…[these people represent] one of the most important components among the treasures of our country. And I continue to believe that even today, there exist hundreds of people who share my opinion…But no matter how far India progresses in the achievement of…material wealth, there will always be numerous other countries as competition.

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But the one field which doesn’t present any such competition is culture: specifically, the spiritual culture of India. This spiritual culture is the best and the finest of India’s wealth. If we don’t account for or neglect this spiritual culture, there’s no other area which India can take pride in. Forget pride, there’s no path where India can become useful to the world.

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Thus, those who protect and preserve the knowledge of our country’s spiritual culture, its organic arts, and its traditional customs in an unbroken manner become the preservers and custodians of the initial capital of this country’s cultural treasure. They are the nucleus of Indian Culture…

The chief characteristic of [these Brahmins] was to experience a life of opulence amidst poverty. That opulence can’t be captured by the calculations of any bank. That wealth doesn’t lend itself to money and gold. It’s the wealth of the soul, of the inner Atman. Those folks had forgotten their paucity of outward riches in the contentment of their inner wealth.

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[These Brahmins possessed] an attitude of ultimate spirituality in worldly business; a desire for spiritual peace amid all mundane impulses; an attitude of purity in all earthly bonds of family and friends—these are the key features of Indian Culture. A view of inner wellness, non-expectation, purity—these are the three attributes that were regarded as the highest goals of life by Indians since time immemorial as a cultural disposition. Enjoying wealth amid poverty, remaining tranquil amid commotion, labouring towards hygiene amid squalor—this is Indianness.