Humankind is at the threshold of a global crisis, confronting dire consequences. Worldwide economies are scuffling with anomalous threats traversing social, economic and environmental dimensions of sustainability. Global warming, climate change, financial crisis and mental traumas are engulfing mankind. Sustainability is the need of the hour. Sustainability has accumulated extensive discourse in the Indian scriptures. Classical Indian wisdom is also referred to as Sanaātana Dharma wherein Sanaātana means that its relevance transcends the boundaries of space and time and is omnipresent (...) in its scope and application. Therefore, the ancient Indian ethos can assist modern businesses to fabricate a sustainable model of management. Conventional Indian wisdom puts forth a holistic approach wherein scriptures such as the Vedas, the Buddhist texts, and Kautilya’s Arthshashtra established the principles of sustainability centuries ago. Bhagavad Gita, which is regarded as the quintessence of the Vedas, highlights numerous lessons on sustainability that can help businesses tackle the volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous world. This article is an attempt to delve into our rich heritage to discover the business sustainability lessons embedded in our age-old scriptures, particularly the Bhagavad Gita, so that businesses can refer to it and develop some authentic responses to the critical modern-day problems faced them. (shrink)

This article delves into the ancient Indian techniques of sustainable water resource management and the corresponding modern-day approaches of hydro-science towards sustainability. This article takes a comprehensive look at the traditional methods of water management that have been practised in India for centuries and highlights their relevance in the present-day context. The ancient techniques of water management in India, including rainwater harvesting, groundwater recharge and canal systems, were developed based on a deep understanding of the local ecosystems and the water (...) cycle. These practices were designed to promote the sustainable use of water resources and maintain a delicate balance between water availability and demand. In recent times, with the increasing global awareness of sustainability, there has been a renewed interest in these traditional practices which have been developed with a focus on reducing environmental impacts, conserving natural resources and promoting social and ecological equity which includes green technologies, circular economies and sustainable development goals and are rooted in the principles of sustainability that were ingrained in ancient India. In summary, this research contributes to emphasize the need to preserve traditions and integrate them with modern technology to achieve sustainable growth and ensure a sustainable future for all. (shrink)

The pursuit of a meaningful and purposeful existence has consistently been a universal human aspiration, even in the field of business. Individuals seek significance in every endeavour they undertake. In line with this notion, the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita (SBG) directs individuals towards the path of truth and purpose. The present study attempts to examine the effect of SBG-identified variable entitled as ‘Theory of Work’ or ‘Karma’ (consisting of no desire for fruit (NDF), non-attachment (NA), deterministic intellect (DI), righteous duty (RD), (...) success and failure as equal (SAF)) on self-efficacy (SE) among teachers in higher educational institutions (HEI) in India. It also aims to find the association between SE and goal performance and leadership effectiveness among the teachers of HEI. A judgemental sampling procedure was adopted to collect the data from HEI clustered across five different zones in the country. A total of 600 responses were collected through an online-administered questionnaire. The analysis results indicated that theory of work variables (i.e., NDF, DI, NA and RD) have a significant positive effect on SE, and SE positively affects the goal performance and leadership effectiveness. However, treating SAF as equal variables was not found to have a significant effect on SE. (shrink)

Like knowledge systems of ancient civilizations everywhere, ancient Indian knowledge systems have been recognized for their emphasis on sustainable living practices. There is renewed interest in ‘going back to these roots’, a return to and a rediscovery of traditional knowledge and lifestyles, which we identify as neotraditionalism. Neotraditionalism has emerged in the encounter of the customary with the metropolitan colonial West and is influenced by Western Enlightenment’s liberal ethic of equality. It suffers from a blindness to diversity and difference. In (...) this article, we argue that equality as universal feature of neotraditionalism makes it closer to Western consumer capitalism than it does to customary knowledge and practices. We suggest that modern western capitalism combined with Western Enlightenment’s liberal ethic of equality has eroded our appreciation for the link between difference, diversity and sustainability. Western capitalism is not only about changing modes of production but also about changing modes of consumption: the emergence of mass consumption practices with their emphasis on civic equality was a necessary step in the dismantling of aristocratic hierarchy. Restrictions in social structures hinder the emergence of bigger markets for capitalists and manufacturers. We therefore argue that the preoccupation of neotraditionalism with a universalization of tradition that is blind to jati-based differences and diversities undermines the implicit demand– supply balances that were historically at work within the framework of traditional sacred cultural beliefs and practices. Because of this, neotraditionalism errs on the side of promoting consumer capitalism and thereby eroding its ability to further the achievement of sustainability based on tradition. As such, neotraditionalism needs to delink from the liberal myth of equality and embrace diversity of consumption practices in order to truly enable sustainable lifestyles anchored in ancient Indian knowledge systems. (shrink)

Picturebooks that focus on environmental issues offer children the chance to connect with natural settings, promoting emotional and mental health, while also developing ethical principles and an authentic concern for the environment. This genre possesses the capacity to emotionally captivate children through its combination of text and visuals, potentially resulting in a shift in their perspectives towards the topics and issues being portrayed. In addition to this, picturebooks are educational because they use words and images to choose, arrange, and understand (...) data and statistics, thereby making knowledge accessible to those who are generally interested and engaging readers on an emotional and intellectual level. This essay examines how the picturebook Seeds of Change: Planting a Path to Peace (2010) effectively communicates Wangari Maathai’s environmental advocacy. For this purpose, the article offers a brief examination of the influence of Maathai’s Green Belt Movement and the holistic ecological connotations that the visual representations seek to emphasize. The article contends that this ‘green informational picturebook’ acts as a catalyst for transformative learning by enhancing ecological literacy in children and serving as a platform for environmental education and sustainability in the public as a whole. (shrink)

The conventional concept of sustainability is commonly limited to the realm of diplomacy, emphasizing the need to protect the environment while also addressing human needs and desires. However, upon closer examination, this definition and practice reveals a deeply ingrained anthropocentric perspective in which human beings occupy the dominant position within the value systems. This perspective raises the crucial question of whether it provides a comprehensive, unbiased and cohesive framework for understanding and practicing sustainability and demanding justice. Following this issue, when (...) we investigate into the predominant anthropocentric viewpoints on sustainability through the holistic lens of ancient Indian philosophical traditions such as Vedanta, Buddhism and Jainism, we encounter challenges in adequately addressing fundamental questions concerning nature, preservation, justice and human well-being. In this article, we focus on Jainism, one of these ancient Indian schools of thought, which offers a distinctive and holistic philosophy for understanding sustainable thinking and practice. To restate, it not only encourages care and reverence for the natural world but also strives to rectify existing injustices, whether humanistic or ecological. With this, we aim to convey that Jainism’s unique philosophy offers a holistic framework for sustainability. (shrink)