The Kautilya Award is named after Kautilya. He was Chancellor to king Chandragupta Maurya, the grandfather of Emperor Ashoka. Arthashastra, a treatise on material gain, was written by Kautilya in the fourth century BCE. This is considered by many scholars to be one of the earliest books devoted to the science of statecraft and the art of acquiring wealth and power. This work defies classification: it is a blueprint for aspiring kings, a manual to the achievement of success, a repository of wise quotations and masterpiece of strategic thinking and planning. The book has left such an indelible influence on Indian thinking that the name Kautilya conjures up visions of brilliance and strategic plannning even today.

Kautilya, even though Brahmin, was daringly original in upsetting the hierarchy of values. Kautilya says:

"Of the three goals of human life, artha, (material gain), is the most important. The realization of the other two, dharma, (moral duty), and kama, (pleasure), rest squarely upon the acquisition of artha."

Legendary wisdom of Kautilya, the mastermind of reason, strategy and insight has been folklore in India for over two millennia.