"Wealth and India" (Random Cribbing).
1) Is our 'culture' a growth-propelling, competence-rewarding, and wealth-creating one?
I will proceed to argue that it is not. This may only be because I am ignorant, but more likely because I am arrogant.
Which again my 'culture' detests.
I feel that we Indians have had no philosophical context to understand the process of wealth creation.
We have been taught to thrive in meagre living, or, excel in our work 'in a humble sense of social welfare.'
That is why I see so many of the 'newly-rich' software professionals and those from the service industry not being able to respond to this new condition.
Should they feel guilty for earning the huge pay packet? Or should they splurge like there's no tomorrow?
Which might be a reality, actually. With China waiting behind the hill to capture the Service industry soon.
So, theres no immediate 'tradition' to refer to when they try to comprehend this.
Where do they refer to for these answers?
2) We speak grandly of being a Super Power. Yet we love to bash up the US and other developed countries. Instead of trying to see what made them click!
Well, the sad truth is, the First Ranker in class never cared a damn about the failures belittling him from the back benches.
So this generation - I, and those that are to come - have to evolve a 'culture' of our own.
3) And finally, what really is 'India'? Or, to put it more specifically, WHO is 'India'.
It is 'I'
When 'I' create wealth honestly in my chosen line of work, when 'I' advance the bar of excellence a small notch higher, I am pushing the 'concept' of 'India' a notch higher too.
That is the truth. But we as a nation always like misappropriating an Indian individual's performance, and somehow by calling it an 'Indian' victory and celebrating it for days - we waste so much time and bunk college and office and sit and talk and talk and talk!
If some american discovers the atom bomb - "Oh, we indians have done that a long time ago. See in the Vedas!"
Damn it, what have YOU done?
I will proceed to argue that it is not. This may only be because I am ignorant, but more likely because I am arrogant.
Which again my 'culture' detests.
I feel that we Indians have had no philosophical context to understand the process of wealth creation.
We have been taught to thrive in meagre living, or, excel in our work 'in a humble sense of social welfare.'
That is why I see so many of the 'newly-rich' software professionals and those from the service industry not being able to respond to this new condition.
Should they feel guilty for earning the huge pay packet? Or should they splurge like there's no tomorrow?
Which might be a reality, actually. With China waiting behind the hill to capture the Service industry soon.
So, theres no immediate 'tradition' to refer to when they try to comprehend this.
Where do they refer to for these answers?
2) We speak grandly of being a Super Power. Yet we love to bash up the US and other developed countries. Instead of trying to see what made them click!
Well, the sad truth is, the First Ranker in class never cared a damn about the failures belittling him from the back benches.
So this generation - I, and those that are to come - have to evolve a 'culture' of our own.
3) And finally, what really is 'India'? Or, to put it more specifically, WHO is 'India'.
It is 'I'
When 'I' create wealth honestly in my chosen line of work, when 'I' advance the bar of excellence a small notch higher, I am pushing the 'concept' of 'India' a notch higher too.
That is the truth. But we as a nation always like misappropriating an Indian individual's performance, and somehow by calling it an 'Indian' victory and celebrating it for days - we waste so much time and bunk college and office and sit and talk and talk and talk!
If some american discovers the atom bomb - "Oh, we indians have done that a long time ago. See in the Vedas!"
Damn it, what have YOU done?
posted by R S Prasanna | 5:59 AM
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