What is Indianness?
The words by a white American mother on Indian parenting set me thinking...
What the American mother described as special qualities she observed in the children of Indian descent like being humble, intelligent, ambitious, focused, ... are fundamental characteristics of the Indian culture.
This is the Indianness or Indian psyche that transcends all monotheistic religions that appeared in the Indian subcontinent several millenniums later. And these characteristics are inherently present in all the Indian children irrespective of the faith or religion that they later adopt.
This is what is common among the global leaders of Indian origin and what sets them apart: Kamala Harris, Aravind Jugnauth, Mohamed Irfaan Ali, Vivek Murthy, Rishi Sunak, Waheed Alli, Ebrahim Patel, Frank Anthony, Michael George, Maju Varghese, Satya Nadella, Sundar Pichai, Padmasree Warrior, ... to randomly name a few.
Today there are more people falling in love with India - Indians, people of Indian origin, and foreigners - no matter what their faith is.
The American mother was referring to a winner of Scripps National Spelling Bee contest, which is usually dominated by Indian Americans, who comprise only about 1% of the US population. These spelling bee kids succeed in life too, with more than half a dozen former champs from past two decades excelling in math and science and becoming physicians.
Distinguishing traits such as innovation spirit, high moral standards and discipline (family values), thinking big, (‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ - whole world is my family), friendly attitude ('Atithi Devo Bhava' - guests are equivalent to God), spiritual thinking (using profound ideas such as Dharma, Karma, Maya ...) are instilled in the blood of all Indians as they are shaped by the ancient heritage, Vedantic thoughts, Indus civilization, Yogic practices... in which they grew up and that date back to more than 10,000 years before the advent of any religion.
This is the Indianness or Indian psyche that transcends all monotheistic religions that appeared in the Indian subcontinent several millenniums later. And these characteristics are inherently present in all the Indian children irrespective of the faith or religion that they later adopt.
This is what is common among the global leaders of Indian origin and what sets them apart: Kamala Harris, Aravind Jugnauth, Mohamed Irfaan Ali, Vivek Murthy, Rishi Sunak, Waheed Alli, Ebrahim Patel, Frank Anthony, Michael George, Maju Varghese, Satya Nadella, Sundar Pichai, Padmasree Warrior, ... to randomly name a few.
Today there are more people falling in love with India - Indians, people of Indian origin, and foreigners - no matter what their faith is.
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