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Ganesha
Hinduism, the polytheist, the dominant religion in India has multiple sects like the Vaishnavas, Shaivas and Shaktas, which, in the strict definition of the Western world, are almost independent religions. Yet, most of them start all their religious ceremonies by invoking a common God: Ganesha. Such is the importance of this elephant-faced god. Ganesha is the God of intellect and knowledge. The worshipping of Ganesha before any other God is not incidental; it is a clear recognition that all human needswealth, fame, and fortunecannot come to a person devoid of intellect. What can be a better symbolism that that to start with?

The Bhagavad-Gita
Voltaire called religion the opium of the masses. Whether in a positive sense or in negative, religion has always been associated with emotion. And here is a religious textand the most important one for a large majority of Indiansthat unequivocally preaches that the path of knowledge is superior to those of action and emotion: Intellect is superior to the mind (emotion) (manasastu para buddhi) and all actions ultimately culminate in knowledge (sarvakarmakhilam partha gyane parisamapyate). But then, what else can you expect from a dialog that was initiated to convince an emotionally overwhelmed warrior to take the course of reasoning to decide what is right and what is wrong?

Zero
We always knew we were good for nothing, says the writing on a popular T-shirt brand in India, referring to the discovery of zero in India. Jokes apart, zero is not just a pointer to the capability of the Indian mind to do abstract thinkinga critical requirement for conceptualization, in turn a key requirement for a knowledge cultureit is also something without which binary systemson which the whole digital principle is basedwould not have been possible.

Yoga
One of Indias earliest exports to the world in general and the US in particularmuch before the software story happenedYoga today by and large means controlling of body and breathing to a large majority of followers. The term itself, however, is derived from the Sanskrit word yoga meaning addition, or joining: of the two most important concepts of Vedantic beliefthe all pervasive divine (Brahman) and the spark of divinity in all living beings (atman). This, according to the Vedanta, is the supreme goal. The paths are variousthat of action, faith and knowledgewhich are interwoven and each being important, unlike many other systems of belief, which lay all the emphasis on faith. Gita is itself a great example of the explicit teaching of yoga concepts.

The Argumentative Indian
This writer once asked a couple of seniors in collegebest of buddiesarguing it out whether Mohd Rafi was a greater singer or Kishore Kumar, after listening to the same argument some half a dozen times, the point in such a debate. One of them answered, I know I will never accept that Kishore was better than Rafi and he will not accept otherwise. But every time we argue, through our examples, points and sub-points, we learn so much! That is probably one of the most common reasons why Indians jump into this favorite pastime at the drop of a hat.

There is one subtle aspect of the Indians love for getting into debates and arguments that Nobel prize winning economist Amartya Sen articulates so well: a healthy respect for the opponents point of view, something that is close to in meaning but somewhat more than the English word, tolerance. In the first century AD, Indian astronomer Aryabhatta maintained that the sun was stationary and the earth was revolving. While few agreed with him on this point, he was still respected as the most prominent astronomer of his time. We all know what happened to Galileo for saying the same thing after almost 1,500 years!

That kind of respect for individuals even while disagreeing with their points of view is the most striking aspect of Indias culture. That is why arguments have such a positive vibe in India! Yes, many point out that it delays decision making, which is true some times. But it also gives India its vibrant multicultural society.

Guru
Another contribution of India to the world is the concept of gurua teacher who is a guide, and whose place has been equated with that of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shivathe holy trinity of the Hindu religion. Even today, in the traditional system of Indian education, many Indians reserve the same respect for their teachers that they do for their parents. The system of Gurukul in Indiawhere the disciples stayed with the teacher for years, sometimes executing seemingly irrational orders, but very often done with the objective of building commitment and instilling disciplinewas widespread. Traditional Indian education, music, dance all have a very revered place for the guru. Though in the modern English lexicon, the word has come to mean an expert, a gurus place in the Indian tradition is much more than that: it is supreme.

Buddha
Buddha means the enlightened. Buddhism always laid great emphasis on learning, giving rise to ancient universities such as Nalanda and Pushpagiri. But a more fascinating storyand a definite proof of Indias knowledge cultureis the acceptance (and later assimilation) of Buddhism by Hinduism, declaring Buddha as the ninth avatar of Vishnu!

The Upanishads
If tolerance and respect for the contradicting viewpoint is a subtle pointer to Indias knowledge culture, a more direct pointer is the quest for knowledge. The Upanishadsthe word meaning listening to sitting nearare all questions and answers in which there are no gospels but real challenging questions that the disciples seek from their gurus. And the objective is not to attain wealth, health, salvation, or even God. The ultimate target is the truth through knowledge; knowledge for knowledges sake.

One popular tale from one of the well-known Upanishads, Katha Upanishad, is an example of how far the quest of knowledge can go. Yama, the God of Death, promises Nachiketa, a Brahmin youth, that he would fulfill three wishes of the latter. Nachiketa asks for knowledge about the mystery of death that was so far not available to human beings. Yama tries his best to persuade him to ask for anything else, including the best of material wealth and fame. Nachiketa remains unmoved and sticks to his questions and Yama, who could not go back on his promise, finally is forced to give in, bestowing him that knowledge, and through him to the entire mankind!

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