Tuesday, July 16, 2019

The intrinsic "asuvidha" (inconvenience) complex

Photo Credit: P.T.I./A currency exchange during India's demonetisation days
Indians are beset by a deep-rooted asuvidha (inconvenience) complex.

The complex operates on the principle of "Will do whatever is convenient for me even if it inconveniences someone else/others." The fallout of this complex are two: Firstly, it instils a strong sense of entitlement (among and regardless of rich, middle-class or poor) and secondly, it encourages an abnormal kind of tolerance which leads to submissiveness.

The asuvidha (inconvenience) complex can be seen in numerous walks of life. The greatest, cascading impact of this complex is felt from (please notice I have used the word "from" and not "by") those who are in politics. The other spheres in which this complex is most evident are public life/public servants, offices (especially corporate), riders and drivers of automotive vehicles and other citizens in neighbourhoods and on the streets. 

In politics, politicians who are unscrupulous, highly narcissistic (a type of narcissism defined by author Robert Greene as "The complete control narcissist"), have dictatorial tendencies or are blatantly despotic, or are the ones trying to push forward their perverse ideology, are the biggest perpetrators of this complex. The masses are involved in amplifying this complex in the following ways: they are either fooled and become passive participants in the agendas of these politicians or are complicit in their blatant support and become active participants. In both these cases, the masses operate on or perpetuate this complex or both.

And it is this complex which contributes in making day-to-day living a nightmare for India's 1.3 billion people and keeps the nation further away from living a more civilised life.


@tarundalayainsights
Bringing complex thoughts and analysis 
into a few words. ~

Monday, May 27, 2019

What was the alternative?



By 

Tarun Dalaya

Ram Bharose had had a hard day of work in the field. Earlier in the morning he had participated in the village panchayat elections.

In the night he was unable to sleep properly and kept tossing and turning.

His mind kept asking, "What was the alternative?","What was the alternative?","What was the alternative?".

His sleep broke. As he opened his eyes he saw a bright light and the God of What Was The Alternative, emerge. "Ram Bharose you kept asking a hundred times ‘What Was The Alternative?’ and I thought you were calling out to me and so I am here before you", the God said.

“You thought you voted for someone great, didn’t you?”, the God asked Ram Bharose. “Yes my Lord. I was planning to vote for the other one but he was accused by my fellow villagers of beating up his neighbour’s goat which strayed into his field”, he replied.

“You know this other one for years as well, is it not?  You know he is an animal lover? You know he is a gentle human being! And yet you did not vote for him because of what so many villagers were saying!”, the God of What Was The Alternative said angrily.

“Ram Bharose how can an animal lover hurt the goat?”, the God asked. “A handful of friends of the one you voted for were spreading a particular messaging around the village. Yes there was an alternative but you were not able to recognise Truth from Propaganda. You fell for propaganda spread by a few. You did not want to believe the Truth!”

Copyright © Tarun Dalaya, 2019


India
Tarun is a versatile writer, poet, manager and thinker. His multi-faceted personality enabled him to re-invent himself several times. He has worked in the fields of journalism, industry promotion, public relations, corporate communications, business and creative writing. Starting out as a journalist, Tarun later spent much of his professional life promoting India’s automotive component industry at its sectoral association for several years, across functions as diverse as trade promotion, government relations, press relations, publishing, knowledge-building, and advocacy. On becoming a journalist again, as consulting editor of a leading B2B automotive magazine, he raised the bar in automotive journalism by writing analytical and in-depth articles on lesser written subjects. Currently, Tarun consults with companies in branding and corporate communications. He has deep interest in international relations, current affairs, economy, history (including military history especially related to WWI and WWII), religion, philosophy, medicine, intelligence, literature, management, animal welfare and photography.

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