Western values are usually seen in India as not worthy of

emulation.
Narayana Murthy on values to emulate for Indians.
Interesting speech rather than uniquely perceptive.
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Narayana Murthy on Western Values
Ladies and gentlemen:
It is a pleasure to be here at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management.
Lal Bahadur Shastri was a man of strong values and he epitomized simple
living. He was a freedom fighter and innovative administrator who
contributed to nation building in full measure. It is indeed a matter of pride
for me to be chosen for the Lal Bahadur Shastri Award for ublic
Administration and Management Sciences. I than! the "ur# for this honor.
$hen I got the invitation to spea! here% I decided to spea! on an important
topic on which I have pondered for #ears - the role of Western values in
contemporary Indian society. Coming from a compan# that is built on strong
values% the topic is close to m# heart.Moreover% an organization is
representative of societ#% and some of the lessons that I have learnt are
applicable in the national conte&t. In fact, values drive progress and define
quality of life in society.
'he word communit# "oins two Latin words com ()together) or )with)* and
onus ()one)*. A communit#% then% is both one and man#. It is a unified
multitude and not a mere group of people. As it is said in the +edas: Man can
live individually, but can survive only collectively.Hence% the challenge is to
form a progressive communit# b# balancing the interests of the individual and
that of the societ#. 'o meet this% we need to develop a value system where
people accept modest
sacrifices for the common good.
What is a value system? It is the protocol for behavior that enhancesthe
trust, confidence and commitment of members of the community. Itgoes
beyond the domain of legality - it is about decent and desirablebehavior.
urther, it includes putting the community interests ahead
of your own. !hus, our collective survival and progress is predicatedon
sound values.
'here are two pillars of the cultural value s#stem , lo#alt# to famil# and
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lo#alt# to communit#. -ne should not be in isolation to the other% because%
successful societies are those which combine bothharmoniousl#. It is in this
conte&t that I will discuss the role of $estern values in contemporar# Indian
societ#.
Some of #ou here might sa# that most of what I am going to discuss are
actuall# Indian values in old ages% and not $estern values. I live in the
present% not in the b#gone era. 'herefore% I have seen these values practiced
primaril# in the $est and not in India. Hence% the title of the topic.
I am happ# as long as we practice these values , whether we call it$estern or
old Indian values. As an Indian% I am proud to be part of a culture% which has
deep,rooted famil# values. $e have tremendous lo#alt# to the famil#. .or
instance% parents ma!e enormous sacrifices for their children. 'he# support
them until the# can stand on their own feet. -n the other side% children
consider it their dut# to ta!e care of aged parents.
$e believe: Mathru devo bhava , mother is /od% and pithru devo bhava
,father is /od. .urther% brothers and sisters sacrifice for each other. In fact%
the eldest brother or sister is respected b# all the other siblings. As for
marriage% it is held to be a sacred union 0 husband and wife are bonded% most
often% for life. In "oint families, theentire family wor#s towards the welfare
of the family. !here is somuch love and affection in our family life.
!his is the essence of Indian values and one of our #ey strengths.
$urfamilies act as a critical support mechanism for us. In fact% the credit to
the success of Infos#s goes% as much to the founders as to their families% for
supporting them through the tough times.%nfortunately, our attitude
towards family life is not reflected inour attitude towards community
behavior. .rom littering the streets to corruption to brea!ing of contractual
obligations% we are apathetic to
the common good. In the $est , the 1S% 2anada% 3urope% Australia% 4ew
5ealand , individuals understand that the# have to be responsible towards
their communit#.
!he primary difference between the West and us is that, there, peoplehave a
much better societal orientation. 'he# care more for the societ# than we do.
.urther% the# generall# sacrifice more for the societ# than us. 6ualit# of life is
enhanced because of this. 'his is where we need to learn from the $est.I will
tal! about some of the lessons that we% Indians% can learn from the $est.
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In the $est% there is respect for the public good. .or instance% par!s free of
litter% clean streets% public toilets free of graffiti , allthese are instances of care
for the public good. -n the contrar#% inIndia% we !eep our houses clean and
water our gardens ever#da# , but%when we go to a par!% we do not thin! twice
before littering the place.
Corruption, as we see in India, is another e&ample of putting theinterest of
oneself, and at best that of one's family, above that ofthe society. Societ# is
relativel# corruption free in the $est. .or
instance% it is ver# difficult to bribe a police officer into avoidinga speeding
tic!et.
'his is because of the individual7s responsible behavior towards the
communit# as a whole -n the contrar#% in India% corruption% ta&evasion%
cheating and briber# have eaten into our vitals. .or
instance% contractors bribe officials% and construct low,8ualit# roads and
bridges. 'he result is that societ# loses in the form of substandard defense
e8uipment and infrastructure% and low,8ualit# recruitment% "ust to name a
few impediments. 1nfortunatel#% this behavior is condoned b# almost
ever#one. Apath# in solving communit# matters has held us bac! from
ma!ing progress% which is otherwise within our reach. $e see serious
problems around us but do not tr# to solve them. $e behave as if the
problems do not e&ist or is somebod# else7s. -n the other hand% in the $est%
people solve societal problems proactivel#. 'here are several e&amples of our
apathetic attitude. .or instance% all of us are aware of the problem of drought
in India.
More than 9: #ears ago% ;r. <. L. =ao , an irrigation e&pert%suggested
creation of a water grid connecting all the rivers in 4orthand South India% to
solve this problem. 1nfortunatel#% nothing hasbeen done about this. 'he stor#
of power shortage in Bangalore isanother instance. In >?@A% it was decided to
build a thermal powerplant to meet Bangalore7s power re8uirements.
1nfortunatel#% we have still not started it. .urther% the Milan subwa# in
Bomba# is in a
deplorable state for the last 9: #ears% and no action has been ta!en.
'o 8uote another e&ample% considering the constant travel re8uired inthe
software industr#B five #ears ago% I had suggested a C9:,pagepassport. 'his
would eliminate fre8uent visits to the passport office.In fact% we are read# to
pa# for it. However% I am #et to hear fromthe Ministr# of 3&ternal Affairs on
this.
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$e% Indians% would do well to remember 'homas Hunter7s words: Idleness
travels ver# slowl#% and povert# soon overta!es it. $hat could be the reason
for all thisD We were ruled by foreigners for over thousandyears. !hus, we
have always believed that public issues belonged tosome foreign ruler and
that we have no role in solving them.
Moreover% we have lost the will to proactivel# solve our own problems.'hus%
we have got used to "ust e&ecuting someone else7s orders.Borrowing
Aristotle7s words: $e are what we repeatedl# do. 'hus%having done this over
the #ears% the decision,ma!ers in our societ# are not trained for solving
problems. -ur decision,ma!ers loo! tosomebod# else to ta!e decisions.
1nfortunatel#% there is nobod# to loo! up to% and this is the traged#.
Our intellectual arrogance has also not helped our society. I
havetraveled extensively, and in my experience, have not come
acrossanother society where people are as contemptuous of
better societiesas we are, with as little progress as we have
achieved. Remember that
arrogance breeds hypocrisy. No other society gloats so much
about thepast as we do, with as little current accomplishment.
.riends% this is not a new phenomenon% but at least a thousand #ears old. .or
instance% Al Barouni% the famous Arabic logician and traveller of the >:th
centur#% who spent about A: #ears in India from ??E A; toaround >:CE A;%
referred to this trait of Indians. According to him%
during his visit% most Indian pundits considered it below theirdignit# even to
hold arguments with him. In fact% on a few occasionswhen a pundit was
willing to listen to him% and found his arguments tobe ver# sound% he
invariabl# as!ed Barouni: which Indian pundit taughtthese smart thingsF
!he most important attribute of a progressive society is respect forothers
who have accomplished more than they themselves have, and learnfrom
them. 2ontrar# to this% our leaders ma!e us believe that othersocieties do not
!now an#thingF At the same time% ever#da#% in the
newspapers% #ou will find numerous claims from our leaders that ours is the
greatest nation. 'hese people would do well to remember 'homas 2arl#le7s
words: !he greatest of faults is to be conscious of none.
If we have to progress% we have to change this attitude% listen to people who
have performed better than us% learn from them and performbetter than
them. Infos#s is a good e&ample of such an attitude. $e continue to
rationalize our failures. 4o other societ# has mastered this part as well as we
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have. -bviousl#% this is an e&cuse to "ustif# our incompetence% corruption% and
apath#. 'his attitude has to change.As Sir Gosiah Stamp has said: It is eas# to
dodge our
responsibilities% but we cannot dodge the conse8uences of dodging our
responsibilities.
Another interesting attribute% which we Indians can learn from the$est% is
their accountabilit#. Irrespective of #our position% in the$est% #ou are held
accountable for what #ou do. However% in India% themore 7important7 #ou are%
the less answerable #ou are. .or instance% asenior politician once declared
that he 7forgot7 to file his ta&returns for >: consecutive #ears , and he got awa#
with it. 'o 8uote another instance% there are over >:: loss ma!ing public
sector units (central* in India. 4evertheless% I have not seen action ta!en for
badperformance against top managers in these organizations.
;ignit# of labor is an integral part of the $estern value s#stem. Inthe $est%
each person is proud about his or her labor that raiseshonest sweat. -n the
other hand% in India% we tend to overloo! the significance of those who are not
in professional "obs. We have a mindset that reveres only supposedly
intellectual wor#.
.or instance% I have seen man# engineers% fresh from college% who onl#want to
do cutting,edge wor! and not wor! that is of relevance tobusiness and the
countr#. However% be it an organization or societ#%there are different people
performing different roles. .or success% all these people are re8uired to
discharge their duties. 'his includesever#one from the 23- to the person who
serves tea , ever# role isimportant. Hence% we need a mind set that reveres
ever#one who puts inhonest wor!.
Indians become intimate even without being friendl#. 'he# as! favorsof
strangers without an# hesitation. .or instance% the other da#%while I was
traveling from Bangalore to Mantrala#a% I met a fellow traveler on the train.
Hardl# H minutes into the conversation% here8uested me to spea! to his M;
about removing him from the bottom >:Ilist in his compan#% earmar!ed for
disciplinar# action. I was remindedof what =ud#ard <ipling once said( )
westerner can be friendly without
being intimate while an easterner tends to be intimate without
beingfriendly.
Jet another lesson to be learnt from the $est% is about theirprofessionalism in
dealings. 'he common good being more important thanpersonal e8uations%
people do not let personal relations interferewith their professional dealings.
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.or instance% the# don7t hesitate tochastise a colleague% even if he is a personal
friend% for incompetentwor!.
In India, I have seen that we tend to view even wor# interactions from a
personal perspective. urther, we are the most 'thin-s#inned'society in the
world - we see insults where none is meant. 'his ma# be because we were not
free for most of the last thousand #ears. .urther%we seem to e&tend this lac!
of professionalism to our sense ofpunctualit#. $e do not seem to respect the
other person7s time.
'he Indian Standard 'ime somehow seems to be alwa#s running
late.Moreover% deadlines are t#picall# not met. How man# public pro"ectsare
completed on timeD 'he disheartening aspect is that we haveaccepted this as
the norm rather than the e&ception. In the $est% the# show professionalism
b# embracing meritocrac#. Meritocracy bydefinition means that we cannot
let personal pre"udices affect ourevaluation of an individual's
performance. As we increasingl# start tobenchmar! ourselves with global
standards% we have to embrace
meritocrac#.
In the $est% right from a ver# #oung age% parents teach their childrento be
independent in thin!ing. 'hus% the# grow up to be strong%confident
individuals. In India% we still suffer from feudal thin!ing.I have seen people%
who are otherwise bright% refusing to showindependence and preferring to be
told what to do b# their boss. $e need to overcome this attitude if we have to
succeed globall#.
!he Western value system teaches respect to contractual obligation. Inthe
$est% contractual obligations are seldom dishonored. 'his isimportant ,
enforceabilit# of legal rights and contracts is the mostimportant factor in the
enhancement of credibilit# of our people andnation.
In India% we consider our marriage vows as sacred. $e are willing to sacrifice
in order to respect our marriage vows. However% we do note&tend this to the
public domain. .or instance% India had anunfavorable contract with 3nron.
Instead of punishing the people responsible for negotiating this% we reneged
on the contract 0 this was much before we came to !now about the illegal
activities at 3nron.
'o 8uote another instance% I had given recommendations to several students
for the national scholarship for higher studies in 1S universities. Most of
them did not return to India even thoughcontractuall# the# were obliged to
spend five #ears after their degree in India.
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In fact% according to a professor at a reputed 1S universit#% thema&imum
default rate for student loans is among Indians , all of thesestudents pass out
in fl#ing colors and land lucrative "obs% #et the#refuse to pa# bac! their loans.
'hus% their action has made itdifficult for the students after them% from India%
to obtain loans. $e have to change this attitude.
.urther% we Indians do not displa# intellectual honest#. .or e&ample%our
political leaders use mobile phones to tell "ournalists on theother side that
the# do not believe in technolog#F If we want our#oungsters to progress% such
h#pocris# must be stopped. $e are allaware of our rights as citizens.
4evertheless% we often fail toac!nowledge the dut# that accompanies ever#
right. 'o borrow ;wight3isenhower7s words: eople that values its privileges
above itsprinciples soon loses both. $ur duty is towards the community as
awhole, as much as it is towards our families.
We have to remember that fundamental social problems grow out of alac#
of commitment to the common good. 'o 8uote Henr# Beecher: 2ultureis that
which helps us to wor! for the betterment of all. Hence%friends% I do believe
that we can ma!e our societ# even better b# assimilating these $estern values
into our own culture , we will be stronger for it.
Most of our behavior comes from greed% lac! of self,confidence% lac! of
confidence in the nation% and lac! of respect for the societ#. 'oborrow
/andhi7s words: 'here is enough in this world for ever#one7sneed% but not
enough for ever#one7s greed. Let us wor! towards asociet# where we would do
unto others what we would have others do unto us. Let us all be responsible
citizens who ma!e our countr# agreat place to live. In the words of
2hurchill: *esponsibility is the price of greatness. $e have to e&tend our
famil# values be#ond the boundaries of our home.
.inall#% let us wor! towards ma&imum welfare of the ma&imum people
,Samasta "anaanaam su!hino bhavantu. 'hus% let us , people of
thisgeneration% conduct ourselves as great citizens rather than "ust
goodpeople so that we can serve as good e&amples for our #ounger
generation.

KKKKKKK CHL9LC:>A H$

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