Leadership translates vision into reality. Leaders innovate, unite, motivate, take risks, and transform. Sing, Dance and Lead is a resonant call to reimagine leadership through the timeless wisdom and spiritual teachings of Srila Prabhupada. Hindol Sengupta, an award-winning historian and author, invites us into a world where ancient wisdom and spiritual values meet modern management insights, crafting a leadership narrative that is profound, practical, and transformative.
The book unveils Srila Prabhupada’s extraordinary journey to New York at the age of 69—with zero money, zero contacts, and not-so-good health. It was a journey into the unknown with nothing more than conviction, simplicity, devotion, and spiritual knowledge. This extraordinarily simple man, within a short span of three years, planted the seeds of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) on foreign soil, which blossomed into a global spiritual movement. Within 10 years, across the globe, over 100 temples dedicated to Lord Krishna were built by millions of followers.
Sengupta, in his captivating book, brings these events to life, demonstrating how leadership grounded in faith can overcome even the steepest odds and the greatest hurdles. This book reveals the spirit of a monk who led without ambition and conquered without authority, whose only weapon was love anchored in truth.
While describing Prabhupada’s achievements, Sengupta artfully combines ancient Indian wisdom with contemporary management theories like Maslow’s Need Hierarchy, Herzberg’s Dual-Factor Theory, and Peter Drucker’s focus on people, making the book relevant for business executives, leaders, and students in the contemporary context. The book brings out how Srila Prabhupada’s leadership, rooted in inner purity, humility, service, and an unwavering commitment to a cause greater than the Self, could achieve phenomenal results beyond expectations.
This alignment of values isn’t abstract; it’s actionable, portrayed through anecdotes of how a spiritual calling actually translated into temple building, cultural bridges, and devoted discipleship. A particularly striking theme is how Prabhupada viewed leadership as service and empathy, not as authority and ambition. The author invites readers to view their lives as an offering to the divine. In a world often mired in the stress of productivity metrics, targets, and bottom lines, this perspective offers a refreshing reset: leadership as service, performance as devotion.
Sengupta, based on the example of Prabhupada, leads readers to discover that spirituality isn’t a retreat from the world or the professional pursuit; rather, it can be the most empowering source of professional pursuit and engagement in the world. Leadership, he argues, flourishes when empathy, integrity, service, and simplicity are taken as core values, as they remove all friction and stress from life.
The structure of the book mirrors its message. Chapters interweave Prabhupada’s story with interpretive frameworks, inviting reflection rather than prescribing answers. This approach allows leaders to draw on traditional values to navigate contemporary challenges. Sengupta, while examining the life of Prabhupada, also brings out how he successfully transmitted values such as devotion, humility, and conviction through the time-tested Guru-Shishya Parampara, similar to Michael Polanyi’s modern theory for the transmission of tacit knowledge. It’s a timely reminder to contemporary leaders that the most enduring institutions are built on trust, integrity, and shared purpose, not merely on organizational structures and strategies.
In an age when leadership books are in abundance but somewhat repetitive, Sing, Dance and Lead stands out. It challenges leaders to pause and ask: Are the motives of our leaders ambition or ego—or service to humanity? Are our goals aligned with a deeper mission of human happiness? Sengupta, in his book, provides answers to these core questions agitating the human race.
Therefore, the book is a compelling, deeply inspiring work on leadership, synthesizing spiritual legacy with contemporary theories and styles of leadership, offering fresh, meaningful insights for today’s world. Whether you’re a seasoned leader seeking depth, a follower of spiritual traditions, or simply someone yearning for purpose in life and work, this book offers a path illuminated by devotion, empathy, and unwavering dedication.
Disclaimer: The opinions and views expressed in this article/column are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of South Asian Herald.
