“You can take a man out of India but not India out of a man.” What is India’s heritage and tradition that led to such an anecdote? This spurned a serious of questions and the answers to which form this small booklet.
Introduction
A decade back (in 1996) when India was gradually waking up to the calls of liberalization, an article appeared in Mumbai edition of Ascent, the supplement with Times of India by C.A. Stephen, the then Manager (Training) Bharat Petroleum. The article stated, “...Unlike Japanese and US managers, the Indian manager does not have a commonly shared philosophical base for his managerial behavior. There could be various reasons namely, lack of appreciation of ancient Indian philosophy, semi-westernized education which does not include Indian thought etc...”
When we extrapolate Stephen’s observation, we will find that it actually reflects the present state of each and every Indian whether he / she is a resident, non-resident or PIO (Person of Indian Origin).
Now everyday there are news about Indian corporates buying out companies across globe bigger than their size. We find a lot of Indian students opting to study abroad and also excelling in studies, research and employment. Add this to the booming local economy and increased employment opportunities we can clearly see that the much needed self-confidence seems to be back in us.
In his recent interview, Greg Chappell the famed Australian who coaches the Indian Cricket team has praised India in general for her “resilient nature” after the Indian test cricket team’s resounding win over their South African counterparts. Keeping the information outlined in the above paragraphs in the background, we need to think how all these positive changes are taking place now in the Indian mindset. We also, at this juncture, try to know our glorious tradition that is renewed by the evolution of our culture over centuries and the heritage that our forefathers have left behind to treasure. This understanding will reveal our psyche and help us to scale great heights without losing touch with reality.
Alvin Toffler said that Earth is a Global Village, which is nothing but the English approximation of Vasudaiva Kutumbakam - our time tested traditional thinking. India is one country where civilization flourished when in other parts of the globe people were wandering without proper clothing and food in the forests.
India is a repository and depository of a glorious tradition and culture carefully brought down by (a) the Gurukul system founded by the great Rishis of the hoary past, (b) the joint family system where the elders at home who along with food creatively fed the children moral values at supper times and (c) professional story tellers (the bhagavatas – the one who relish in sharing the divine sport of the Lord in various forms through elucidating the stories from Puranas and Ithihasas) who spread the message of Dharma i.e. principles to lead life amicably. Th list can be expanded to include the intelligent traders who sailed overseas or walked over the towering snow capped Himalayan ranges to engage in business, whether it is a barter or bilateral trade. It was in those times, without the present 10+2+X education system we contributed to more that 15% of the World’s GDP.
Without getting into the technicalities of the Sanskrit words, without attempting to prove that we are the most ancient civilizations, without attempting to prove that our Indian system of life is the best, an attempt has been made to present a picture of who are we and also reveal the treasures that have been left behind by our forefathers. Though this may not drastically change our lives but would surely help us to get a much broader perspective of life as we would derive strength from our own roots and flower due to the understanding of our complex yet simple nation.
This process may rekindle fond memories of your childhood and also for some it may cause depression as they will figure out how the present education system has clinically begun to destroy the very edifice of our tradition and culture. Today we are at a juncture where we are able to discuss and share the fundamental truths that the mass is blissfully unaware in a language, English, that the Macaulay system gave us. May be we were not ready earlier to receive the light on our tradition and also the absence of a mass acceptable language was absent. So instead of decrying the past and denouncing Macaulay, let us focus on the present to understand our tradition and chart a way for our future.
They say that evolution is a conscious process that involves decision making. Moreover the quality of our decisions is measured by the foresight that one exhibits in this process. So from now on let our decisions making process derive benefit from the repository of knowledge and distilled wisdom left behind as our indelible assets by our forefathers.
Each Indian is a Hanuman, time has come to awake him / her up with appropriate thoughts, and truths from traditions of his / her own country, which (it seems) has been forgotten long back. This awakening will help us to evaluate situations we face, tackle them according to their merit, learn from the results and evolve. It is imperative that we all search for our roots and be aware of it, as awareness is keyword in life. All we have to develop at this juncture is an objective and penetrating outlook into our culture and tradition. As Marcel Proust said,” The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having a new pair of eyes.”
Parting note….
There are instances in this introduction as well as the content to follow where the reader would feel disjointed or incomplete. It is done with a purpose to urge you to go into details yourself. This small booklet is not intended to be a be-all resource but aimed to serve as a starting point to your own journey that needs to be planned by yourself at your own pace.
