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The mistake the author made is that he lived in India for three weeks. Had he stayed for six months or a year, he'd have been able to figure out what makes Indi

The mistake the author made is that he lived in India for three weeks. Had he stayed for six months or a year, he'd have been able to figure out what makes India tick - India is the very embodiment of clever innovation to survive - it will ask you very tough questions and it will compel you to innovate, often rapidly, just in order to survive - not even succeed. This, in India, is known as "jugaad". He missed the "jugaad" all around him - people, in their struggle for survival, do all sorts of things. Lying is jugaad, dishonesty is jugaad, the Cobra is jugaad, the marijuana in tourist places is jugaad, the beggar's strategic location is jugaad, the dump-heap is jugaad (not all jugaads are meant to make society better as a whole). But maybe that's too naive. The most unfortunate in India are amongst the most fatalistic - they give up trying - after all, they never won the birth lottery by being born in Europe or the US, or even in a rich home in India - so why hope for social justice? Laws are meant to be broken in India, justice is meant not to be served (India is a study in legal arbitrage - it always has been). Life is meant to be tough in India, values are meant to eschewed. But even with all this, "jugaad" survives and serves its own brand of justice. The mistake most foreigners make in India is that they continue to believe in their ability to right the wrongs and make a change. A feeling of utter helplessness is very alien to them. It's coming to terms with that helplessness and digging out pockets of jugaad from that black mass of helplessness is what makes India tick.

baseh 14y ago
Great comment. You have hit the nail on the head. One has to immerse oneself into the ocean of sweat, dirt and garbage to see the real india and what makes it tick. It is like swimming in an ocean of raw-sewage with a 1000 foot, 1000-headed serpent. >> The most unfortunate in India are amongst the most fatalistic - they give up trying. : This is again so true. Experienced first-hand with some of my relatives. You might be initially surprised at their mindset and the self-reasoning, but then you will realize its part of their coming to terms with life. If you consider the rain-forests of Amazon as an evolving experiment by nature, I consider the human-forests of India as an evolving experiment by nature as well.
- darien 14y ago
  It has been explained to me that it is common for many indians to justify another person’s plight by believing that a condition of suffering is that person’s ‘karmic destiny.’ Therefore it would be ‘bad karma’ to help such a person.
  - photon137 14y ago
    Well, that perception, if it has been presented to you, is false. In fact, in India, whenever someone is discouraged to help someone out, the most popular argument is "Why bother? It's not your problem!" or "It'll be more trouble than it's worth" - just like anywhere else in the world.
    - JonnieCache 14y ago
      Surely the belief in karma/reincarnation and the caste system are mutually reinforcing on some level though? EDIT: But the part about it being "bad karma" to help some people and not others, that definitely sounds like somebody has misunderstood somewhere.
      - photon137 14y ago
        Well, the caste system exists and the inequalities exist - but they exist purely due to economic and political incentives. Belief in karma and reincarnation has got nothing to do with it. And even the victims of this system know this.
        memset 14y ago
        I want to nitpick slightly, if I may, albeit the point is not related to the general discussion of poverty in India. There is also some modern, relevant benefits to identifying someone's caste: it is an indicator that someone comes from a similar cultural or religious upbringing. That you speak similar dialects of Hindi. This is important when, say, marrying. This says nothing of the caste system as institutional discrimination, but it's worth mentioning that caste is not "purely" an economic/political bit of culture.
alberich 14y ago
I'd argue that this "jugaad" happens everywhere when people are under extreme pressure and have no good expectations of getting anywhere following the rules. Here in Brazil there are lots of young people that gets into drug dealing just because they don't have nothing better to do. The grow up in extreme poverty and society would very much like them to be dead or in prision, so they take their chances... sometimes its better to risk a bullet to the head to get rich and respected than to know that you'll be always poor and risk getting killed by police or drug dealers. And of course, this is just an example. I don't know if this qualifies as "jugaad", but sounds a little similar.
- deleted 14y ago
  [deleted]
- tejaswiy 14y ago
  I would say you're off slightly. I think it's basically improvising very frugally to make stuff work when it should've been close to impossible. It can be dangerous, It can hurt others, selfish or just plain useful, but there's no way you can deny the ingenuity. Here're some awesome examples of jugaad: https://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/559248_359872164083623_771453609_n.jpg https://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/559248_35987216408... http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3231/2389399780_7e7c15f2d7.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3231/2389399780_7e7c15f2d7.jp... http://www.myindiapictures.com/pictures/up1/2012/06/funny-car-music-system-jugaad.jpg http://www.myindiapictures.com/pictures/up1/2012/06/funny-ca... http://www.myindiapictures.com/pictures/up1/2012/06/funny-room-cooling-fan-only-in-india-jugaad.jpg http://www.myindiapictures.com/pictures/up1/2012/06/funny-ro... My personal favorite: (Steaming milk on the roadside with a pressure cooker) http://sagarmukim.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/jugaad.jpg http://sagarmukim.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/jugaad.jpg There's tons more examples like this, but you get the point.
  - crpatino 14y ago
    This is an universal trait of people trying to cope with limits. I've always know it as "ingenio mexicano" or "mexicanada", roughly translated as mexican wit. It is a matter of national pride and accepted wisdom that nowhere in the world people are as cleaver as we are. See some examples at: http://quependejadas.com/tag/gracioso/page/2/ http://quependejadas.com/tag/gracioso/page/2/ The most amazing thing is that most of these images are probably not Mexican at all, but stolen from redneck sites (search for: Look, I fixed it). That is 100% in character with the spirit of mexicanada. Why actually fix anything when I can find someone else who did it and steal the credit!!!
henrikschroder 14y ago
> He missed the "jugaad" all around him - people, in their struggle for survival, do all sorts of things. What a colossal waste of human resources. Imagine if all those poor people were instead lifted up to the middle class so that they wouldn't have to focus on surviving each day, and could put that "jugaad" to something actually useful - research, science, arts, creating things and doing work that benefits others as well.
- Tsagadai 14y ago
  If you've been to India lately you would see that this is already happening. There is a new, massive, middle class forming. Nothing happens overnight but it has certainly been improving over the last decade.
- noble 14y ago
  Yes , that is a good idea . Tell me which switch to flip...
RealGeek 14y ago
All the con men the author seen in India, they are all jugaads. His post mentions several types of jugaads he saw in India. Do you realize that majority of Indian population has no jugaad to provide food for their family. Well we "The Pizza Hut Kings" choose to overlook it and pretend that everything works.
jhaglund 14y ago
I think we call that "hustling" in America. It is common amongst poor folks around the world and can lead to run-ins with the authorities. It seems more like treading water than a path to independence, to me. It appears to me that the most unfortunate people eventually give up regardless of country. I don't blame them. Being poor is discouraging especially if you are older.
- iProject 14y ago
  Jugaad: A New Growth Formula for Corporate America by Navi Radjou, Jaideep Prabhu, and Simone Ahuja | 2010 http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2010/01/jugaad_a_new_growth_formula_fo.html http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2010/01/jugaad_a_new_growth_formula_...
  - jhaglund 14y ago
    Still sounds a lot like "the hustler mindset" to me. I like the comments from that page. Here's one I'll cherry pick: Indranil Roy Chowdhury wrote: Seems like Jugaad has become a fad these days as I keep hearing the term every now and then in conferences and beyond..But the very essence of the term has been highly misplaced..To start with 'Jugaad' has a negative connotation to it and shouldn't be seen as innovation..I suggest Innovation should be kept away from the ambit of 'Jugaad'. The problems with confusing Jugaad with innovation are; (1)Jugaad is a short term mindset and doesnt serve anyone, while Innovation should be something that can have long term impacts (2)Jugaad is a Tactic used in daily life, while Innovation is a long term Strategy.. (3)Jugaad is a way which corrupts the system or makes use of systemic loopholes, while Innovation is something that brings a solution which can in turn strengthen the system. I shall quote an example here which is a classic example of Jugaad: In India electricity theft remains a major problem. With govt's initiatives the problem has been curtailed to a large extent, hence the instances of theft have come down significantly. So what people have started doing is that they steal electricity from lines to TV antennas which take 49V..How? Simple solution..put a step up transformer in the way..convert 49 to 110v or 220V and light your bulb.. Now the question is would we like this to be seen as innovation ??? Or should it be left as 'Jugaad' ?????
capex 14y ago
"jugaad" is the equivalent of a 'hack'. When there are limitations imposed by circumstances, people try to 'hack' the system, without paying any attention to when they cross the legal line.

baseh 14y ago

Great comment. You have hit the nail on the head. One has to immerse oneself into the ocean of sweat, dirt and garbage to see the real india and what makes it tick. It is like swimming in an ocean of raw-sewage with a 1000 foot, 1000-headed serpent. >> The most unfortunate in India are amongst the most fatalistic - they give up trying. : This is again so true. Experienced first-hand with some of my relatives. You might be initially surprised at their mindset and the self-reasoning, but then you will realize its part of their coming to terms with life. If you consider the rain-forests of Amazon as an evolving experiment by nature, I consider the human-forests of India as an evolving experiment by nature as well.

darien 14y ago
It has been explained to me that it is common for many indians to justify another person’s plight by believing that a condition of suffering is that person’s ‘karmic destiny.’ Therefore it would be ‘bad karma’ to help such a person.
- photon137 14y ago
  Well, that perception, if it has been presented to you, is false. In fact, in India, whenever someone is discouraged to help someone out, the most popular argument is "Why bother? It's not your problem!" or "It'll be more trouble than it's worth" - just like anywhere else in the world.
  - JonnieCache 14y ago
    Surely the belief in karma/reincarnation and the caste system are mutually reinforcing on some level though? EDIT: But the part about it being "bad karma" to help some people and not others, that definitely sounds like somebody has misunderstood somewhere.
    - photon137 14y ago
      Well, the caste system exists and the inequalities exist - but they exist purely due to economic and political incentives. Belief in karma and reincarnation has got nothing to do with it. And even the victims of this system know this.
      - memset 14y ago
        I want to nitpick slightly, if I may, albeit the point is not related to the general discussion of poverty in India. There is also some modern, relevant benefits to identifying someone's caste: it is an indicator that someone comes from a similar cultural or religious upbringing. That you speak similar dialects of Hindi. This is important when, say, marrying. This says nothing of the caste system as institutional discrimination, but it's worth mentioning that caste is not "purely" an economic/political bit of culture.

alberich 14y ago

I'd argue that this "jugaad" happens everywhere when people are under extreme pressure and have no good expectations of getting anywhere following the rules. Here in Brazil there are lots of young people that gets into drug dealing just because they don't have nothing better to do. The grow up in extreme poverty and society would very much like them to be dead or in prision, so they take their chances... sometimes its better to risk a bullet to the head to get rich and respected than to know that you'll be always poor and risk getting killed by police or drug dealers. And of course, this is just an example. I don't know if this qualifies as "jugaad", but sounds a little similar.

deleted 14y ago
[deleted]
tejaswiy 14y ago
I would say you're off slightly. I think it's basically improvising very frugally to make stuff work when it should've been close to impossible. It can be dangerous, It can hurt others, selfish or just plain useful, but there's no way you can deny the ingenuity. Here're some awesome examples of jugaad: https://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/559248_359872164083623_771453609_n.jpg https://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/559248_35987216408... http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3231/2389399780_7e7c15f2d7.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3231/2389399780_7e7c15f2d7.jp... http://www.myindiapictures.com/pictures/up1/2012/06/funny-car-music-system-jugaad.jpg http://www.myindiapictures.com/pictures/up1/2012/06/funny-ca... http://www.myindiapictures.com/pictures/up1/2012/06/funny-room-cooling-fan-only-in-india-jugaad.jpg http://www.myindiapictures.com/pictures/up1/2012/06/funny-ro... My personal favorite: (Steaming milk on the roadside with a pressure cooker) http://sagarmukim.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/jugaad.jpg http://sagarmukim.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/jugaad.jpg There's tons more examples like this, but you get the point.
- crpatino 14y ago
  This is an universal trait of people trying to cope with limits. I've always know it as "ingenio mexicano" or "mexicanada", roughly translated as mexican wit. It is a matter of national pride and accepted wisdom that nowhere in the world people are as cleaver as we are. See some examples at: http://quependejadas.com/tag/gracioso/page/2/ http://quependejadas.com/tag/gracioso/page/2/ The most amazing thing is that most of these images are probably not Mexican at all, but stolen from redneck sites (search for: Look, I fixed it). That is 100% in character with the spirit of mexicanada. Why actually fix anything when I can find someone else who did it and steal the credit!!!

henrikschroder 14y ago

> He missed the "jugaad" all around him - people, in their struggle for survival, do all sorts of things. What a colossal waste of human resources. Imagine if all those poor people were instead lifted up to the middle class so that they wouldn't have to focus on surviving each day, and could put that "jugaad" to something actually useful - research, science, arts, creating things and doing work that benefits others as well.

Tsagadai 14y ago
If you've been to India lately you would see that this is already happening. There is a new, massive, middle class forming. Nothing happens overnight but it has certainly been improving over the last decade.
noble 14y ago
Yes , that is a good idea . Tell me which switch to flip...

RealGeek 14y ago

All the con men the author seen in India, they are all jugaads. His post mentions several types of jugaads he saw in India. Do you realize that majority of Indian population has no jugaad to provide food for their family. Well we "The Pizza Hut Kings" choose to overlook it and pretend that everything works.

jhaglund 14y ago

I think we call that "hustling" in America. It is common amongst poor folks around the world and can lead to run-ins with the authorities. It seems more like treading water than a path to independence, to me. It appears to me that the most unfortunate people eventually give up regardless of country. I don't blame them. Being poor is discouraging especially if you are older.

iProject 14y ago
Jugaad: A New Growth Formula for Corporate America by Navi Radjou, Jaideep Prabhu, and Simone Ahuja | 2010 http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2010/01/jugaad_a_new_growth_formula_fo.html http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2010/01/jugaad_a_new_growth_formula_...
- jhaglund 14y ago
  Still sounds a lot like "the hustler mindset" to me. I like the comments from that page. Here's one I'll cherry pick: Indranil Roy Chowdhury wrote: Seems like Jugaad has become a fad these days as I keep hearing the term every now and then in conferences and beyond..But the very essence of the term has been highly misplaced..To start with 'Jugaad' has a negative connotation to it and shouldn't be seen as innovation..I suggest Innovation should be kept away from the ambit of 'Jugaad'. The problems with confusing Jugaad with innovation are; (1)Jugaad is a short term mindset and doesnt serve anyone, while Innovation should be something that can have long term impacts (2)Jugaad is a Tactic used in daily life, while Innovation is a long term Strategy.. (3)Jugaad is a way which corrupts the system or makes use of systemic loopholes, while Innovation is something that brings a solution which can in turn strengthen the system. I shall quote an example here which is a classic example of Jugaad: In India electricity theft remains a major problem. With govt's initiatives the problem has been curtailed to a large extent, hence the instances of theft have come down significantly. So what people have started doing is that they steal electricity from lines to TV antennas which take 49V..How? Simple solution..put a step up transformer in the way..convert 49 to 110v or 220V and light your bulb.. Now the question is would we like this to be seen as innovation ??? Or should it be left as 'Jugaad' ?????

capex 14y ago

"jugaad" is the equivalent of a 'hack'. When there are limitations imposed by circumstances, people try to 'hack' the system, without paying any attention to when they cross the legal line.