No volunteering allowed – more reflections

I spoke to another expat about the Indian law that forbids foreigners to volunteer, and how peculiar I found that to be. We discussed the origins of such an edict – was it some bureaucratic error in the law? Why would a country that clearly needs assistance reject, rather than embrace, that assistance? The man I spoke to had a different conjecture - - he believes that it stems from pride. We talked about the “value systems” of different cultures. By my US standard, for example, feeding, clothing, educating my family would be high on the spectrum. For India, he believes, pride ranks closer to the top. And while a volunteer might be able to assist (say) with sorely needed teaching assistance, that would collide with the “pride” value and so India would prefer to do without. He conjectured that the deep well of pride comes from Moghul roots. I have reflected that it might also come from a colonial history, and a fierce preference now to succeed or fail on their own. It gives me a different perspective on the Indian position regarding volunteers. I think of the saying “We’re from the US, and we’re here to help.” And the answer we get is “thanks, but no thanks.”