My St. Gallen Essay

This is an essay I wrote for the touring students of St. Gallens University, when they stayed with us @ IIMB, somewhere in 2001


India – It is just not the oldest of the landmasses on the planet Earth. Nor is it a story of the oldest (Aravalli) or the youngest (Himalayas) mountains in this world. It is not a story of the most sacred river (the Ganges) in this world, neither is it an infamous fable of numbers (the fastest growing population across the country states). It is an experience. It is also a mean to the end Moksha (or Salvation) which people across the globe desire to obtain.

We as every Indian would tell you, are more intangible than tangible. We are incorrigible, yet flexible. We might scoff at others, but were always the first to adapt to the positives of different cultures. We are equal number of Aryans as we are of Dravidians, and we have numbers which have lost the identity of any race and are just Indians. We are old, we are new; we have embraced change since time immemorial, but we never compromised our values. We were ruled, we were smashed, but we always maintained what we were, despite countless oddities that paved our way with thorns. Yes, this is what we represent – a constant called change, the real spice of life.

We have been accused of living in the past; we have been blamed for being trapped in what we were and not what we are. Let me assure you that it has always been a myth, never a reality. As I had mentioned, we are an experience. Have you ever experienced a gathering of 60 million people in a celebration for peace of mind, that is what we have been practising since the first civilizations came into existence. We are an experience, so much so that the Hindu scriptures tell you that it takes no less than 84,000 life spans to get to know India in its entirety. India as an experience, where no less than 846 official dialects are spoken; where a local adage goes that “the language changes every 5 miles and the water tastes different every 20 miles”. It is the Indian experience that we portray, and experiences do not have an age, they are immortal.

But, we have a tradition of change, which seamlessly blends the old with the new. We have temples, old (Shravanbelagola – remember!!) and new (the Infosys office). We were known for tolerance (even the savage Mongols admit that) and we are still known for tolerance (ask Mr. Bush Sr.). We stood for values and even today we adopt those that leave a positive influence on our value system. Yes, we have moments of frustration, of torment when we see child marriages, widow abuses, dowry deaths, and political chimera. But you would appreciate that life won’t be worth living if you did not have certain challenges to devote as a cause.

During your weeklong stay in India, we had tried to showcase the Indian experience to you as realistically as possible (within the geographical and chronological constraints of available resources). Even if that meant, hours of tumultuous drives on especially made Indian roads, it would be a journey you would never forget! We could have brushed more with the fascination India possesses had we had more time. But I am quite confident of one thing. If ever you feel like experiencing a novel adventure, where nature coupled with mankind provides a soul stirring moment, you would always think of India.