Book Discussion : "Power Within", 17th July 2024 (Wednesday), AIMA Auditorium, Lodhi Road, New Delhi

Book Discussion on Power Within with Dr R Balasubramaniam, Visiting Professor, IIT-Delhi, India; Member-HR in the Capacity Building Commission of the Government of India; Founder of Grassroots Research and Advocacy Movement, a public policy thinktank in India and Chairman of the Advisory Committee, SEBI. The session will be held on 17th July 2024 , Wednesday at the AIMA Auditorium, Lodhi Road, New Delhi from 4:30 PM to 5:30 PM. Mr Nikhil Sawhney, President AIMA, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Triveni Turbine Limited and Director, Triveni Engineering and Industries Limited, will chair the session. The session shall be based on the book authored by Dr R Balasubramaniam on the subject, published by Penguin Books. For registration write to membership@aima.in

Having embarked on his journey in the development sector by living and working for several years among remote forest based tribal communities in the southern Indian district of Mysuru, Dr. R Balasubramaniam (Balu) is a widely respected development activist, leadership trainer, thinker and writer. After his MBBS, he earned his MPhil in Hospital Administration & Health Systems Management from BITS, Pilani. He has a Master’s in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University. His living habits were greatly influenced by the teachings of Swami Vivekananda and at the age of 19, he founded the Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement based on the principles of Ahimsa, Satya, Seva and Tyaga. He has spent more than three decades of his life in the service of the rural and tribal poor in the forests of India. He is also the Founder and Chairman of Grassroots Research and Advocacy Movement, a public policy thinktank in India. Dr Balu embodies a rare blend of grassroots and macro perspectives and policy through his multi-faceted experience of more than three decades. He is a Tata Scholar, a Mason Fellow of the Harvard Kennedy School and a Fellow at the Hauser Center for Civil Society, Harvard University. He was the Head and Visiting Professor of the Vivekananda Chair, University of Mysore twice. He is currently a visiting professor at IIT-Delhi, India where he teaches courses on Leadership and Human Development. He coaches and mentors senior leaders in the non-profit, corporate, government and educational sectors globally, apart from running leadership workshops for people from these sectors. He is the Chairman of the Social Stock Exchange Advisory Committee set up by SEBI. He is currently the Member-HR in the Capacity Building Commission of the Government of India. He has authored seven books, both in Kannada and English. More about him, his work and books are at www.drrbalu.com

Western thought on leadership is trait-oriented. it emphasizes the importance of ‘being a leader’. Indian leadership offers a contrast it focuses on the ‘exercise of leadership’. Power Within introspects on this practice as it captures the civilizational wisdom of Bharat through the lived experience of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The book delves into the fifty years of his public life and explores how he discovered his purpose, the seeds of which were sown in his formative years. Poignant anecdotes from his colleagues shed light on how his relentless hard work and communicative approach propelled him to the prime ministerial post. They also underscore his constant quest for self-discovery in the service of others. In a carefully crafted narrative, R. Balasubramaniam captures Modi’s leadership journey and interprets it through Western and Indic lenses, amalgamating them to provide a road map for those who aspire to a life of public service.