Gurcharan Das

Author and public intellectual, Gurcharan Das is best known for a trilogy based on the classical Indian ideal of the goals of life. He studied philosophy at Harvard University and was CEO of Procter & Gamble India before he became a full-time writer. He writes a regular column for the Times of India, five Indian language papers, and contributes to international newspapers.

About Me

gurcharan: Gurcharan Das is an author and thought leader best known for a much-acclaimed trilogy based on the classical Indian goals of the ideal life. India Unbound was on artha, 'material well-being'—the Guardian called it 'a quiet earthquake' – it is available in 19 languages and filmed by the BBC. The second, The Difficulty of Being Good, on dharma or 'moral well-being', is a contemporary meditation on the epic, Mahabharata. Kama: The Riddle of Desire is on the third goal, examining how to cherish desire in order to live a rich, flourishing life. He studied philosophy at Harvard University and was CEO of Procter & Gamble India before he took early retirement at 50 to become a full-time writer. He writes a regular column for the Times of India and five Indian language papers, and contributes to many international papers. His other books include India Grows at Night: A liberal case for a strong state, which was on the FT's best books for 2013; a novel, A Fine Family; a book of essays, The Elephant Paradigm, and an anthology, Three Plays. He is editing for Penguin a 15 volume history series, The Story of Indian Business. He lives in Delhi.

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Gurcharan Das

Pages

A sobering lesson for Mayawati June 3, 2007

One crore micro-capitalists May 20, 2007

The reek of India 6th May, 2007

The Killing of 24 x 7 water April 22, 2007

Bureaucracy, heal theyself, April 8, 2007

Tata buys Chrysler for $1 March 25, 2007

A tale of two numbers March 11, 2007

Heroic Buddhadev 25 February, 2007

Check naka blues 11, February, 2007

Don’t say ‘what’, tell me ‘how’ 28 January 2007

If good men do nothing, January 14, 2007

An Indo-Chinese curry December 31, 2006

Private virtue, public vice December 17, 2006

Thali to plough December 3, 2006

The price of potatoes, November 19, 2006

Things that matter, November 5, 2006

Saaf Aangan Dreams October 22, 2006

India’s mystifying rise, October 8, 2006

Lalu is our Ronald Reagan, September 24, 2006

Don’t despair over integrity September 10, 2006