A walk down a memory lane: India’s transformation from poverty to peace and prosperity

Taj Mahal: An icon of India

In the cold winter night in NYC, circa 1983, I was cruising in a crowded street of Broadway, Manhattan. It was snowing moderately and I was surprised to see a  lot of people standing in the line waiting for a theater to open. 

It’s normal to see New Yorkers and visitors from out of town to fall in line to secure a nice seat for a theater or a movie. I was curious to find out what was showing. I drove slowly to the front door of the theater and to my big surprised it was Gandhi the movie.  

At that very moment, my mind started to navigate to many areas related to Gandhi, including his great contemporary  Dr. Rizal of the Philippines. Both Gandhi and Rizal became greatest men in Asian history.

Ten years prior to the movie, (circa 1973)  I read the biography of Mohandas Gandhi (1869-1948). At that time, the name Gandhi was not yet a household name in North America, although Gandhi received the title “Mahatma” (great soul) in his native country. 

In just a span of two decades from 1983 (start of the movie) to 2003, there was a moderate improvement in Indian economy. In fact, the economy of India was burgeoning. For the meantime, Indian immigrant workers prior to the Gandhi the movie, were discriminated in North America at workplace, or in other places of social gatherings. The Americans complained about the trivial things like the way Indians dressed and the way men wear their turbans, etc. Asians were also discriminated in North America during that period. And both Indians and Asians had a higher tolerance for discrimination. In the 21st Century, racial discrimination is still exist in the US.

In 1983, India was also one of poorest countries in Asia with GDP (PPP) of $742.

I  sincerely believed that Gandhi, the movie could inspire the Americans  and help change the negative stereo-type image of Indian immigrants in North America and in other countries in the world.   

Most importantly, the movie could create a major change - a paradigm shift from poverty to prosperity of India in just short span of time.

Prior to the movie, very few knew about India’s great contributionto our present civilization. India’s Sanskrit language is compatible to our present computer system. Aside from this, peace, the art of meditation and self-realization are also valuable contribution of India to the world. 

Pioneer Indians in the US

In the late 1800s, Indian pioneer Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902) went to the US and gave impressive speeches. Americans received Swami Vivekananda with open arms. He influenced many people including the richest man in the US at that time, John D.  Rockefeller and convinced him to share his fortune by donating money to charities. The Rockefeller Foundation is now one of the biggest charity giving foundations in the world. And the US is considered the most giving country in the world. Swami Vivekananda’s famous saying: “Service to humanity is service to God”.

Another notable person who was inspired by Swami Vivekananda was 

Paramahansa Yogananda (1893-1952) who went to the US in 1920s. Yogananda invigorated many Americans through his book  and lectures,  including Steve Jobs, the greatest entrepreneur, who introduced the greatest smart phone. Steve was a man of wisdom who understood the art of living and dying. When his health started to deteriorate, he made the list of friends who would be invited to attend his memorial service. And all his invited friends who would attend the memorial would receive a gift placed inside a very light wooden box. It was a huge surprised for me to find out what was inside the wooden box. It was a book, an autobiography of Yogananda 

What is amazing is that  I read the book half a century ago. What a marvelous coincidence!

Steve Jobs 

passed away on Oct 5, 2011. 

The gesture was the greatest last act that can’t be altered. It was a magnanimous tribute and respect for Indian Teacher.

Yogananda also inspired Gandhi in his search for justice, equality and unity.

Few years later, you don’t hear anymore about discrimination of Indian immigrants.  

Some of the India-born workers are now great leaders, CEOs in business industries in the USA in 2018.  Let me just mentioned five of them. All five are CEOs; four males and one female; and one CEO still wears his turban.

India-born CEOs

Here are five CEOs:

Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google with 85,000 employees; Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft with 131,000 employees; Indra Nooji, (female) CEO of PepsiCo with 263,000 employees; Ajaypal Singh Banga, CEO of MasterCard with 13,400 employees; and Shantanu Narayan, CEO of Adobe Systems with 18,000 employees. The combined total number of employees of five CEOs is more than half a million. These five CEOs, I repeat, were India-born and started as foreign workers in the USA. They became CEOs recently through hard work, wisdom and dedication.

Absolutely there is no room for discrimination.

It was a sweet example of exoneration!

The Director and the Movie

Sir Richard Attenborough of UK, who directed Gandhi the movie had a hard time in securing a budget to fund the movie. The Movie won eight Academy Awards including ‘Best Picture’ and ‘Best Actor’. Gandhi: The Movie depicted the extraordinary life of Mahatma Gandhi, thus, served as a rallying point of Indians and transformed their country from poverty to peace and prosperity . 

Eventually, India entered the ‘Golden Age’ of  economy in around 2003 with the GDP (PPP) of US$2,394. And in 2017, the GDP (PPP) of India was $9,585.

India is now ranked #3 top economy in the world based on GDP, (PPP).  Indians though hard work, self-discipline, perseverance, wisdom and creativity achieved economic power and political stability and peace.

What an amazing, ginormous achievement!

References:

1. Data on GDP, (PPP) from IMF. 

2. Alyson Shontell. “The last gift Steve Jobs gave to families and friends was a book about self realization”

3. Autobiography of a yogi

4. Borestein, Erica. Disquietng Gifts: Humanitarianism in New Delhi. Stanford University Press.