Sunak, a 42-year-old Indian, recently became Britain's first prime minister of Indian descent and the youngest prime minister since 1812, and his success has brought attention back to "this special group."
Regarding the achievements and status of Indians in global politics and business, let's look at a set of data:
——Political data——
According to the Indian TV website, there are currently 6 current leaders in the world with Indian background:
British Prime Minister Sunak, US Vice President Harris, Portuguese Prime Minister Costa , Prime Minister Jugnauth and President Rubong of Mauritius, President Mohamed Irfain Ali of Guyana, President Boutser of Suriname.
Historically, 10 of the world's top leaders have been of Indian descent, spread across Malaysia, Ireland and Fiji, and in Mauritius, Indian politicians have even held power many times.
——Business Data——
According to Harvard Business Review research, 30% of U.S. companies in the Fortune 500 are CEOs of Indian descent, including Google, PepsiCo, Unilever, IBM and Motorola. Of the well-known Big Three in Silicon Valley — Apple, Microsoft and Google — there are two Indian-born CEOs.
In addition to the top crowd such as CEOs, the Indian elite is also shining among the management and engineering teams of some well-known Internet companies. According to the data, one-third of engineers in Silicon Valley come from India, and the proportion of management is even higher. Indians make up less than 1 percent of the U.S. population, but the percentage of startups in Silicon Valley with Indian-American founders is very high, rising from 7 percent in the 1980s to 13 percent in the 1990s and climbing to 30 percent by 2022. Another survey shows that the annual income of the Indian diaspora is about one-third of India's GDP, most of which comes from Silicon Valley.
A list of Indian-born CEOs of some of the world's leading companies
In addition, in academic circles, Indians or people of Indian origin also have an important influence. According to statistics, more than 10 Indians have served or are serving as deans of top business schools in the United States, such as Harvard University and New York University.
1. The private economy has high vitality and the middle class drives development
Data never deceives, even when chaos, disorder, and backwardness are the key words that most people define India. In fact, India has a vibrant private economy, which contributes 85% of GDP. The private economy has created a sizable middle class in India and has also led to the development of personal consumption. According to public data, India's personal consumption accounts for 67% of GDP. At the same time, India's independent judicial system, the awareness of the sanctity of property, the right to contract, and the deeply rooted concept of the rule of law provide a good legal guarantee for the private economy.
2. Multi-religious culture gives birth to juggad thinking
The multi-religious cultural atmosphere and the historical and geographical conditions that integrate the characteristics of Eastern and Western cultures have allowed India to burst into tenacious vitality in a dirty environment. As a large country with many troubles, a large population, a large gap between rich and poor, a rigid caste system, and especially scarce resources, Indians always face challenges in life, which also nurtures their unique culture and thinking: Jugaad, which can be translated as alternative, or "zasheng" in Cantonese. If the Indians lack a unkempt head, then they will poke a few holes in the bucket. Political and business leaders of Indian descent have demonstrated the charm of Juggad, that is.
The embodiment of Juggad's thinking in education is,.
In Indian universities, teachers would use the Harry Potter story of Sirius on trial to tell the law. What teachers enjoy most is probably the process of fighting with students in class. In class, he asks questions, and students think about them and give answers. There is never a standard answer, and students are keen to challenge their teachers.
The true meaning of learning is exactly as the proverb: "The purpose of learning is to lead the horse to the river and make it thirsty." ”
India's internet technology is also breaking the standard answer to schooling, bringing "schools in the cloud" to impoverished villages. They installed computers in villages to encourage children to play, watch cartoons and learn computers. A year later, you'll see these kids start searching for questions on their computers, but they'll have the first problem: they don't know English. Next they learn English in small groups. Children in the countryside also have the opportunity to meet and interact with volunteers in another part of the world via the Internet. Here, the Internet is used as an access tool to help India democratize education and change its future.
3. Language proficiency + legal system ≈ the benchmark of developed countries
Culturally, due to the long period of British rule, English is ranked alongside Hindi as the two official languages of India's central government. Although Indians are ridiculed for their heavy English accents, this accent does not prevent Indians from expressing themselves - they dare to think and speak, and they use Western logic and English thinking to deal with problems, which is easier to coexist with people in other countries and more integrated. Professor Yang Zhuang of the National Development Institute of Peking University pointed out when analyzing management experience that India's above is characterized by the core advantage of forming "Indian leadership".
Overall, the rise of the new British Prime Minister Sunak should not be viewed in isolation, as it is the accumulation of Indians in international politics and business over the past few decades. It is believed that India's development and bilateral relations with these countries will also gain a certain impetus, and can become a bridge between the host country and India.
In the next issue, talk about the United Kingdom of "Childhood in Other Lands", and take a look at elite education in Great Britain