ETHICAl INSIGHTS ON AWAKENING THE SOUl
Author- PRAMOD PATHAK
Publisher- Ocean, Rs395
The essays in the book are on a myriad of subjects that dwell upon aspects like people, professions, practices, events, institutions and phenomena. They present ethical insights into different frames ranging from the worldly to cosmic, writes Namrata Pathak Shukla
Talking about ethics in this age of commerce may certainly not be the best of the ideas, but the fact remains that it is the foundation on which the edifice of a better society can be raised. The title of the book is suggestive of what the reader may expect between the covers. Values, ethics and spirituality are much talked about subjects these days and even Management literature, the most modern of the social sciences, is concerned about the Spirituality Quotient as the means to sustainable leadership. It will be an understatement to say that spirituality is catching the imagination of the present society. The author, a Management Professor himself has done a neat job of presenting ethical insights on a wide array of subjects. The short pithy essays in the book are some of the select pieces picked up from the author’s column ‘Hidden Souls’ contributed to the spirituality page of Sunday supplement Agenda of The Pioneer newspaper over the last few years.
Being a reader of ‘Hidden Souls’ it is a pleasure to find this compilation in one volume as the essays therein are worthy of being read and reread. A collection of 81 articles the book provides unique insights into the complex subjects of values, ethics and spirituality and which everybody seems to be talking and still struggling to grapple with their essence. Rather strange because these days values, ethics and spirituality are part of popular media discourse. Open up any business or mainline daily and you find a piece on ethics, values or spirituality occupying centre stage. Browse through the television and you find people ranging from erudite scholars to suave sanyasins airing their views on the subject. It appears as if everyone is looking for some soul curry which is being delivered through the media. As loneliness increases restlessness and turmoil in people’s mind, spirituality seems to be a popular recourse. But despite this, understanding the subject seems rather difficult. Professor Pathak, then, does a good job of making the concepts of ethics, values and spirituality simple to understand and easy to practise.
The book serves a threefold purpose. First, it suggests what ethics and morality are about. Second, it tells how ethics and morality are connected with daily life and thirdly it emphasises the need to reset the moral compass so that society can be raised to a higher level of functioning. It is not just for the erudite and the seasoned, it is also for the common people, both young and old who would find in the book a practical guide to ethics and morality in many hues and colours.
The book carries a foreword by Dr Chandan Mitra, which sets the ball rolling for the reader by preparing him for the awakening of the soul that the book aims to do. The author has very succinctly summed up the essence of the volume in the prologue that details the purpose as well as the elements of the book. The author rightly says that there is a soul in every human being though in different states of awakening. It is this soul that, when awakened leads to communion with the supreme reality. The book certainly provides some valuable insights into awakening the soul.
The essays in the book are on a myriad of subjects that dwell upon aspects like people, professions, practices, events, institutions and phenomena. Thus, it presents ethical insights in different frames ranging from the worldly to the cosmic. Though all the essays have something useful to say some of them are really enlightening and worth reading again and again. There is the one on ‘Awakening the Soul’. Then there is one on ‘The Art of Peace’. From how to ‘Be Your Real Self to ‘listening to the Heart’, the book offers some kind of a transformational lessons for re-inventing one self. And to cap it all there is the final lesson in ‘Alexander’s Final Message’ that gives the substance of the whole idea. A notable contribution to the subject of Values and Ethics, the book is an overview of spirituality in action and is useful for people in different types of organisations ranging from Management Schools, to Engineering Colleges, to Business Corporations to the Media. As a Management teacher this reviewer finds it a useful reference material on Values and Ethics and a valuable guide for teaching.
The reviewer is Assistant Professor, Department of Management, Waljat College of Applied Science,Muscat, Sultanate of Oman