By Prof Keyoor Purani

Prof Keyoor Purani

For centuries since the Vedic period, Indian thinking has not only provided alternative philosophy to the western schools of knowledge in various domains, but many indian ideas are embraced by the west in recent times. Two books that have caught attention of many business leaders and management thinkers in recent times are McKinsey’s collection of essays Reimagining India: Unlocking the Potential of Asia’s Next Superpower and Harvard Business Press’s The India Way: How India’s Top Business Leaders Are Revolutionizing Management. They, along with the growing presence of Indian businesses outside India, have widened the discourse in India’s role in global business and economy. Several scholars have shown interest in decoding the Indian wisdom from spiritual texts or formulating the tacit knowledge at the grass root level practices in India for the global business leaders. This heightened interest in Indian thought from all across the world has formed the theme of this Second Pan-IIM World Management Conference hosted by IIM Kozhikode. The research being presented at the conference brings some new perspectives and principles in areas ranging from frugal innovation – Jugaad and karmayoga to bottom-of-the-pyramid markets and microfinance thus contributing to building further on Indian management thought.

Prof. Keyoor Purani is a Professor of Marketing and a Co-chair of the 2nd Pan IIM World Management Conference