Contemporary dilemmas, whether in business or politics, bear uncanny resemblance to the predicaments witnessed in the ever-timely epic Mahabharata. Who else but Bhishma Pitamah then to the rescue of the modern-day manager, politician or bureaucrat when morality, greed and societal welfare vie with each other for primacy? In the epic, Bhishma is the upholder of truth and dharma, his life shaped by the difficult choices he makes. Of course, he isn’t always infallible, but even where his decisions are questionable he serves as a role model.
In this book, Prof. Balasubramanian uses this powerful figure and his selfless values as a guide to make the right choices. The Bhishma Way discusses values, dharma, truth, justice and governance in business and government. Analyses of real life cases—among them, Union Carbide and the Bhopal gas tragedy, James Hardie and Asbestos in Australia and Ok Tedi in Papua New Guinea—complement insightful mythological stories and anecdotes in this illuminating and thought-provoking book. This serves as an instructive read for anyone striving to a higher moral code in day-to-day decision making and leadership.

About the Author

With more than half a century of work experience behind him, ‘Bala’ has a unique blend of exposure to industry and academia that is not easy to come by. Three and a half decades of senior- and board-level responsibilities in companies such as Imperial Chemical Industries, Britannia and Wipro are complemented by teaching and research activities at the Indian Institutes of Management Ahmedabad and Bangalore over the last two decades. A non-practising Chartered Accountant with a PhD in business finance, and a deep interest in Indian scriptures and heritage, his academic and research interests span corporate governance, business ethics and responsibility, public policy, and board-level counselling and evaluation. He has served as a member of the National Advisory Committee on Accounting Standards, CII’s National Council on Corporate Governance and the Advisory Committee of the National Stock Exchange’s Centre for Excellence in Corporate Governance among others. This is his eighth book, and second with Random House. Bala lives with his wife, son, daughter-in-law and a charming granddaughter in Thane, near Mumbai.