Emotional Intelligence in Indian Folklore

Abstract

Emotional Intelligence (EI) is the topic of concern for the last six decades. The existence and promotion of EI skills in Indian society from ancient times were explored through popular collection of Indian folklore, such as Panchatantra, Hitopdesha and Jatakas.  The cultural literatures including the religious texts play a significant role as people believed in imbibing it. But due to scarcity of text, people developed different types of folklores. The main objective behind creating folklore was to champion the core values and promote the holistic development of the society. The most common competencies observed in the folktales were perception, understanding, and managing emotions of other’s. Abilities repeatedly mentioned in the stories were considered necessary for a person to grow as socially adept individual. Moral teachings from the stories of panchtantra, hitopdesha and others provided evidence in favor of the emphasis laid on the skills related to EI in the folktales. It also helps in concluding that emotional intelligence is not a new concept in India rather it was one of the prime concerns of the ancestors to guide their children and young people in growing as a healthy, mature and responsible individual of the society.