The Free Press Journal hosted an event organised by Youth Equine Leadership and the Rotary Club of Bombay for the alumni of its widely acclaimed student enrichment programme, Bhavishya Yaan. On the occasion, author and spiritual guru, Shubh Vilas Prabhu, delivered an insightful talk on leadership by drawing inspiration from Indian scriptures.
Explaining what a good leader is, Shubh Vilas Prabhu said, “A good leader is someone who looks for opportunities to serve the people he is leading. The idea of leadership is not always connected with a power position. Leadership is a responsibility where you serve with morality.”
The leader made the session more engaging by citing examples from the Mahabharata while explaining the three types of leaders.
“The first type of leader is someone who is blind to shortcomings and mistakes of people that he favours. Just like Dhritarashtra in the Mahabharata — he was not only blind himself but he was also blind to the mistakes of his sons. The second type of leader is like Bhishma. This type of leader is very powerful and makes principle policies that create problems in the future. For example, Bhishma took a vow that he will not sit on the throne and he will never marry, which led to many problems. But he didn't change his stance. The third type of leader is Vidura type of leader, who knows what the problem is, has the solution but, unfortunately, isn't empowered to deal with it. Many organisations usually have such types of leaders. However, what is needed is a balanced and sustainable approach towards leadership that is long-lasting,” Prabhu explained.
The spiritual guru also pointed out that apart from leadership there are so many lessons one can learn from Indian scriptures. “For example, dealing with success, failure, relationships, taking decisions, among other aspects of our lives,” he added.
Speaking about her takeaway from the session, Manjiri Shirodkar said, “The session was extremely insightful. It helped me understand leadership in a better manner. For example, a leader is supposed to lead his team by inspiring and motivating them. S/he should understand their needs and push them to achieve their goals.”
Kartiki had a similar take. “The session was wonderful and we enjoyed it. We all learnt new things that are related to our education and our lives.”
Sharing his delight after the session, an enthusiastic Kaushal Tetgure, said, “It was a wonderful interaction with the author. I felt extremely motivated after listening to Prabhu ji's story. Thank you Ramesh sir for giving us this opportunity to interact with the author. I hope we do such sessions more often.
The enlightening session was followed by an interesting question and answer session and book signing by Prabhu ji for his latest release, 'Timeless Tales to Ignite Your Mind: 50 Stories of Wit & Wisdom from Ancient India'.
Also present for the event was advertising veteran Ramesh Narayan.
