Indian planning operates with acknowledgment that forces beyond human planning affect outcomes. Fate, karma, divine will, market forces, political circumstances—various external forces shape what happens regardless of how well humans plan.
This creates humility about planning’s power without abandoning planning. Planning is still valued and practiced; but planning proceeds with awareness that outcomes are not fully determined by plans. “Do your best and leave the rest” captures the orientation—plan and act seriously while accepting that results are not fully controllable.
This affects how planning success is evaluated. When outcomes differ from plans, the question includes both “what did we do wrong?” and “what forces beyond our control affected this?” This creates emotional orientation toward outcomes: when plans succeed, gratitude is appropriate alongside self-congratulation; when plans fail, acceptance is appropriate alongside analysis. Plan as well as you can within what you can control, while holding outcomes lightly.
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