It astounds me as to the number of people of Indian origin who work in the financial districts of London & New York. We all know of people like Anshu Jain of Deutsche Bank who have done fantastically well to take the best of their Indian heritage and mix it up with the hard headedness found in ample supply in the “West”.

I mention this because the City Hindus Network have asked me and bunch of other people to become mentors to younger professionals across various firms in the square mile. As part of this workshop, I learnt something that should have been so obvious – that cultural values are weaved into our genes.

I was reminded by the City Hindus Network that public service and encouraging a spirit of providing assistance are key elements of our DNA. Something that many cultural overviews provided to executives travelling to India should highlight.

Understanding Indian business culture will take you so far, understanding what makes Indian people tick will take you much further.