Is colonial mentality hampering India's growth? - Page 2

Our education structure is definitely one that hampers our success

Pros

- Solid foundation in math and science

- Rigorous curriculum from Primary to High School

- Well-rounded education covering social science in depth as well

- Some of the most advanced readers in the world

- Instills great discipline

- Education and educators are highly valued and revered

Cons

- Lower quality of post-secondary education

- Limited adaptation for special needs students

- Doesn't encourage questioning, creativity and out of box thinking

- Focuses on mugging rather than learning

- Challenges with costs, corruptions, donations, reservations etc.

- Undue pressure of exams and entrance tests

Some of our educational challenges are indeed colonial influences. The structure is very similar to the British system. They also have a stoic and rigorous system that we adapted. British and its commonwealth educational systems have been criticized for lack of adaptability and creativity. We need to look at other successful models like the Finnish, Singapore and American school systems to extract the good aspects.

Originally posted by: -victoRiya-

"A Colonial mentality is a conceptual theory around feelings of inferiority within some societies post-European colonialism, relative to the values of the foreign powers which they became aware of through the contact period of colonization. The concept essentially refers to the acceptance, by the colonized, of the culture or doctrines of the colonizer as intrinsically more worthy or superior. The subject matter is quite controversial and debated."- Wikipedia

Do Indians still suffer from colonial mentality and thus despite having all the potential to become a mighty world power along the lines of China, lagging behind because of this feeling of inferiority and lack of faith in our own selves?

Originally posted by: return_to_hades

I think India's growth is hampered by lack of innovation and
discipline.

</p>

If you look at the Opium wars and railroad slavery,
colonization was far more brutal on China than India. Similarly, Post WWII USA
had left Japan in shambles but Japan jumped back within a decade. When you
evaluate what the difference was it is mostly stern discipline and innovations
in manufacturing lines.

Another thing to observe in these nations is they didn't
blame colonization or take a defeatist attitude. They actually adapted a lot of
westernization as a gift. Beijing, Shangai, Tokyo, are highly westernized
cities on par with many western metros. BUT they have retained their distinct
cultural identities. India has struggled to balance western influences and
cultural identity. Part of it maybe that culturally, linguistically and
socially, India is far more diverse than China or Japan.

We also don't take pride and ownership in our nation's
assets. When I visited Brazil (which is a developing country) even the favelas
(slums) were clean and organized. The beaches, the sidewalks, the streets are
not littered. People have a lot of pride and want to show that their
cleanliness and infrastructure is on par with other nations. Unless we Indians
start respecting our streets and resources, we cannot progress.

Two issues we suffer with colonial mentality are

Elevation of English - India is the world's second largest
English speaking nation. We have a high percentage of English literate
population. That gives us a very distinct global advantage. Sadly, it comes at
the expense of our indigenous languages.

I myself am more fluent in English rather than my mother
tongue. I can read highly advanced books in English, but struggle to read little
kids comics in Hindi. As a kid fluency in English was a bragging point. Now
that I know better, it is embarrassing to be cut from your roots. Apart from
Indians every other community takes pride in their native language. The French,
the Spanish, the Russians, the Chinese no one has compromised for English as
much as we Indians have. That being even a country as enormous as China has two
languages Cantonese and Mandarin. India has a multitude of languages each struggling
for relevance. Language is a complex problem in India.

Obsession with fairness - It is not that men and women in
India prefer fair skin. It is that they have been conditioned to believe that
fair skin is better. Majority of Indians are dark skinned with a good amount
almost having Afro skin colors. Until the "white man" arrived the dark skinned
people were considered attractive and beautiful. There are people in Indian
mythos like Krishna and Draupadi who were dark skinned but deemed exceptionally
attractive. Apartheid and racism in colonial rule ingrained the notion that
white is better.

<p>African people too suffered insecurity over their skin, but
I admire African culture for stepping up to take pride in their natural beauty,
something the Indian community is yet to do.

@VictoRiya Here is one of the article that might interest u. https://hindustantimes.com/business-news/indian-finance-pros-lack-business-skills-survey/article1-1073792.aspx However it would take lot of time on my part to dig in surveys. Please do research on Forbes business times for related topics. Sowie.

Will try to explain the ambiguous bit for u but again I do lack motivation to debate on the same topic several times. We lack risk taking strategies and tend to follow instead of leading; following same conservative tried and tested paths. The example u have cited; there may be many more such examples but the crux is we are still novice when it comes to entrepreneurship and innovation and still a long way ahead of us.

The fact that many of our leaders and administrators are reeked with nepotism and corruption; many youths fail to get the opportunities to try ambitious financial ventures. Ur statement that India lacks conducive business environment yet is at par with others in entrepreneurship sounds contradictory.

Lastly the multilingual part...English Language is a universal medium that helps us to understand each other. Say a Telugu speaking individual cannot interact with Bengali speaking person if not for English. However for proper acculturation in global market focus should not be just on indigenous language but also foreign languages.

PS: I have tried to put forth the points based on my understanding and inference..however they may not be correct.

Originally posted by: -victoRiya

It would be generalizing to say that
considering the fact that there is no dearth of
potential or willingness evident by successful
expat entrepreneurs and even the business
leaders back home. Lack of opportunity and
encouragement in the form of prudent
policies are the real impediments as also a
non conducive business environment .

Originally posted by: krystal_watz

Actually, China and Japan have been victims of cultural imperialism more than India has. In China, more and more people prefer to have an English first name; there are elaborate "coaching centres" in Chinese cities and suburbs that rigorously educates young Chinese women in techniques of gold-digging, designed to ensnare Western million/billionaires. Both Chinese and Japanese hardly don their traditional garments anymore. They still maintain their status quo on preferring their traditional languages to English at social and official levels, true; but that, as you point out, is because they don't suffer from the massive diversity of tongues giving rise to complex linguistic-identity questions.

My understanding from the Asian friends I know, is that they are given a western name to assimilate and an Asian name used within the community. Even though they dress western and adapt western lifestyles, they still maintain their distinct cultures and traditions. It is just that their culture is a lot more walled. South Asians assimilate everyone and freely share our festivals and traditions. Most East Asians keep it within their close knit community.

I am sure the impact of colonialism has definitely left a mark on all colonies. East Asians probably do suffer cultural and identity crisis, maybe far worse than Indians. The most distinct success of East Asians namely China, Japan, Taiwan and South Korea is economy and industry. India has the resources, the aptitude and the means but has challenges that prevent us from reaching our potential. One problem is corruption. The other problem is that India is just so culturally, linguistically and socially diverse that agreeing upon a common thread is much harder than in other nations. In that sense what India has accomplished is miraculous. There is no other country in the world that has sustained such diversity.

@arcoiris - I do agree the Indian ability to speak English fluently is a big advantage. It lets different linguistic communities communicate with each other. It also gives us a distinct edge in global business. In due time indigenous languages will change, evolve, fade as well. The real problem we face is that English educated is considered intelligent and superior, while vernacular students are viewed as boorish and lagging. There are actually some brilliant students and geniuses in vernacular schools to. Vernacular colleges produce many bright and capable professionals. The only problem is either due to lack of income, access or family limitations they don't speak English. Due to the preference given to English the potential and aptitude of these competitive minds is sidelined and ignored. We need to learn to respect all students and realize that a Bihari doctor or a Marathi engineer who don't know English maybe just as intelligent and capable as the English speaking professional.

@Victoriya - I do think India lacks entrepreneurship. Not because of lack of acumen, but because of an education system that doesn't encourage risk taking, innovation, questioning and creativity as well as business environment not conducive to entrepreneurship.

http://businessjournal.gallup.com/content/156143/india-big-problem-nurturing-entrepreneurs.aspx