Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC), one of the finest educational institutions, invited Swami Mukundananda on 12th April 2023 as a keynote speaker for their Annual Management Festival, SRCC Business Conclave in April 2023.
This conclave is the annual flagship event of SRCC, Delhi University and hosted other eminent speakers like Nitin Gadkari, Naveen Jindal and many others. This conclave provides a platform for budding undergraduates to discuss the dynamics of creating successful businesses, thereby enhancing their field's knowledge resource for the entire country.
The first day of the conclave, presented by the Face Magazine, was initiated with the lighting of the ceremonial lamp by Swami Mukundananda and the honourable principal of the college, Prof. Simrit Kaur.
Swami Mukundananda's Insights on the Relevance of Spirituality in Commercial Enterprise
Swamiji was then invited to share his valuable insights with the students, where he revealed the relevance of spirituality in commercial enterprise.
He spoke on the information revolution, technological revolution and information revolution being the three major forces at play, resulting in tremendous possibility and potential for rapid growth of knowledge. Furthermore, Swamiji remarkably explained how the present age is the age of a 'knowledge economy' whereby tangible and intangible values are created with the knowledge one holds within oneself. Unlike all past economies, the knowledge economy eliminates the concept of scarcity and establishes continuous growth even after its distribution!
In this decade, the biggest challenge faced is the pandemic followed by the Ukraine war. Economists have also predicted global recession with its cascading effect. Amid such global challenges, India stands out as a promising nation with the fifth-largest economy growing at a rapid pace and a young population. In addition, the Indian culture and spiritual heritage provide an amazing foundation for our value-based education system, which is churning out today's youth as tomorrow's leaders.
He excellently elaborated on the attitudes of the 'Enterprise of choice', the 'Employer of choice', and the 'Investment of choice' that one must harbour for a healthier and long-term approach to business enterprise. He mentioned that the underlying current in these three attitudes is the 'desire to serve' by exemplifying the G24 slogan - "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam" - One Earth, One family, One Future.
He amiably pointed out that work must be done in the spirit of sacrifice by demonstrating how 'U' comes before 'I', which remains silent in the word 'Business'. He further substantiated his teaching by illuminating how life must be treated like a candle, not an ice cream cone. He concluded his astute speech by unravelling the secret of happiness.
The lecture was followed by a brief Q&A session where the students expressed their deepest emotions on meeting their online Guru for the first time. Seeing so many youngsters following Swamiji on social media and illumining their lives was a pleasant surprise. The student community heard Swamiji with awe and reverence. His words of wisdom touched their hearts as well as stimulated their intellect.
Swamiji counselled that self-belief can be upheld in a highly competitive environment through competitiveness in effort and not results. He also elaborated on his reasons for choosing spiritual knowledge over material knowledge despite being an IIT-IIM alumnus. Subsequently, the honourable principal presented Swamiji with a memento by Project Virasat as a token of gratitude from the SRCC business conclave. She concluded the session with a vote of thanks for the wonderful teachings that Swami Mukundananda delivered to the promising business minds of the future.
