It was Mahatma Gandhi's words that still spell magic, even decades after he tried to influence the capitalists with his concept of trusteeship. "There is enough for everyone's need, but not enough for everyone's greed".
Mahatma Gandhi was the greatest Indian leader ever, and had and still influences the way hundreds of thousands of Indians think even today, when it comes to thinking about sharing of resources with others.
Make no mistake.
Mahatma Gandhi was able to influence a few more great Indian leaders in a very big way. Jawaharlal Nehru, Rajaji, Kamaraj, Sardar Patel, Morarji Desai and a few others. But thereafter there has been a big vacuum.
Still, there are several other values that are uniquely Indian, which we need to take to the world and make a big noise about, at least much more than what we are doing now.
Let us discuss some of these values, and then extrapolate these values and distill the learning that can come through these values.
The most important value that Indians have is tolerance of ambiguity. Look at how the very poor and the lower middle classes go about their lives. At most times of their career, their meager savings do not allow them to enjoy even the normal comforts of life. Quality medical care of the private sector is beyond their reach. They just about manage to make enough to keep their bodies going on a day to day basis. Most of their drop out before they reach the school final stage, or just after that.
It is this big group of school drop outs who go all out to join politics or make a living out even the smallest political action, in most of the small towns and villages. Most of this is unethical, though.
Yet, the most important point is that whatever the outcome of every single difficulty that they face, most Indians quietly go about their lives, giving a firm foundation for peace at the society level.
The second very important and good Indian value is the sacred nature of the family as a unit. The Indian family is possibly the best surviving social institution in the world. The Indian family, in general, is the symbol of affection, of caring and sharing and of tolerance. It is also the only unit of Indian society that sanctifies the place of the woman in the society. A great deal of importance is still given to the married woman, and the huge number of customs and rituals that reinforce the sacred nature of the family and the married woman, is one message that comes out loud and clear.
The third value of Indian society, is still, honesty. There are millions of honest tax payers from among the middle classes, which actually keeps the Central and State Governments flush with cash. This is a very important Indian value, even when there is a threat to the society and its values, from all quarters.
The fourth value of Indian society, is the compassion that Indians have for those who are not so well off, economically. Even today, there are several old age homes and homes for the mentally unstable people, which are run, exclusively, with donations from the corporate houses and the middle classes.
What has not been published in a big way, and what is a really big value, is the kind of affection and love, Indians show on foreign tourists and the way in which Indians go all out of the way in making them comfortably. This fifth value, has not received global attention.
The union government and the State Governments need to make the right sort of publicity and the right kind of pitch, as far as this value is concerned. This can in fact bring huge revenue.
The sixth value of Indian society, is the importance the middle classes give to education. Yes, there are mismatches in skills, and there are gaps between what is needed and what is provided in higher education. Still, what needs to be remembered is that India has still produced some of the world's best technocrats and even managers. who are now manning the senior most positions in several Corporates around the world. This value will continue to be a very good value, and this can make a huge difference to the economic viability of the Indians in general, in a globalized world.
The seventh value of Indian society, is the balance between the spiritual and commercial lives, of every Indian. Nowhere in the world will anyone find so many rituals, and temples and sanctity in terms of beliefs, of millions of people. The spiritual balance is in fact, a big factor in maintaining peace in the society, and keeps social tensions under control.
Hence, we can indeed be proud of some of our values outlined above. These values need to be known to every foreigner visiting India, and those interested in India, in some way or the other.