Acclaiming Indian civilisation’s contribution to the world (IANS Opinion)

New York: On November 5, Kamala Harris may be elected as the first South Asian President of the US. If the Donald Trump-JD Vance ticket wins, Usha Vance will become the first Hindu Second Lady.

Indian diaspora has dazzled the world by reaching the top echelons — and not just in politics. India has become a global power player, earning the sobriquet, ‘Vishwabandhu’ (friend of the world), particularly after supplying vaccines during the Covid-19 pandemic to many nations.

Indians themselves would not be surprised by this welcome shift, however. Independent India may be only 77 years old, but it has, at its back, many millennia of civilisational wisdom rooted in the ancient texts of the Vedas and Upanishads, and the philosophical traditions of Buddhism and Jainism. This was elaborated by the eminent people in India and America invited to comment on the eve of India’s 78th Independence Day.

Another running strain in their comments is that India has antidotes to many of the world’s ills. Its perennial moral principles of ahimsa and vasudhaiva kutumbakam (the world is one family), underscoring the importance of compassion, tolerance and unity in diversity, are a beacon for addressing global challenges, promoting interfaith harmony and world peace, and fostering a sustainable and inclusive future.

It will not be an exaggeration to say that India is embracing its destined role and emerging as ‘Vishwaguru’, not just ‘Vishwabandhu’.

Rajiv Mehrotra, Secretary and Trustee of the Foundation for Universal Responsibility of H.H. The Dalai Lama in New Delhi, told New York-based ALotusInTheMud.com, “India’s rich civilisational heritage is a diverse blend of cultural, philosophical, religious, and scientific contributions. This heritage continues to evolve and adapt while inspiring and responding to present-day challenges.”

Swati Arun, Director of Social Media for the Hindu American Foundation in Washington, DC, pointed out that India’s contributions are not just historical footnotes but living elements of today’s modern life. “The zero, an Indian invention, is the cornerstone of the digital age. Yoga and Ayurveda, India’s holistic health systems, have revolutionised wellness.”

Calling India a model for pluralism in the world, Srinivas Reddy, a scholar on a Fulbright-Nehru Fellowship at IIT Gandhinagar, said, “The world faces unprecedented challenges related to war, famine, linguistic diversity, and cultural plurality. Much of the Western approach to diversity has been through assimilation. The Indian approach has always been — live and let live.”

Citing the stellar example of Bharat in Ramayana, Anil Bhatnagar, an IITian, author, and corporate trainer, said, “Instead of coveting what belongs to others or converting others to our faith, India’s story is that of the relentless and ongoing message of love, kindness, peace, compassion, tolerance, acceptance, ahimsa, and harmonious living propagated through an unbroken chain of avatars and gurus such as Krishna, the Buddha, Mahavir, Nanak, and Swami Vivekananda.”

Preity Upala, who is on the Advisory Board of the Europe India Chamber of Commerce and Industry and has appeared on CNN and Forbes as a political and cultural expert, said, “In the current state of affairs globally, with polywars, unending conflicts, and a very divided world, Bharat has demonstrated much-needed pragmatism, diplomacy, holistic leadership, and global empathy.”

Suma Varughese, the former editor of ‘Society’ and ‘Life Positive’ magazines, agreed that Indian civilisation could show the way out of the multiple crises afflicting the world. “From our systems like Ayurveda and Siddhi, architectural models like Vaastu Shastra, the gurukul education model, our art and dance traditions, our approach to astrology, our four-fold goals of human life – dharma (ethical conduct), artha (wealth), kama (fulfillment of desires) and moksha (liberation), and the four stages of human life from bachelorhood to renunciate, the world will learn how to live, heal, relate, eat, create, love and look after others.”

Aditi Banerjee, a young attorney at a Fortune 500 financial services company who writes and speaks about Hinduism, said that India has an antidote for the younger generation suffering from an overload of information. “Counterbalance this by going within through silence and meditation, reflection and study of the self, through worship and reverence for nature, through yoga and chanting.”

Narayani Ganesh, former editor of The Speaking Tree and Sacred Space columns in The Times of India, and daughter of Gemini Ganesan, the Tamil cinema stalwart, pointed to the formidable but often ignored contribution of Dravidian India. “Dravidian India’s contributions to spirituality and wisdom have certain distinctive features evident in Sangam literature, the Bhakti movement, and the richness of the world’s oldest language, Tamil, and its scriptures, some of which date back to pre-Vedic times.”

Saket Bhatia, who has a PhD in Electrical Engineering and astrology-numerology and has founded two companies in the Bay Area, explained that Indians excel globally due to their strong emphasis on education, family values, and adaptability.” It is not just Sundar Pichai and Satya Nadella, he argued. “Thousands of other Indian technologists and entrepreneurs are pioneering trends in artificial intelligence, IT, education, and healthcare. Indians have also made significant contributions globally in medicine, academia, arts, and humanities.”

In concrete terms, India has emerged as a force for good, enhancing cultural enrichment and global advancement.

(Parveen Chopra is the founder and editor of ALotusInTheMud.com. He can be reached at lotus4usa@gmail.com)

–IANS

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