About the Author
At Nury Vittachi s birth, Civil War broke out. The two incidents were not connected. At least, I don t think so, he said. When he was a toddler, gunmen threatened the family, so they fled to the airport and bought tickets out of their homeland (then called Ceylon)on the first flight to anywhere. After several nomadic years, Vittachi settled in Hong Kong, where his way with words and nose for News made him famous for columns such as Lai See in the South China Morning Post and Travellers Tales in the Far Eastern Economic Review . He wrote a Book which sold out in 10 days and had to be reprinted six times. So he became an author, and wrote several Books which were picked up by major publishers around the world. He is best known for his comedy Crime Novel series The Feng Shui Detective . Vittachi has become a spokesman for Authors in Asia, having been instrumental in starting Asia s biggest writers conference, the Hong Kong International Literary Festival, a quarterly journal called the Asia Literary Review , and the Man Asia Literary Prize, a spin-off from the Man Booker Prize.
Contents
Searchledgments. 1. Introduction: The First Gurus Were Gurus. In which we prepare to unlock stores of WISDOM from the past. 2. The World s First Management Consultant. A sage assembling material for the Arthashastra, the fi rst Business book ever written, defi nes Strategic principles that still contain transformative power. 3. How to be Unstoppable. A Young Man uses principles in the Arthashastra to build one of the biggest empires in the world but he wants more. 4. The Source of Wealth. At the dawn of civilization, a group of people discover that concentrated economic activity generates riches. 5. On Winning and Losing. Minutes before he has to kill or be killed, a Soldier confronts the great questions of life. His Search for answers is preserved in the Bhagavad Gita. 6. The Goal is Not Where You Think it is. Siddhartha Gautama experiences great Wealth and extreme austerity and decides that both are false gods. He discovers that true fulfi llment lies elsewhere. 7. The Capacity to Change the World. A leader with a huge amount of drive uses it for both good and evil, and records his fi ndings in the extraordinary Edicts of Ashoka. 8. Achieving Balance. A young man embarks on a mission to summarize and codify human relationships and produces the Kama Sutra. 9. Further Travels in Ancient Writings. Inner journeys can take you a long way. But this book is merely the fi rst step on a much longer trip. Index.
Excerpts from Inner Flap (Outer)
The has always been the source of life-transforming wisdom. From all over the world, people have made pilgrimages to to find their centre, to journey inwards and to reignite their spirits. It is true today and it has been true since the dawn of recorded history. The secrets of that rich, spiritual power are in the country s most ancient texts, and this book makes the essence of that wisdom available in an appealing, fun-to-read style. And what we discover is that these classic writings are not just for hippies. They contain remarkable practical techniques ambitious people can use to grab and retain power and strategic maneuvers for success in business and politics. They also offer valuable advice on interpersonal skills and timeless wisdom on achieving balance in life. The title of this book may have some readers thinking it contains 64 positions in which you can screw your business rivals, complete with diagrams. What it really contains is far more interesting than that. It promises to enhance your performance in your professional and personal lives in countless ways, by giving you an elixir distilled from the oldest sources of all. Whether that s better than sex, is for you to decide!
Review
Read this: Nury Vittachi offers lessons for business and life from the stories of great leaders and their adventures. ( The Guardian, March 2007) "There is some excellent scholarly work here, and the book has some useful business insights". ( The Guardian , Friday 30th March 2007) "Vittachi is a good writer in a technical sense he uses clear prose and short sentences, allowing the reader to glide effortlessly." ( World Business , April 2007) Peppered with fascinating facts and ageless business and management wisdom looks at good business practices from a fascinating historical perspective" (Retail & Leisure International, May 2007)
Extracts
Read this: Nury Vittachi offers lessons for business and life from the stories of great leaders and their adventures. ( The Guardian, March 2007) "There is some excellent scholarly work here, and the book has some useful business insights". ( The Guardian, Friday 30th March 2007) "Vittachi is a writer in a technical sense uses clear prose and short sentences, allowing the reader to glide effortlessly." ( World Business, April 2007) Peppered with fascinating facts and ageless business and management wisdom looks at good business practices from a fascinating historical perspective" (Retail & Leisure International, May 2007)