We feel lost without chaos: Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev

Going onstage after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s keynote address is hard. But not if you are Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev. A much sought-after speaker, Vasudev was at his best, peppering his 20-minute speech on February 23 at the fifth edition of the ET Global Business Summit with humour and wisdom. He said India might look like “impossible chaos” to outsiders, but it is in fact a resilient organisation. He quickly added, “We enjoy some chaos. We feel lost if there is no chaos.”

He said India has in the past three decades understood what makes a country work. “To make a nation successful, what is required is not successful politics or successful armies, but successful businesses.” For the Indian economy to advance, he stressed, some drastic policy decisions like the goods and services tax (GST) need to be taken even though they may be painful.

Vasudev also underscored the importance of the idea of a nation in the minds of its people. “When we invest our thought and emotion in it, it becomes a wonderful idea. Otherwise, it becomes a nasty idea.”