Swami Gaur Gopal Das on the 70-hour debate: It is about balance
During his session in BT Mindrash 2025, Swami Gaur Gopal Das weighed the 70-hour work-week debate.
So, where is Swami Gaur Gopal Das standing in the 70-hour work-wealth debate? A monk and writer, who was a guest speaker in Bt Mindrash 2025, believes that “finding the right balance” is everything.
When asked about the ongoing debate on what should be an ideal work hour, Swami Gaur Gopal Das says, “My point is, if someone can do a day -night work, 24/7, I am to stop him? Accepting the drive, who push themselves to the limit.
However, he warned that prolonged glorification as a universal benchmark could have serious consequences. “Now, by converting the ideology into criteria, there can be a nonstop burnout among people that we needed. What we were only discussing was a servant leadership. When we talk about servant leadership, we focus on the good of our employees and those who lead, what we lead,” they explained.
Swami Gaur Gopal Das also talked about the importance of overall welfare, saying that professional success is not equal to true fulfillment alone. “Welfare includes professional and financial aspects, of course. But trust me, while people are professionally skilled, they are not necessarily professionally well. There is a difference between being professional being efficient and actually ending in someone’s professional career.”
To clarify his philosophy, he mentioned a couplet by poet Bashar: “You find success in peace, and you find peace in success.”
“Can we do without success? No. You have to run, chase, do up, and give your 200%. There is no debate about this. But why are you doing all this if you can’t find peace in success? If you do not get perfection in peace? Then the ability to rest is, equally important,” he said.
After SN Subrahmanai, president of Larsen & Toubro (L&T), the debate on the work-life balance intensified, suggesting that employees should work on Sunday for 90 hours to remain competitive. Earlier, Infosys founder Narayan Murthy advocated a 70-hour work-week to promote productivity.
