Innovation, the big buzzword today, is seen as the way to progress and growth. However, often the focus is on profit and wealth creation, rather than in building a sustainable planet and society. Entrepreneurs develop a record of innovation, and with integrity and ethics, they can use the leadership skills to help uplift society, and sustain timeless wisdom for new generations to learn, explore and cherish.
Dr Abhay Firodia, one of India’s foremost entrepreneurs whose father invented the auto-rickshaw, Asia’s most popular and affordable public transport vehicles, has done just that. In his $80 million new Abhay Prabhavna Museum near Pune, he has revived the timeless science and wisdom of Jain culture and tradition. Through the best modern interactive technology, and with the help of an expert team of curators like Aarti Bapat and Navin Srivastav, this inaugural gallery was opened recently to huge public acclaim and is a must-see destination on your next visit to India. The entire funding for the new gallery has come from the family foundation.
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So many parents tell me how much they struggle to explain their culture and tradition to young people. Part of the challenge is the poor education at school and college, where ethics and culture are marginalised in the obsession with universality and secularism. Empire never saw other cultures as wise, so the responsibility is upon us to innovate and re-imagine our tradition in an age of technology and science. Fortunately, we have plenty of skills and resourcefulness to do so, but sadly, many of our business leaders lack the vision or the generosity needed to create timeless institutions. Accumulation of wealth and retention means that success paralyses instead of empowering them to uplift life and happiness for one and all. The age of greed has hardened the heart and frozen the imagination.
We know how creative and savvy India is and Akshardham Delhi is a rare innovation of the BAPS Swaminarayan movement, which has creatively inspired young people and professionals to see their own Hindu faith in a new light. It attracts millions of visitors every year. This latest Jain gallery does the same with one of India’s oldest and most scientific and creative cultures of respect for all living beings – Jainism. It will become a very important visitor attraction in the coming months and year, and the impact will be truly transformational.
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My own research on Sustainable Finance has brought me deeper and deeper into culture and values, as these are the most important legacies we can leave behind. This is despite finance deleting culture in all its equations. Possessions will come and go, including money and wealth. Dr Abhay Firodia has achieved a remarkable feat, using the best of his entrepreneurial, intellectual and creative skills, to give the whole world a profound knowledge and inspiration to live compassionately.
Jain science is very old and complex, and it is never easy to demystify something that is deep and timeless. The passion for learning, research and education will be ignited by the visitors. More and more young people will want to delve deeply into Jain science and wisdom and be motivated to put in the effort to grow and cherish India’s Dharma. You can start to spread the word by sharing this article and the related links, including a video. The Museum is located on the Mumbai-Pune Highway, a few hours drive from Mumbai. It has all the hospitality that visitors will need, and the inter-active exhibits will mean that the learning will not just be temporary. It will be sustainable too.
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Professor Atul K. Shah [@atulkshah] teaches and writes about Indian wisdom on business, culture and community at various UK universities and is a renowned international author, speaker and broadcaster.