Yes, you read it right - Panchatantra and Management. Your look of wonder and confusion is completely apt. Who would have thought that the stories we used to hear when we were small actually teach important management lessons? Not me, for once! But such is the depth and greatness of our culture, which we often tend to overlook or forget. Panch means five and Tantra means strategies. The Panchtantra stories teach you the following five strategies to solve the problems of life:
1. Loss of friends
2. Gaining friends
3. Of crows and owl
4. Loss of Gains
5. Imprudence

It may sound peculiar, or even anomalous, how these children's bedtime chronicles are actually a management Guru's citations. But the fact is, Panchtantra tales are renowned for their efficiency and effectiveness of practicing Management. Each story gives you a practical guide to face the world as it is. For example, sample this story:

It was a fine sunny day in the forest, and a lion was sitting outside his cave, lying lazily in the sun. Along comes a fox, out on a walk.

Fox: "Do you know my watch is broken?"
Lion: "Oh, I can easily fix the watch for you."
Fox: "Hmm. But it's a very complicated mechanism, and your great claws will only destroy it even more."
Lion: "Oh no problem at all, give it to me, and it will be fixed."
Fox: "That's ridiculous! Any fool knows that lazy lions with great claws cannot fix complicated watches."
Lion: "Sure, they can do! Give it to me and it will be fixed."

The fox gave gave him his watch hesitatingly and waited outside the lion's cave. The lion disappears into his cave, and after a while he comes back with the watch working perfectly. The fox is very much impressed, and the lion continues to lie lazily in the Sun, looking very pleased with himself. Soon a wolf comes along and stops to watch the lazy lion in the Sun.

Wolf: "Can I come and watch your TV tonight with you, because mine is broken."
Lion: "Oh, I can easily fix your TV for you."
Wolf: "You don't expect me to believe such rubbish, do you? There is no way that a lazy lion with big claws can fix a complicated TV."
Lion: "No problem. Do you want to try it?"
The wolf went back to his house, brought his TV and gave it to the lion hesitatingly and waited outside the lion's cave. The lion again goes in his cave, and after a while comes back with a perfectly fixed TV. The wolf goes away happily and amazed.

Now come to inside lion's cave - scene inside the lion's cave:
In one corner there are half a dozen small and intelligent looking rabbits busily doing very complicated works with very sophisticated instruments. In the other corner lies a huge lion looking very pleased with himself.

The important management lessons we learnt from this story are:
1. If you want to know why a supervisor is famous, look at the work of subordinates.
2. If you want to know why someone undeserved is promoted look at the work of his subordinates.

Surprised? Precisely! This is exactly what means by Panchtantra teaching important lessons of management. Reading all of the above, it is indeed amazing to know the extent of Ancient Indian wisdom. The creators of Panchtantra surely thought far ahead of their time. And not to forget, it is just one of the many pearls of Ancient Indian wisdom. The progressiveness, practicality, power, profundity of the Panchtantra would surely make one say - Incredible India-aah!