pillai seems to have a very simple goal! "I will make Chanakya and his
Arthashastra as the foundation for my works, and I will extract the juice and
will serve it to you. You can be a student, a business man, a teacher or
whoever. It is my simple goal." And, I must agree that he succeeds this
time also with "Inside Chanakya's Mind" like his earlier books
"Chanakya in Daily Life" and "Corporate Chanakya". Yes,
Chanakya's work "Arthashastra" is such a treasure that India and the
world are blessed to relish! In his current work, the author focuses on
"Aanvikshiki" or the science of thinking. We have frequently heard
the quote, "Watch your thoughts, they become words, Watch your words, they
become actions; Watch your actions, they become habits…", but no one
really told us how to think. All the time we hear about "Think, Think,
Think!", but no one really teaches us this art. Pillai fills this gap
neatly by dedicating a whole book for this art! (In fact, it is unbelievable
that his daughter is named "Aanvikshiki). For those, who have been blaming
their family, their company, their neighbors, the neighbor's dog etc., on why
they couldn’t think correctly, this book is a boon.
The book starts
by explaining the root of Aanvikshiki, what it really means and why is it so
important. It pacifies us when we know that "the process of thoughts can
be taught" and elates us when we read that the practice of this important
art that bring about a significant change in our thoughts, speech and action.
Isn't that what we just read in the quote above? The author expands on the
beautiful base that he has laid out in the first chapter by explaining the
different types of thinking. He wonderfully categorizes the thinking into six
different categories and explains each of them. He does it so by referring to
Chanankya's quotes & verses from Arthashastra. For example, leadership
thinking is all about working for the benefit of others - and, in that sense, a
parent is also a leader. And, when you are an individual contributor in a
company, you go through the process of creative thinking and so on.
Then comes the
different models of thinking. It isn't enough to just categorize the thinking;
it also depends on the model how you think through each of these types. The
next chapter on the seven dimensions of thinking is a real gem. Chanakya's
works were based on the old times - when there was a kingdom and the king ruled
with his ministers. But, we call that a democracy and corporate. By explaining
these seven dimensions with seven parts of a kingdom - the king, the minister,
the country, the city, the treasury, the army and the ally, the author makes
our job easy to relate it with the current environment. It is just that we have
a different environment and different players. And, in any case, there is going
to be a competition - whether we are studying in a school, or working in a
corporate. It is very important to hone ourselves with the process of thinking
about competition which is more important than the other seven - and the author
dedicates one complete chapter (and I am not sure if it is directly
proportional to the details Chanakya covering it in his work). There are some
important things that we understand are very important, but we neglect -
because we are not interested, or often because we do not have enough time. The
chapter "The Other Side of Chanakya" helps us with why we must do the
stuff that we often ignore. We will not have complaints if everyone follows
Chanakya's teachings on management. The author crisply categorizes it the
chapter on management - which I think every corporate and government should
make it part of their organizational principles.
And, if we think
it is all about corporate and its management, no, it is not! Even for
individuals who often procrastinate, there are beautiful lessons - the process
of decision making, prioritizing work. I think in a social media centric world
where virtual friends occupy most of our day (and night), these principles
should sharpen our process of thinking to live more on the reality side. All in
all, a very good self-help book aimed at improving our process of thinking and
our overall welfare (and others).
PS: This book was
received, read and reviewed as part of Flipkart’s Blogger Review Program
