Date:12/07/2005 URL:
http://www.thehindu.com/2005/07/12/s...1212220100.htm
Some money, some mantras, some management
Lakshmi B. Ghosh

NEW DELHI: Much before they learn to master the boardroom mantras for
success and win business with the right moves and counter-moves,
Delhi University's commerce students can now take a lesson in self-
realisation as well.
With the University making it compulsory for its colleges to offer
Philosophy as a concurrent subject in the restructured new B.Com
(Honours) course, the most popular commerce course on the campus will
no longer be just about getting the numbers right but also a chance
to master the path to nirvana.
Although Philosophy was available to students as a subsidiary paper
in some colleges until last year, the restructured programme now
makes it mandatory for all colleges to offer the course in the second
year.
Students will still have a choice to opt for any of the other choices
offered by their college, but with all students finally getting the
option, teachers are hoping that the students will realise the need
to not just learn how to make money but also the stress-free way to
enjoy it.
"It is a great move because students will learn the importance of
self-realisation. Money is not the ultimate end. So students who have
been learning accounting and business management will now also learn
about life management, time management and, most important, spiritual
management.
Philosophy is an integral part of most top MBA courses. And it may be
good for the students to start early,'' says Rachna Sharma, who
teaches the subject at Hans Raj College.
>From the Bhagvad Gita to Vedas, Upanishads to Satyagraha and Non-
Violence to Buddhist and Jain ethics, Paper No. XV -- Introduction to
Philosophy -- is also being seen as an important tool to help
students deal with the high stress that the subject is known to
impart.
To be taught as a concurrent subject in the second year of B.Com
(Honours), Philosophy was earlier a subsidiary paper in the second
year and has now become a compulsory subject for students of the
course.
The change comes with the introduction of the restructured B.Com
(Honours) programme last year, with Business Ethics being the new
entrant in the first year.
According to teachers, a majority of the students often did not opt
for the subject earlier because they did not see the need for
Philosophy in the Commerce stream. "Most MBA programmes teach the
Gita or other aspects of Indian Philosophy. It has become
increasingly necessary for students stepping into the commerce field
to also learn the art of handling stress.
The choice is now up to the students and we are hoping that many will
now go for the option so it adds to their life later,'' says another
teacher.
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