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

Forget the jetsetting, Modiji. Just think jobs in 2016

Road to smart cities goes via Dharavi, not Chandigarh

The Dharma Of Capitalism

Bihar polls over, it’s time to fix those leaky pipes

Handle with care: The big takeaway from Nepal fiasco

शिक्षा की शर्मनाक हकीकत

Smriti Irani, have a good cry. Then give 240m kids a chance

Death penalty: Life can be far worse, says the Mahabharata

Trading communities thrive on risks, trust

हम भारतीय पाखंडी कैसे हो गए?

सुधारों के लिए जूझते मोदी

Elusive tryst with destiny: Sixty-eight years into Independence, the market still remains in chains

Porn, prudes and the parampara of optimism

ये पांच चुनाव सुधार तत्काल हों

Wanted: Vyapam reforms to overhaul our democracy

व्यापारिक भूतकाल, मौजूदा कूटनीति

Modi is building on India’s wondrous trading past

साहसी फैसले न होने से निराशा