CHANDIGARH: The third session before lunch cleared a lot of air regarding 'Kautilya's Arthashatra' that has been victim to widespread misunderstanding over the years at 'Chanakya- Intelligence and Warfare' here on Saturday at the Military Literature Festival 2017.
Adorned with panelists like Professor Michael Liebig, Colonel Harjit Singh, Lt Colonel Rohit Aggarwal along with the moderator Lt General Kamal Davar, the session opened with Lt Colonel Davar blaming India for not giving Chanakya his due. "He is read and reserached much more abroad than in his own country," he said. Inspired from him, now they have a US Army War college, while we should actually have an Indian Army War College. It is our pity," he said.
He spoke about his political parties still using his principles of 'Saam, Daam, Dand, Bhed' thus re-affirming his relevance in the present times.
Talking about his seven year old research, Michael Liebig, a professor at the University of Hyderabad called 'Kautilya's Arthashatra as a foundation text of political science and political intelligence. He declared it as the "first scholarly text in intelligence ever". " It is scholarly and systematic and applies to interstate relations and public administration. It also deals with mainly the internal and external security of the state along with military security as well," he said.
According to Liebig, in regular warfare and irregular warfare, intelligence is fundamental and explains "finding grievance among people, and if justified to be immediately remedied" as the first principle of managing a state for Kautilya (Chanakya).
Clearing air about Chanakya being an economist, Colonel Harjit Singh said, " if you go to a library and ask for Kautilya's Arthshastra, the librarian will send you to the economics section. But in reality, out of fifteen pages, only five deal with state policy and administration while all the others deal with espionage and foreign policy, making it more of a military document." Colonel Harjit criticised the modernist perception of Chanakya describing it as "suffering with too many western overlays". He alos spoke about the Saptganga Theory, made of seven elements prescribed by Chanakya being rural, minister, public, treasury, fort, and allies.
Lastly, Colonel Aggarwal remarked that Chanakyas principles are still very much relevant in the present times, due to their "universal and unchanging" nature. "They are based on human nature. On emotions like anger, greed, vanity, overjoy among others. And his warfre is based on three factors being time, space and resources," he said.
Adorned with panelists like Professor Michael Liebig, Colonel Harjit Singh, Lt Colonel Rohit Aggarwal along with the moderator Lt General Kamal Davar, the session opened with Lt Colonel Davar blaming India for not giving Chanakya his due. "He is read and reserached much more abroad than in his own country," he said. Inspired from him, now they have a US Army War college, while we should actually have an Indian Army War College. It is our pity," he said.
He spoke about his political parties still using his principles of 'Saam, Daam, Dand, Bhed' thus re-affirming his relevance in the present times.
Talking about his seven year old research, Michael Liebig, a professor at the University of Hyderabad called 'Kautilya's Arthashatra as a foundation text of political science and political intelligence. He declared it as the "first scholarly text in intelligence ever". " It is scholarly and systematic and applies to interstate relations and public administration. It also deals with mainly the internal and external security of the state along with military security as well," he said.
According to Liebig, in regular warfare and irregular warfare, intelligence is fundamental and explains "finding grievance among people, and if justified to be immediately remedied" as the first principle of managing a state for Kautilya (Chanakya).
Clearing air about Chanakya being an economist, Colonel Harjit Singh said, " if you go to a library and ask for Kautilya's Arthshastra, the librarian will send you to the economics section. But in reality, out of fifteen pages, only five deal with state policy and administration while all the others deal with espionage and foreign policy, making it more of a military document." Colonel Harjit criticised the modernist perception of Chanakya describing it as "suffering with too many western overlays". He alos spoke about the Saptganga Theory, made of seven elements prescribed by Chanakya being rural, minister, public, treasury, fort, and allies.
Lastly, Colonel Aggarwal remarked that Chanakyas principles are still very much relevant in the present times, due to their "universal and unchanging" nature. "They are based on human nature. On emotions like anger, greed, vanity, overjoy among others. And his warfre is based on three factors being time, space and resources," he said.
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