Hindi-Chini Bhai Bhai?

The world will keenly watch when the "world's factory" and the "world's back-office" come together. This would bring into reality the much cherished dream of Deng Xiaoping—that of an "Asian century".

—Xi Jinping, the current President of China (before his 2014 visit to India)

The above words underline the importance of cooperation between, while mentioning their respective strengths, the two largest countries of Asia in the current world-order when the world is moving away from the unipolarity induced by the US hegemony towards multi-polarity having BRICS as an important pole. The UN Human Development Report's (UNHDR 2013) title had clearly stated this—the rise of the Global South.

India and China shared cordial relations during what most historians refer to as ancient history. Chinese travellers Fa-Hien (4th century AD) and Hiuen Tsang (7th century AD) visited India to know about the various facets of Indian culture and education, especially Buddhism. In the modern historical period, India and China shared a colonial past. They were part of the triangular opium trade that the British merchants carried on to enrich their land from the resources sucked out of these two regions. Thereafter, India and China became 'independent' at nearly the same time—India gained dominion status from the British in 1947; the Chinese Communists under Mao Zedong overthrew the rule of Chiang Kai-shek's Kuomintang in 1949.

1954 marked an important year when India's Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and the Chinese Premier Chou Enlai adopted the 'Panchsheel'—the five principles of peaceful co-existence—as a foreign policy basis. Post 1959 (when Dalai Lama and his other Tibetan followers took a refuge in India), the feedback given to Nehru by his sister Vijaylakshmi Pandit and his close aide V.K. Krishna Menon about the soft and cordial nature of Mao Zedong led Nehru (who also held the external affairs portfolio) to have the nation go his idealistic way and underestimate the ground situation. This came to picture in the 1962 Sino-Indian war which exposed the Indian foreign policy loopholes and forced Nehru to make his friend Krishna Menon resign from the post of the defence minister.

A look from that year to the present year shows that Sino-Indian relations have come a long way from the mere rhetoric of "Hindi-Chini Bhai-Bhai" (the Indians and the Chinese are brothers). The remarkably close cooperation between the two nations clearly brings out the fact that different domestic political systems do not stand as a barrier in the relations between the two countries. Of course—the changing world-order post-Cold War (post 1991), the changing geo-politics of the Asia-Pacific region, increased globalization and liberalization of the two economies, increased environmental concerns, the nuclear status of the two countries—all have their share in the present state of relations.

Common Economic Interests

China took on the route to liberalization much before India did so—Deng Xiaoping was instrumental in bringing that transition for his country in 1979; that for India was ushered in by P.V. Narasimha Rao (Indian PM) and Manmohan Singh (Indian Finance Minister) in 1991. China worked upon its strongest area, i.e., manufacturing sector, and that has led to it being called the "world's factory" now. Meanwhile, Indians worked upon their strength in the service sector, especially the Information Technology/Information Technology enabled Services (IT/ITeS) sector. This has helped India win the phrase "world's back office" for itself. In the current scenario, both countries will immensely benefit from a symbiotic association. Or, they could benefit from free trade principles using the concept of comparative advantage. However, India needs to take adequate steps in one aspect—the free trade can at times be detrimental to certain sectors of its domestic industry. Take the case of Chinese electronics equipments and Chinese solar panels. Given that these equipment manufacturers are heavily subsidized in China, the reduced cost of such items can be prohibitive to the fair growth of Indian industry. India and China have pledged to take the bilateral trade to USD 100 Billion by the year 2015. A cause of concern in this regard is that the Balance of Trade is skewed heavily in favour of China. This has been brought to the notice of the Chinese President in his current visit.

Another area of cooperation between the largest economy of Asia and its third largest economy is on the investment front. President Jinping has pledged an investment of USD 20 Billion in India in the coming 5 years. This is a big achievement. Perhaps the predicted reviving economic growth rates for India (by the International Monetary Fund and the World Economic Forum) coupled with the investor-friendly government fuelled by the new popularly-elected stable government  in India is to be credited for this.

Multilateral Cooperation

The BRICS grouping and the decision to establish a New Development Bank with a corpus of USD 100 Billion taken at the 2014 BRICS summit, the Contingency Reserve Arrangement to help the BRICS countries facing economic hassles—all seem to be developing countries' response to the Bretton Woods institutions, whose conditionality is perceived to be way too intrusive in the domestic sphere of the developing countries.

Climate Change talks have been an area of India-China solidarity via the BASIC grouping. The principle of "Common But Differentiated Responsibility" (CBDR) is a thread that binds the two countries on the pedestal of equitable development opportunities.

Further, India's membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) may pave the way for forming a strong bonding with the Central Asian countries in a grouping which is free of western intervention. Right now, India, Iran and Pakistan are observers in SCO.

Land Boundary Dispute

This conundrum seems to be the hardest nut to crack. The recurrence of media reports about "Chinese intrusions" in the Ladakh area of Jammu & Kashmir is due to the different perceptions about the land boundary by India and China. Similarly, China's issuance of stapled visas to the residents of Arunachal Pradesh of India has been stridently condemned by the Indian government. India respects China's claims to the Tibet Autonomous Region and in no way officially supports any "government-in-exile" of Tibet formed in Dharamshala region of Himachal Pradesh (the current place of residence of the Dalai Lama) in India. Likewise, it expects a reciprocity from China with regard to Arunachal Pradesh. A ray of light is that a Border Defence Cooperation Agreement (BDCA) has been signed between China and India. At the same time, India has learnt from the 1962 debacle and has started to increase its military capabilities in the mountainous terrain. India has taken a decision to raise and train a mountain strike corps of the army in the Arunachal Pradesh region. Similarly, it displayed its air capabilities when a C-130J Super Hercules aircraft made a successful landing at a high-altitude airfield in Ladakh region.

Cultural Cooperation

India and China traditionally shared links of Buddhism. Presently, the bonhomie between the Chinese President and the Indian PM at Sabarmati Ashram in Gujarat was symbolic of Rabindranath Tagore's dreams of cosmopolitanism. This goes in line with the saying in one of the Indian Upanishads—"Ayam nijah paroveti ganana laghuchetasaam, udaarcharitaanaamtu vasudhaiva kutumbakam" (i.e., demarcating things as mine and thine denotes a narrow mentality; for those with a magnanimous personality, the world is a family). The Chinese first lady too seemed to enjoy the cultural programmes put forward for her by a school in Delhi. Chinese martial art form Tai-chi and India's Yoga have crossed borders to inspire the citizens of the other country. Then, the Chinese government decision to open up a new route to Kailash Mansarovar via Nathu-La in Sikkim will cement the ties of the two countries further.

According to analysts, India needs to improve the Chinese language education in its universities. Further, increased people-to-people contacts through visa liberalization regimes (e.g., a visa-on-arrival scheme) would go a long way in establishing Track 2 diplomatic dialogue between the two countries.

Speaking of people-to-people contacts makes me deviate slightly from the ongoing essay. I had an opportunity to meet two Chinese citizens and one South African citizen in 2012. In a way, we were informal representatives of three of the BRICS countries (it is sad that my general awareness was quite unsatisfactory back then). Though I had a limited interaction with them, I found all of them quite hard-working. As I reminisce those moments, I feel that people of two countries may be separated by artificial 'national boundaries', yet the feeling of humanity is natural and a very strong connecting thread.

Other Areas of Cooperation

China has also agreed to help in the establishment of a railway university in India. This is quite understandable given the Chinese engineering supremacy in bringing high-speed trains to the Xinjiang province and at the doorstep of the Tibetan Autonomous Region. Shashi Tharoor has marvelled at the Chinese engineering feats in his book Pax Indica. India also needs to be proactive in getting water flow data in the Brahmaputra river from China, given the problems causes in Assam by the annual floods in this river. Talks have also taken place to achieve some deal on the civil-nuclear front. The Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM) corridor needs to be negotiated fast as that would open immense trade opportunities for India with the other countries of the ASEAN region.

India and China are the two most populous countries of the world. To overcome the Malthusian and/or climate change-induced concerns about the food security and to meet the energy security needs, cooperation needs to be present in sharing the agricultural best practices as well as in research and development of renewable energy. Joint oil exploration by the two countries can also be undertaken in Latin America, in Africa and in Myanmar.

India-China need to prevent the smuggling of rhinoceros horns in Chinese markets for Chinese traditional medicine systems as that leads to poaching of rhinoceroses in Kaziranga Wildlife Sanctuary in Assam, thereby reducing the mammal's population. Similarly, China and India need to cooperate to keep a check on the smuggling of Cordyceps sinensis ('caterpillar grass') in Chinese markets which (alongwith global warming) is a threat to its survival.

Terrorism and extremism is also a cause of concern for the two countries—Islamic fundamentalism in India (by Indian Mujahideen, Al-Qaeda, etc.) and Uighur extremism in Xinjiang province of China.

India and China are stakeholders in the democratization of internet governance (especially after the Edward Snowden revelations about the US National Security Agency's PRISM programme).

India also needs to learn from the way the Chinese athletes win Olympic medals with a militaristic zeal, whereas India stands behind even small countries such as Jamaica in this aspect.

Balancing Acts

Much has been said about the "string of pearls" theory by various foreign policy and defence analysts. It asserts that China has been developing ports along the South Asian countries (Kyaukpyu in Myanmar, Sonadia in Bangladesh, Hambantota in Sri Lanka and Gwadar in Pakistan), which might even serve as military bases, to encircle India. It is also a Chinese response to the US "pivot-to-Asia" policy—a move by the US to re-position its defence and maritime forces in the Asia-Pacific region—which China perceives to be aimed at 'China containment'. The Chinese have also proposed to start the Maritime Silk Road (MSR) project to increase trade along the Indian Ocean which, again, is being watched apprehensively by realists. India is also having concerns about media reports that China is going to help build two nuclear reactors in Pakistan.

If China has been the land of Sun-Tzu, India too has been home to Chanakya. To be on the safer side (should there be merit in these theories), India has gone for establishing cordial relations with Japan (with which China has a dispute over the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands in the East China Sea, where China has set-up an Air Defence Identification Zone) and with Vietnam and Philippines (with which China has disputes over Paracel Islands, Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea). Indian President, in his visit to Vietnam (concluded just before the Chinese President visited India) maintained that India stands for freedom of navigation in the seas. Then, India is slated to go for development of Chabahar port in Iran (which is a mere 76 km away from the Gwadar port). India also undertakes bilateral naval exercises with Singapore and Japan, bilateral army exercises with the US as well as with China and is soon going for India-Japan-US trilateral talks.

In this era of "complex interdependence" (conflict and cooperation), it is pertinent that India take pragmatic measures to ensure that the "Asian century" may indeed come while bringing equitable development to the developing countries. There shouldn't be a rise of new hegemons to usher in another round of global power politics.

Who is going to keep a watch over the Watchdog of Democracy?

Why did the Prime Minister of India frown?...Because his camera presence was hindered by his Special Protection Group commando.

What is the similarity between Rakhi Sawant and Arvind Kejriwal?

Do aliens drink milk?

These and many other similar statements are not the excerpts of informal conversations among friends, but are 'news clippings' and special reports of mainstream television news channels in the current scenario.

Media is known as the fourth pillar of democracy. It is known as the watchdog, which keeps the people informed about the social, political and economic progress of the country. Thus, an essential feature of a legitimately democratic polity is the freedom of the press.

Let us have a brief look at the historic role, starting from the 19th century, played by the media in India. Rammohan Roy, the eminent social reformer, was a prolific writer as well. He started/edited the newspapers Samvad Kaumudi (Bengali) and Mirat-ul-akhbar (Persian) to convey his message to the people. Similarly, Dadabhai Naoroji propagated his 'Drain Theory'—the drain of wealth from India to England—through the print media. Even draconian measures such as the Vernacular Press Act (1978) during the viceroyalty of Lord Lytton could not deter the fervour of the Indian vernacular language newspapers, some of which used innovation (such as turning themselves to English newspapers overnight) to keep going on with their publication without breaking the law. The persistent criticism of that legislation led to its repeal in 1881. In 1885, about one-third of the persons who attended the Bombay Session (first session) of the Indian National Congress were journalists or writers in some measure. The extremist Congress leader Bal Gangadhar Tilak used his newspapers Kesari and Mahratta to spread patriotism among the people. Gandhi, too, used his journal Harijan for appealing to the masses to curb the abhorrent practice of untouchability. The newspapers The Times of India and Hindu have been in publication since more than a century now.

Post independence, government directives to put a check on the freedom of the press during the internal emergency period (1975-1976) was severely criticized by the print media, sections of which left blank spaces in place of their editorial columns in protest; the others just closed down for some time rather than submitting to the dictates of the autocratic government. The post-independence period also saw the rising popularity of the radio (Akashvani) as a mass-medium. The 'Rajiv Gandhi era' and the Rajiv Gandhi-Sam Pitroda duo brought the communication revolution to India. The television brought into existence the Doordarshan as another mass-medium. Prasar Bharati has been established as a statutory body to oversee the functioning of the Doordarshan and the Akashvani (or All India Radio). Liberalization and privatization had its effects on the media too. The 'market forces' and the 'invisible hands' of the free-market economy brought increased competition, better coverage and effective check on the functioning of the government. Meanwhile, the movie industry had made its strong presence among the masses. Movies such as Garam Hawa, Mother India, Sangharsh, Swades, Taare Zameen Par have tried to bring various social issues to the attention of the people.

In the present scenario, the media can be divided into print media, electronic media, movies, and social media. Various debates, discussions, special coverage and articles about economic policies, social issues, politics and its various dimensions alongwith their impact on the society have played a laudable role of informing the people about the happenings around them. There are, however, certain issues that warrant a debate regarding the rights as well as the duties of the media.

Control over Media:

The State control and censorship over the press has always been a matter of debate. There is no provision in the Constitution of India that deals exclusively with the rights of media—the Article 19 provides the freedom of speech and expression as a fundamental right to citizens, which includes the media. That, of course, is subject to reasonable restrictions. But what constitutes 'reasonable' is debatable. Thus, prohibition of movie screenings (such as that of Dam 999, Vishwaroopam) in certain states on the basis of perceived hurt to the sentiments of certain communities, which may result in a law-and-order problem, continually becomes a matter of discussion. To decrease control of the government over the functioning of the Prasar Bharati, the Sam Pitroda committee has recommended the replacement of the deputationist Indian Administrative Service officers (controlled by the Department of Personnel and Training) by expert personnel through lateral recruitment. Similarly, the Prasar Bharati should be privatized to a certain limit to increase its financial autonomy. This will ensure that the motto of Akashvani—"Bahujanhitaaya Bahujansukhaaya" (for the benefit and the joy of the multitude)—holds true to its words.

Another issue under the same heading is the corporate control of media and whether big 'media houses' must be allowed to have their stake in multiple formats of the media, i.e., in print media, electronic media. The proponents of the corporate control call this as inevitable due to the requirement of capital. The opponents, on the other hand, call it a retrograde step that has the risk of the content presented to the people being controlled and filtered to suit the palate and the interests of the media house owner. Paranjoy Guha Thakurta had written an article for the Economic & Political WEEKLY outlining this aspect. Such a control would, certainly, be detrimental to the substantive aspect of the democracy; the consent for a particular viewpoint would be passively generated in the form of a Gramscian common sense, wherein no space would be allotted to the opposing viewpoint.

The corporate control of the media has one more spin-off—the quality of the news presented to the audience. This can be seen in the sensationalization of news items—a feature typical of the TV news channels these days. This can be clearly observed in the case of Hindi news channels on TV. Rahul Pandita, in an article in The Hindu, had recently written a satire on the role of the anchors of these channels. Further, since the supply of a good provided by the corporate sector is determined by the demand for that good (and thus the incentive for producing that good), which is measured by the Television Rating Points (TRP) in this case, the news that will benefit the country is many-a-time compromised for the attention-grabbing 'Breaking News' and features such as 'Saas, Bahu aur Saazish', 'Saas, Bahu aur Betiyan'. These features only cater to the needs of the section of the middle-class and the rich that vies for entertainment and not serious news items, but nonetheless, has a large power to purchase goods. Another by-product of this is the pro-urban bias of the media and a neglect of the rural issues.

Responsible Journalism, Journalistic Bias and Media Trials:

The role of a journalist is to present a news 'as it is' and not 'as what (s)he perceives it ought to be'. Thus, the reportage should be free from journalistic bias. This had been explained in detail in an article 'The Adjective Filter' written by the reader's editor of The Hindu in 2013. According to him, the journalist should refrain from using adjectives as much as possible because that would run the news item into the risk of getting coloured in a certain manner. The job of forming an opinion, on the other hand, must always be left to the reader.

Closely related to the issue of journalistic bias is the issue of 'media trials'. Since the judiciary is the whole and sole authority to pronounce the innocence or the guilt of a person, the media [to increase their TRP or newspaper sales] must not sensationalize any news item for its viewers in a manner which may project the innocence or guilt of a person on the basis of predilection.

Paid News, Opinion Polls and Exit Polls:

Another cause of concern is the phenomenon of paid news, which shows the negative role played by certain sections of the media in projecting the image of a certain candidate in the elections as conducive for development and well-being of the people.

Then, the opinion polls and exit polls need to be regulated to a certain extent as they can have the deleterious effect of compromising the substantive aspect of the democracy by shaping people perceptions about a political party or a candidate. In this case, the argument that there needs to be freedom of speech and expression for the media does not hold valid because ultimately, free and fair elections are the precursor of a democracy which will in turn ensure that the freedom of the press is not compromised in the future.

Social Media:

While the use of the social media (a by-product of the mobile telecommunication revolution) has been certified by the presence of the Prime Minister, various union ministries and police establishments on websites such as Youtube, Twitter, Facebook, there are certain issues that need to be taken care of. Social media stands the benefit of absence of editorial censorship and space constraints, and the proponents of it claim that the censorship is ascertained by 'peer review' and 'report abuse' mechanisms. Nevertheless, the speed with which unverified content can travel to a large number of places has the potential to create large mass congregation capable of disrupting the law and order and of fomenting social unrest (e.g., triggering the 'Jasmine Revolution' in Tunisia, the congregations in Tahrir Square in Egypt and in Shahbag Square in Dhaka in 2013, the murder of a techie in Pune in 2014). Thus, people must themselves ensure that what they are uploading on the social media is verified and harmless content. Further, the addiction to social media through technological appliances can cause psychosomatic disorders, mental depression, obesity, early ageing, decreased 'real world' contact, etc.

Despite this, care should be taken by the state not to misuse the Section 66A of the Information Technology Act (2000) to put unintentional acts under the ambit of criminal laws (as in the case of two girls in Maharashtra in 2013).

As I come to the end of this essay, I ask a question—who is going to keep a watch over the watchdog of democracy? Clearly, press censorship should be resorted to in the rarest of rare cases as otherwise that amounts to keeping the sentinel under the custody of the guarded. However, if the healthy role of the media is applaudable, the irresponsible role played by the media at certain times is equally deplorable. The media-persons need to stick to the ethics of journalism so that the media gets the same credit as is enjoyed by the Election Commission and the Supreme Court among the people of India.

Golden Mean is the Golden Rule

It is opined that "old is gold", atleast for those who honour the old ways. Seasoning is something that is synonymous with experience. Perhaps that is the reason why most of the jobs still have seniority as the most important attribute for promotions. Further, vintage articles have an inherent value attributed to them. This is more so when these articles become rare and, speaking colloquially, get coated with the patina of a bygone era.

Nevertheless, the present generation—our "demographic dividend"—tends to treat atleast some aspects of the old generation with an indifferent attitude at best or with a mild form of contempt in the worst. This is partly because of the friction that happens when the old traditions come to clash with the new ones. What, however, should be kept in mind is that the seasoned individuals have gone through many phases in life in an entirely different scenario, and sailed successfully through turbulent weathers. For them too, adjustment to the new customs is a big hurdle given that their methods of work had proved reasonably well for them in their times.

Change is the law of nature. In the words of a character in an Anita Desai novel, "the wheel [of time] turns and turns and turns. It never stops and stands still". Adaptation is the only [Darwinian] mechanism for survival; the other choice is to perish. It can be seen that this mechanism has been adopted by not just living beings, but institutions too, which behave as organic entities to ensure their survival. Most of my article will focus on the advertising industry and its effects on our minds. Thereafter, I'll try to present my case of why there should be a balance between the views of various age-groups of the population.

I had, long back during my school days, read a Hindi essay titled "Vigyapan Yug" (the age of advertisements). The author had commented, quite satirically, on the omnipresence of advertisement jingles in our times. The traditional methods of promotion through newspapers magazines and pamphlets were supplemented by the information and broadcasting revolutions (read radio and television). Since the 1980s, all thanks to the Information and Communication Technology revolution ushered in by Rajiv Gandhi-Sam Pitroda duo, advertisements have started travelling at a lightning pace. This has been bolstered by the social media, which has now been bestowed with government sanction as valid mass media.

Apart from the means of communication employed for advertising, the methods employed for selling products have been revised. There was a change in the nature of the television commercials to bring innovativeness in the field of marketing. The services of professional animation experts, lyricists, singers with a "different" voice, movie actors, sports persons, etc., have been employed by the "marketing experts", or "ad-gurus". The "kya aap Close-up karte hain" (do you use Close-up toothpaste?) jingle, Vodafone Zoo-zoos, "Ullu banao-ing" campaign of Idea Cellular, "milawat ke khilaaf jung" (war against adulteration) of Sahara Q-Shop are all examples of this. This "marketing" became the mantra because in the age of cut-throat competition brought by the trinity of globalisation-liberalization-privatization and the "free market economy", market forces necessitated that not only do the products need to be of uncompromising quality but the consumers also need to be made aware of the presence of these products (sometimes even at the expense of the quality because the overall selling price of the product could be kept low only if the quality was compromised, given the escalating marketing costs). It seems regrettable that news channels too have been smitten by this bug. Media as an industry (media houses being owned by corporate players) seems solely motivated by betterment of Television Rating Points (TRPs), increasing the sales of magazines/newspapers, etc. Adding to this is the "brand culture" associated with products. Big multinational corporations (MNCs), after establishing their firm hold in the market by capturing a sizeable market share among a particular segment of customers, escalate the selling price of their goods because of their supposedly superior quality and technology. The use of technological jargons as a rhetoric has the purpose of luring the consumers into believing that the product being marketed is the best in its league. Then, there is the pressure of continuously updating the products, even with trivial features, so that there is no perceived stagnation in the product among the consumers.

While criticizing the price revisions done by the MNCs, I do not say that everything is unfairly done. Some revisions have to be done due to the rising costs of inputs that go into the production. However, if the profit margins of the MNCs are scrutinized, one can very well conclude that such a burden on the consumers is unwarranted. What else can explain the fact that the showrooms sell their products during "off-season sale" at 40-50 per cent discount on the marked prices? This is done to clear the inventories. Still, it just isn't possible that these products are being sold at a loss to the company—no company/enterprise is such a philanthropist as to distribute freebies. I've even seen some of the shops place donation boxes at their counters for philanthropic/humanitarian initiatives. Since I've not researched into the veracity of their claims, I will not comment on this front.

Another aspect of this maze is the "managerial class". Most of the better brains of the nation, after passing out from top-notch engineering colleges, are lured by the private sector and the money being offered by MNCs. Thus, they go for a post-graduate diploma from a reputed "B-school". Thereafter, this managerial class acts as a link between the lower level workers and the entrepreneurs in the private sector. This very class is also the one that mans the marketing units of private sector companies. The class composition of B-school students outlines that management education is difficult to afford for lower-middle class people and those from the poor strata of society. Outliers from these B-schools are people such as Chhavi Rajawat, who use their management education to efficiently administer the Panchayati Raj Institutions in villages, thus contributing largely to the Indian society (real India still lives in the villages).

The consumers (I refer to an average middle-class consumer) do not seem to mind most of the price rises—a large fraction of these consumers themselves are accustomed to working in such MNCs, and thus, have a good purchasing power. Thus, the whole money seems to get circulated in a closed loop. The only beneficiaries of redistribution of income are the lower level workers who render their services to the people through these MNCs and the agriculturists who sell their goods as inputs to such MNCs. On the other hand, the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail sector hasn't seemed to favourably affect the interests of small and medium traders, as of now.

A positive step by the Parliament—the Companies Act, 2013—has mandated the companies (which are above a certain threshold level in terms of their annual turnover/profits/net worth) to use 2 per cent of the average profits made by them in the preceding three years under Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives. Another positive step was to mandate the insurance companies to broadcast and telecast the disclaimer clauses in their policies at a slow pace on the radio and television respectively, and to publish them in large font size on the policy documents.

It is not that the advertising industry is always used to make huge monetary gains. Sometimes, social sector initiatives of the government, of NGOs reach a large spectrum of people through this very industry.

Now, I'll revert to the content of my first two paragraphs. We can learn a lot from the older generation. Any decision-maker is able to make a wise decision only after examining an issue from multiple dimensions. The previous generations have given us very good tools of analysis. Antonio Gramsci's theory of hegemony feels particularly relevant in analyzing the methods employed by the advertising industry. The intelligent amalgamation of technological jargons, marketing offers and the artificially created demand for material consumer products clearly points towards a post-modern propaganda of superstition (superstition earlier used to be mostly associated with religion). The industry has worked in such a manner as to make the consumers feel that buying "more", buying "latest" equipments are not a fad but common sense. This strategy is esoteric, confined mostly to the coterie of individuals who artificially create demand for material things in the name of better products.

It is often said that the best things in life are free [monetarily, that is; else they are priceless]. Happiness is not achieved through material comforts, given that the desire for material pleasures is otherwise insatiable. This can be seen from the examples of great men, who lived a very simple and austere life. A prominent example is of India's former President Dr Avul Pakir Jainulabdin Abdul Kalam. Another one, from an age long gone by, is of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. The tools (Gramscian) given by the older generation are very helpful in the analysis of an event, the motives behind people's behaviour, the positives and negatives of any action that we undertake, etc. The energy of the youth and the experiences of the senior generation can symbiotically work towards achieving the benefit of all. In this, the Aristotlean maxim of golden mean being the golden rule (corroborated in fiction by the imaginary place Shangri-La in James Hilton's "The Lost Horizon") comes in very handy. Thus, a mean must be taken between the two generations' views.

Beware the Shenanigans of today!

Considering the chicanery prevalent in our times, I think it is worthwhile for everyone to be a Machiavellian "fox" or a vixen. One's trust on an individual or a group should not be so irrational as to assume the proportions of blind faith. That doesn't, however, mean that the world is full of tricksters who are motivated solely by their own benefit. The world is not so simple as to fit under the binary classification of good and bad, or black and white. It involves shades of grey. A thing beneficial for someone may prove to be detrimental to some other person's interests, as is figuratively phrased in the saying—one man's food can be another man's poison. Nevertheless, it is pertinent that one follow a "scientific", i.e. rational, approach while going about in accomplishing any task. This approach involves an empirical outlook complemented by the eagerness to learn about the various dimensions that an issue can possibly have.

In the following paragraphs I'll narrate, through exemplification, why I've put forward the above views. Let us consider a number of examples (which I've cited in context of India):

• Politicians bickering (or so it may seem) over petty issues
• A beggar asking for alms
• Religious persons seeking alms in the name of God
• Youth seemingly enjoying the consumption of junk food

What is common to all the above events is the use of ideology and propaganda to create a myth about an issue.

In the first case, while some people may get tricked into the view that most of the political leaders represent the legitimate interests of their followers, what they fail to realize is that politics is also a profession. Political leaders are not motivated solely by pangs of philanthropy, but they too have their personal aspirations and ambitions. Take the case of Mohamed Ali Jinnah. A man, who entered the erstwhile British Indian political scenario as a devout secular person, put forth the two-nation theory to fulfill his personal ambitions. In his personal life, the London-educated barrister Jinnah wasn't even a practising Muslim—he had a taste for whisky and ham. What more? Having created Pakistan, he wanted to establish a secular polity in that country.

A recent example that can be cited is the controversy over the educational qualification of the Union Minister for Human Resource Development. What seems to be ridiculous is that Rabindranath Thakur (he was called Tagore by the British), who did not have a formal education, went on to win the Nobel Prize and established the Shanti Niketan—a novel innovative experiment in the field of education imparted amongst pristine natural surroundings. Though a doctorate, a masters degree or a bachelorette may be an asset, it cannot be held to be a prerequisite to appointment to the post of the education minister. Many other examples can easily be thought of.

It should also be noted that most of the people have the media as their source of information and the media itself is not free from any bias. Owing to corporate ownership of private media houses, many of them can have a decisive role in colouring an issue as per certain vested interests. Further, it should also be seen that many political leaders who may be bitter political opponents, polarized by ideological divides, seem to share good personal equations amongst themselves when it comes to matters outside politics.

I'll now consider the second example. While a human being cannot be completely devoid of emotions (because emotions are the very basis of humanity), one should try to be as objective as possible while taking decisions. A beggar asking for alms may arouse feelings of sympathy among certain people, which in turn might compel them to 'donate' alms. While these donors may be happy with a sense of achievement—alleviation of the suffering (atleast to a small extent) of the 'beggar'—it is more important to think about the underlying causes of this seemingly trivial occurrence. While the root causes are poverty and inequality in the society, this event may also point towards organized rackets of human trafficking who force abducted people (especially children) into begging. These illegal groups even resort to maiming children to force them to eke out a living for these trafficking-lords. One does not become a beggar by virtue of his/her socio-economic condition, one becomes a beggar by the way he/she acts (is sometimes taught to act) in front of the spectators. This farcical pretense is a strategy to arouse emotions in the donors.

Then comes the problem of seeking of alms by able-bodied people. Karl Marx had referred to religion as the "opium of the masses". These able-bodies religious beggars seek alms in the name of God, in the name of various auspicious occasions. Thereby, simple-minded people are carried away (courtesy the superstitious beliefs in India) by the astrological and numerological jargons that are fed to them by these beggars. The unsuspecting fellows feel a sense of satisfaction in having contributed to a noble cause. Consider this—the number 370 has recently been in the news, although for two completely unconnected issues. These issues are: the mysterious disappearance of the Malaysian Airlines aircraft MH370 in the Indian Ocean and the debate over the Article 370 of the Constitution of India. The psychological trait of the human mind is that it is adept at recognizing and relating patterns. Thus, examples based upon purely co-incidental events can be presented to unsuspecting people as omens having a deeper meaning. Thereafter, an ideology is created on the basis of a certain logic, and this ideology is used for promoting vested interests. The donors must understand that giving 'alms' to such people doesn't solve the problem, but aggravates the issue by incentivizing beggary. Charity to an institution is not a bad thing. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi had also advocated the use of capitalists' wealth as a trusteeship for the poor. However, it should be ascertained that the donated resources are utilized (with full transparency and accountability) for attaining social justice through educational institutions, hospitals, etc. Derrida's method of "deconstruction" and Gramscian theory of "hegemony" are particularly useful tools for obtaining the complete picture of an event.

My fourth illustration has its roots in the hegemony (courtesy Antonio Gramsci) of fast-food multinational corporations, which is promoted by the advertising industry and supplemented by intense lobbying (at the national level) in the name of free-trade and investment. While it is true that such multinational corporations create opportunities of employment for some people of India, the effects of the produce of such firms on consumers is deplorable to an unequivocal extent. This is because such a transaction involves a trade-off between the money accrued to a handful of workers and the sound health (which cannot have a monetary equivalent) of a much larger number of people—prominently the youth (who are the "demographic dividend" of the country). The dopamine-induced sense of pleasure of junk food (a very apt term to describe such foods as are high in salt and/or sugar content, low in nutrients) has long-term side-effects. These include (but are not limited to) lethargy, obesity, infertility, hypertension, diabetes, retardation of mental growth, chronic kidney disease and (in several cases) kidney failure. A cause of concern is the promotion of junk food by movie actors. Movie actors, who most probably do not themselves consume such products and consider the commercial as just-another assignment, are given hefty amounts of money by multinational corporations for the promotion of their products.

In the current scenario, the use of rationality is a matter of Darwinian survival by being among the fittest. The absence of the traits of the Machiavellian "lion" can be compensated by having the traits of the Machiavellian "fox". When primacy is given to self-interest, it is important that one acquires knowledge (which Michel Foucault related to power) so that one is not entangled in the complex web of propaganda. Thereafter, this knowledge should be used scientifically.