In the last few weeks, most of us have been working from home and adjusting with the ‘new normal’ whether it is working in a different environment, heavy leverage of technology or operating with remote teams.
Whilst in lockdown, one of things I did, like a lot of people, was to catch a glimpse of my favorite epics Ramayana and Mahabharata. An important lesson that both these epics impart is that, irrespective of the difficult situations one goes through, one should never forget his/ her dharma (Righteousness), whether it is war, loss of loved ones or loss of wealth. The timeless lessons include Acting with Integrity (abiding by the cardinal rules), Raj Dharma (duties of leaders towards people) and, ensuring Good Governance and Commitment (in managing one’s affairs). Applying these teachings in the current scenario, people in-charge of Corporate Governance, including the Board and Audit Committees, need to abide by their Dharma of ensuring Good Governance and effective control framework. This duty bestowed by virtue of expectations from the Stakeholders and by virtue of the regulations. Hence, a verse from the age-old scripts, “Dharmo Rakshati Rakhshitaha”, “Uphold Dharma and you shall be upheld”, still stands out as a sermon, which can largely be applied to organisations during these testing times. “Uphold Governance and the Organisation shall be upheld”.