Power Within: The Leadership Legacy of Narendra Modi

by R. Balasubramaniam

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.

Genres: Politics, India

376 pages, Paperback

Published July 15, 2024

Reviews

[Arun Karpur · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book Power Within presents public leadership in a very new and refreshing light. Situation leadership as a spiritual evolution of one's self through dispassionate work is a difficult topic to present within a contemporary lens. Whereas we associate leadership with access to power, resources, material riches and societal position, Dr. Balu's framing of leadership rooted in Indic philosophical perspectives demonstrates the real struggle to exercise leadership. Here leading is prioritized against leader. The Indic framework of leading as an act of understanding the 'self' and others that are bound by acts of selflessness to advance societal good is unique to leadership literature. As articulated in the foreword by Dr. Nitin Nohria, the former Dean, and professor at the Harvard Business School, this book describes how leaders like PM Modi leverage rhetoric, action, and identity to move people of India and the entire world towards a common vision.

This book will take time as Dr. Balu introduces many new concepts and ideas that are not popularly well-understood. For example, his description of communication based on the idea of sadharnikaran is novel in the field of public communication. Dr. Balu's style of writing makes this dense book easier to read and his use of PM Modi as a living exemplar paves way for better understanding of the text. One shouldn't confuse this book as being biographical or evaluative of PM Modi's policies. Rather, the example of PM serves as a case study to better understand the concepts of raja dharma and Chanakya's core tenets of public administration. This book also contends with western concepts of leadership where appropriate and points to gaps that Indic perspective could fill to develop a wholistic perspective of leadership emerging from India.

I would urge readers to consume this material not as just aggrandizing India or its philosophy, but as a set of conceptual ideas that are relevant and necessary in the domain of public leadership. In the words of Ronald Heifetz, leadership is a risky business, and it takes a spiritual evolution to understand our true self and transcend our differences to constantly keep work at the center. The book presents these ideas drawing from the ancient Indian wisdom of Vedas, Upanishads, Gita, and more contemporary works of Swami Vivekananda - a nineteenth century monk who introduced Indian philosophical perspective for the first time to the western audience. The values drawn in this book are likely to resonate with both Indian and non-Indian audience.

Please take time to read it, internalize it, reflect on it, make notes to connect ideas across chapters. The generous bibliography will provide opportunities for avid readers to explore deeper into key topical areas. Help is also provided for an audience less familiar with terms, usually derived from Sanskrit language that formed the basis of ancient Indic philosophical texts.

[Praveen Sayyaparaju · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lot has been spoken about PM Modi - mostly extreme views about his life and work. Very rarely have we come across a book on his style of work, his exercise of leadership all through his life. Dr R Balu's book is an analysis on the same.

For me, this insightful and deeply thought-provoking work has been a super-abridged introduction to Indic wisdom and also a path to realization that the journey is long and arduous. The structured presentation gives a reassuring feeling that we have exemplars around us to learn from and aim to emulate.

We often quote Swami Vivekananda's letter to the Maharaja of Mysore - "They alone live who live for others, the rest are more dead than alive." This book is a must read to meet two people who are alive and living their life - PM Modi, and Dr RB (it takes someone like him to spot and narrate these leadership lessons).

[Shrinidhi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Power Within: The Leadership Legacy of Narendra Modi" by R. Balasubramaniam contrasts Western and Indian leadership philosophies. It highlights Modi's journey, showing how his early experiences shaped his purpose. Through anecdotes from colleagues, we see his hard work and communication skills that led him to become Prime Minister. The book blends Western and Indic views, offering valuable insights for aspiring leaders.

[Aditya Saraff · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book fulfils the objective that it set out to achieve: it uses Indic thought to delve into a concept (i.e. leadership) that has been formalised as a concept by the west (and which, many a times, teaches concepts that make us unconsciously make decisions that keep the western interests at heart). The book is laden with examples and facts from the governance under PM Modi that provides relatability to these abstract or difficult-to-understand concepts.

[hanumanth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful and different take on leadership. Great subject, analysis based facts and interpretations. Leadership viewed through Indian and western perspectives.

[Ramesh Vajram · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a great book for perfecting leadership. Thanks for writing very nice book

[Abhay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of theory, but it was frankly, not a well put together book. There was really not much about Modi’s leadership. I was expecting more.