Book excerpt: 'Sing, Dance, and Lead' by Hindol Sengupta

Prof. Dr. Hindol Sengupta is a celebrated historian, journalist, and author of 12 acclaimed books. A World Economic Forum young global leader, Dr. Sengupta, combines deep expertise in history, international relations, and economics. His work explores India’s rise in the world and how it weaves together culture, politics, and spirituality with rare insight. In his latest book titled 'Sing, Dance, and Lead', Dr. Sengupta very carefully navigates and bridges the gap between the modern, ambitious society and age-old spiritual wisdom.

He delivers a thought-provoking reflection on how spiritual values can and should shape modern leadership and decision-making. Dr. Sengupta urges his readers through this book to look at their personal and professional lives as offerings to the divine, drawing his inspiration from Srila Prabhupada , the founder of ISKCON , well known as the Hare Krishna movement, which became a respected global organization. This book will clear your mind, widen your horizons, and enable you to view leadership not merely as a role but as a responsibility rooted in service and empathy.

What makes 'Sing, Dance, and Lead' stand out is its insistence that embracing spiritual truth does not mean it will hinder our greatest ambitions but will enhance them. Dr. Sengupta’s expertise in history, faith, and economics offers a fresh perspective on how individuals can thrive even without losing their faith in the supreme power above.


Here's an excerpt from the book 'Sing, Dance, and Lead' by Prof. Dr. Hindol Sengupta, published with permission from Penguin Random House.

Excerpts from the book 'Sing, Dance and Lead'
Chapter - Hurry, Hari Bol!
Book Author - Prof (Dr.) Hindol Sengupta

We often view our lives less as experiences to cherish and more as careers to pursue, a ladder to climb. The role of this book is to help turn our gaze towards eternal things and to encourage every reader to think that there are greater elevations that await them. Like how the early disciples of Srila Prabhupada promised ‘the high of Krishna’ to the hippies of the flower power generation to wean them away from intoxicants and towards bhakti, this book urges an understanding of peace and the purpose of God realisation.


It was written to break the illusion that any talk of incorporating spirituality into what we think of as our work life is esoteric, whimsical or even impractical. With each step and chapter, this book shows that there are deeper dimensions to many of the key principles that govern institutions, their building and management, and notions of success.


It seeks to highlight that embracing the higher spiritual truth takes us closer to our greatest possible achievements and dreams, and not away from them. This is because anything that is done as an offering to the Divine taps into a higher purpose and calling. The success of such a task touched by grace could attain immeasurable heights. Simply put, God can take our plans to destinations and heights that we cannot imagine, and therefore offering our endeavours as service to Him is a resonant teaching of Srila Prabhupada.


One of the ways we could create space for this recognition is to schedule reflective time—time spent chanting, offering obeisance to a Deity at home, or during a visit to a shrine or temple that appeals to us. It is important to note that perhaps, we live in the first period of history where we have, in many ways, cut away all space and time for anything spiritual or meditative. In earlier generations, people usually had space and time for a temple visit, a fast associated with some ritual or an altar at home. There was a palpable sense of understanding the role of God in our lives—an act that taught us humility and a deeper realization of our position vis-a-vis the Divine.


The primary tool that this book offers is the understanding that leadership is a by-product of empathy and a definite sense of self-effacement. True leaders seldom put their needs above those of the organization or people who work under their instructions. Leadership, therefore, is about cultivating a rooted
conviction of service, the ability to see goals and aspirations beyond limited personal milestones and work for targets that might subsume or negate personal achievement markers. Leadership is also about understanding and explaining the idea of purpose and a fundamental sense of honesty—what needs to be done must be done with the greatest integrity.


The common understanding is that certain kind of ethical and moral frameworks given to us from the world of spirituality could be critical in the way we build institutions, including those related to business. Sociologist Max Weber spoke of the ‘protestant work ethic’ and how its virtues, such as, hard work, honesty, relentless focus and undistracted belief helped capitalism flourish.


But Srila Prabhupada’s teaching goes much deeper. He is not encouraging us to seek the Divine because of mere material benefits or financial success. According to Prabhupada, that would be limited and futile. He is instead urging us to have a much deeper comprehension of what life truly is and who grants us the grace to lead a fruitful life. Prabhupada teaches that the answer lies in our own understanding that the best kind of performance in any activity, not just a job, is when that activity is conducted and presented as an offering to the highest level possible—a tribute to the Divine.