Changing Tracks — Reinventing the Spirit of Indian Railways: V. Nilakant, S. Ramnarayan; Collins Business, an imprint of HarperColins Publishers, A-53, Sector 57, Noida, Uttar Pradesh-201301. Rs. 399.
The dramatic upswing in the performance of the Indian Railways in the first decade of the 21st century attracted worldwide attention. The world's second largest railway network under a single management found itself in a difficult financial situation in 2000, casting a shadow on its future. Over the next eight years, the iconic organisation had a surplus of Rs. 13,000 crore after accounting for all expenditures and depreciation, and this it achieved without changing its protocols, procedures, and structure. Nilakant and Ramnarayan have identified four distinctive features of this change: leveraging of the strengths, instead of being preoccupied with the weaknesses; changing the mindset about business models; sustaining the momentum of change by fostering positive emotions; and persevering with the changes till the goals are achieved. Calling this transformation a successful “experiment” in organisational change, they say its future success will be determined by the infusion, inter alia, of emotional connection and result-orientation and by a significant strengthening of cross-functional collaboration in the organisation.
Ramakrishna Paramahamsa — The Sadhaka of Dakshineswar: Rs. 325.
His Words — The Preachings and Parables of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa: Rs. 399. Both by Amiya P. Sen; Penguin/Viking, 11, Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi-110017.
The life and teachings of Ramakrishna have been written upon by innumerable scholars, disciples, followers, and devotees. The first of the two handy volumes traces the several contradictions of the 19th century Bengal the man embodied: between his Vaishnav roots and Sakti worship; between bhakti and gyan; and between guru and sadhaka (spiritual practitioner).
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