ABSTRACT
This chapter highlights the contradicting identities and value systems that Indians follow and the rationale behind the same. It discusses the concept of Ardhanarishvara in India, and yin and yang in China and how they help others appreciate the paradoxes of the East. The chapter shows how the Ardhanarishvara perspective provides a better understanding of the cultural considerations crucial to fostering business relations in India. It explores the paradoxical value systems that govern the Indian mindset and their impact on business behaviour. While the evidence of human settlement in the Indian subcontinent stretches far back in the history of human civilization, the settlements that took the form of urban civilization were arguably around the fertile land along the three rivers: Indus, Ghaggar-Hakra, and the extinct Saraswati. The history of India is marked by continual contact with countless cultures of the world.
