Radhakrishnan Pillai is often credited with reintroducing 21st century urban India to the Maurya-era political genius, Chanakya, through his bestselling books Corporate Chanakya and Chanakya’s 7 Secrets of Leadership. The management thinker has now forayed into fiction with Chanakya in You: Adventures of a Modern Kingmaker (Jaico Publishing, Rs 299). A t2 chat.
How did you discover Chanakya?
Most of us have heard of Chanakya and his life in India since childhood. He is a very strong character in our Indian history. I had the good fortune of studying his life and his world-famous book Kautilya’s Arthashastra and its 6,000 sutras in detail. It was due to my research at the Chinmaya International Foundation, Kerala, and later my Phd in the subject that helped me discover Chanakya and his teachings a little better.
What attracted you to his tenets?
His acute intelligence. He was a master strategist and kingmaker, a scholar, a profound thinker and a nation-builder, all rolled into one. It is a very rare combination. When you study him, you realise why there are few parallels to him in world history.
Do you practise Chanakya’s tenets in your life and dealings with people?
Whenever a person studies any subject in detail, it becomes a part of your thinking and nature. Having spent 15 years trying to understand Chanakya, it is natural that he has become a part of my psyche. I have tried applying his teachings in my life and found tremendous success. Also, dealing with people becomes easy when you study Chanakya and his books. It is full of human psychology.
Do you think Chanakya has received more bad press than good over the centuries?
Not really. He has gained respect from every person across the globe. But there is a group of people who have misunderstood him. They think he was a shrewd man. But as you delve deeper into his life, you find a very great man, totally selfless and committed to higher objectives.
Tell us about Chanakya in You…
This is my third book after Corporate Chanakya and Chanakya’s 7 Secrets of Leadership (co-authored with D. Sivanandhan, a former director-general of Maharashtra Police).
I never like to repeat what is given in my previous books. This third book is written in story format. It is the story of a little boy who is inspired by his grandfather to study the Arthashastra. Later, at every stage of his life, he applies the teachings of the Arthashastra to find solutions to problems, be it career, finance, marriage, etc. The boy goes on to become the richest man in the world, yet strongly based on spiritual values. The book does not have a single character with a name. They are written in short chapters and finally you can relate the whole story to your life and you discover the “Chanakya in you”.
You are calling it ‘business fiction’. What is business fiction?
Fiction is imagination. The story is about a businessman who applies Chanakya’s wisdom in his business like finding customers, managing finances, getting investors, hiring the right people, going global.
Why this transition from non-fiction to fiction?
We all like to listen to stories. It is the best form of giving the highest wisdom in a simple way. Even Indian tradition teaches through stories like the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. I have tried this approach so that it can reach the masses.
What is most relevant from Chanakya’s Arthashastra in today’s world?
Managing finances. One of the keys to success of Chanakya was his brilliant financial acumen. He understood that artha (wealth) is important in our lives. But that wealth has to be based on moral and ethical values.
Anuka Roy
Chanakya is my hero because...
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