[ashayh]

Since we are generalizing, its worth mentioning the tendency of Gujratis (or most Indians) to be extremely insular and selfish:

"Trust and honesty remain essential to Gujarati-dominated industries. Mr Mehta, himself a Jain from Palanpur, whose diamond company has a turnover of $1.8 billion and offices from Antwerp to Tokyo, says that, despite the size of the business, it is still “all based on handshakes and words, with no contracts”. "

These people have traveled from Antwerp to Tokyo for 200 years...yet Palanpur is a shithole just like every other town in India. They have seen all the benefits of a free and modern society, but have not lifted a finger to bring 1% of those ideas to the town where they live.

Surat which processes 90% of the worlds diamonds is also a shithole. Its just yet another massive Indian city with no modern infrastructure, garbage and sewers everywhere, and had a plague outbreak about a decade ago!

While these globe trotters make millions which they stash, how much money do you think the rank and file of diamond polishers make? Do they have adequate health benefits and protection against problems like this: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16201206

“We don’t have to deal with government too much, and mostly not with the banks, as most money comes from families,” says Dinesh Navadiya, the head of the Surat Diamond Association. “So there is little scope for corruption.”

No corruption...except massive tax avoidance. It is impossible to run the smallest business in India without running into corruption.

Some might argue these people have no obligation to improve society and that's Ok. But any article writing about the pros, should also write about the cons.

[hackaflocka]

Indian Gujarati here. OP is correct. Gujaratis are good at making money in a host society. But the original towns etc. in Gujarat are shite-holes, and they've not cross-pollinated all the progress of their host societies into their source society. Also, as far as helping non-Gujaratis is concerned, fuhgeddedaboutit. To me, the implication is that they essentially lack societal vision, altruism and out-group empathy. (I'm considered an outcaste, a "wannabe sell-out" because I question why no Gujarati billionaires do more for Gujarat -- or India or Africa -- than Bill Gates.)

[ElysianEagle]

As another person of Indian origin, I'd have to say that unfortunately this is true of the vast majority of Indians and not just Gujaratis.

[thr0w4w4y44]

You could not have put it better!

Another article along a similar vein: http://qz.com/459422/how-indian-families-took-over-the-antwe...

Its disgusting to hear all these people come for is business opportunities, refusing to speak the local language, adopt local customs, assimilate, or give back to the community at large, while the host society sees jobs shipped to India and tax revenues decline.

[pjg]

You quoted economist and mentioned Surat as a dump. It might help if you read an article Economist published about Surat, in 2012 http://www.economist.com/node/21563412 (last 4 paragraphs )

Excerpt: What it takes A far more encouraging example can be found farther up the coast. Surat, a city in Gujarat of 4.5m people, is a flourishing trading hub that not long ago was a wretched dump like Gorakhpur. In 1994, after a reported (but never confirmed) outbreak of pneumonic plague, it became famous for squalor, gridlock, slums and rotten management. Since then it has been transformed. Effective managers cleaned up. Rubbish was collected and transport improved, streets were swept and public services delivered. Miraculously, the improvements were sustained. Some 96% of residents pay their municipal taxes on time. Manoj Kumar Das, who now runs the city, says that over the past decade the growth in Surat’s population averaged 5% a year, among the fastest of any city in the world. According to his planners, by 2031 it could have 9.3m people, overtaking London.

You complain about "positive generalizations" and yet you resort to generalizations yourself without checking facts ?

As for Palanpur - I don't know much - but fund this: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g1156005-d302375-Rev....

[sumanthn]

I have the feeling it might take another generation of Indians growing up in a global economy for them to realize the advantages of an uncorrupt and morally just society.

Theres still so much backwards cultural stigma thats prevalent in India that I think its just going to take a lot of time for Indians to realize what needs to be done.

[galtwho]

This doesn't apply to Bhuj though. From what I hear, the town has unparalleled facilities not found anywhere else in the country all courtesy of its expats and business people.