Outer chaos vs. Inner peace

5 February 2014

It was a great learning journey with the Executive MBA 2012-2014 group at the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (IIMB). The first impressions that I had of Bangalore, India were “crazy driving”, “chaotic traffic condition” and “dirty and broken pathways”. We were told that “Everything you find that is true about India, the opposite is also true”. This somehow reflects the contradictions that you can get in India and its inclusivity.

Village in the middle of Bangalore, India. It is said that the people in this village are not poor. It is their choice of living.
People living in the village are so friendly. They are happy to be taken photos of.

A big contrast from those first impressions can be found at the IIMB campus. The granite walls separate the inside from the chaotic outside and creates a completely different atmosphere for the insiders. Many of us wondered why they can´t just fix the broken pathway and the trash on the streets? Prof. Ramnath Narayanswamy explained that the pursuit of life for many Indians is not about material wealth. What most Indians are looking for is inner peace.

The nice campus of the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore. The huge contrasts between the outside and the inside the granite walls.

Perhaps that´s one important learning and understanding about India. It is important to discover what it is hidden underneath the chaotic surface.