What if Chanakya, Adi Shankaracharya, and Bhishma sat down with Elon Musk and Ratan Tata? That’s the conversation Virat Chirania spent a pandemic writing.
TEDx speaker, executive life coach, and Art of Living teacher Virat Chirania discusses his book on extracting modern leadership lessons from India’s legendary figures. The book emerged organically from online teaching sessions during COVID — when his throat gave out from Zoom fatigue, he started writing instead. The resulting work is described as “a mini MBA course with a spiritual angle” — uniquely Indian in its sources yet globally applicable in its lessons.
The discussion draws out specific insights: how Shivaji’s defeat of Afzal Khan is a masterclass in playing to one’s strengths under extreme pressure; how Chanakya’s journey to Takshashila — alone, on merit, after losing his father in childhood — is pure meritocracy in action; how Adi Shankaracharya walking across India twice before the age of 32 redefines what one person with single-minded purpose can accomplish. The book’s motto — “uniquely Indian, utterly global” — is Chirania’s vision for India’s cultural future.

About the Speakers:
Akshay Raghav is a management professional and alumnus of Punjab University, Chandigarh. Passionate about Indic heritage and Sanskrit studies, he authored The Dopamine Effect! Or The Maya Effect?, blending scientific principles with ancient Indian knowledge.

Dr. Virat Chirania is a TEDx speaker, bestselling author, and life coach with over 25,000 hours of training across 15 countries. Holding a PhD in Emotional Intelligence, he integrates ancient wisdom with modern lifestyle. Formerly in a corporate career, he now serves as Director of Programs at the Art of Living Foundation.