The Hindu Business Line : `And-ness' in action

A deeply hierarchy- conscious mindset leads to the belief that the cardinal social sin is to be perceived to be of lower social status than where you actually stand in the pecking order. The outcome is a huge amount of badging - the use of products and brands to show off one's wealth.

Let's look at various examples that illustrate `and-ness' in action, as we observe it in modern Indian society. This list is by no means exhaustive and many more examples exist of `and-ness' in action.

Equality and hierarchy: For Indians, equality of opportunity co-exists with hierarchical power display.

Interestingly, in India, equality as a modern social value has not been taken to mean the absence of hierarchy or that everyone, irrespective of their place in the social hierarchy, is entitled to equality of treatment or equal respect.

Instead, the idea of social equality that has taken root in modern India is that everyone, irrespective of origin, has equal opportunity to rise to the top of the social hierarchy. To a great extent, the modern value overturns centuries-old limitations of caste, sex and creed in keeping people locked into their social station and has released the energy of millions of people in the pursuit of upward social mobility. Mayawati's rise to the position of Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and Prof Kalam's rise to the position of the President of India demonstrate the extent of absorption of this modern value into Indian society.

Yet, on her birthday, Mayawati conducted an extravagant birthday celebration, using the funds of the State, a celebration matching the pomp and show of the ancient Kings and Queens. Her display demonstrates obedience to the dictates of a hierarchical mindset, one which says that wealth and power display is essential in order to conclusively establish one's position in the social hierarchy. The wealthiest Indian business magnate Laxmi Mittal's extravagant wedding celebrations for his daughter are another illustration of the deep imprint of hierarchical values in the Indian psyche.

Celebrity and glamour: In India, sports and movie stars are demi-gods.

Media-fuelled obsession with fame and celebrity is a feature of modern societies everywhere in the world. In India, however, this modern value combines with a deep cultural imprint in the psyche, of seeking heroes, to make celebrities into demi-gods.

To quote Prof Sudhir Kakar, "An Indian has a heightened dependence on external authority figures. An Indian tends to search for authority figures he can idealise, whose `perfection' and omnipotence he can then adopt as his own. Thus, the automatic reverence for superiors is a nearly universal psycho-social fact. And, when it comes to leadership in the larger social institutions of business and government in India, charisma plays an unusually significant role."

In modern-day India, cricket and movie stars have obsessive fan followings. Some movie stars have temples built for them by their fans. When Amitabh Bachchan was admitted to hospital for a minor surgery, all news channels provided 24x7 coverage of the state of his health and the whole nation prayed for his recovery. Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting in interviews to the media have said that Indian cricketers are gods to the Indian public. The role and impact of celebrities shows no sign of diminishing; it is, in fact, increasing by the day. And it does not look like hitting the point of diminishing returns any time soon.

Democracy and Family Values: The blend of these two ideas results in the widespread Indian practice of creating political dynasties.

Democracy as a political system came into being as a way of giving power to the people and doing away with the notion of inherited power. Democracy is thus the most egalitarian political system offering equality of opportunity to all citizens to gain access to power. Of all the newly independent nations after the Second World War, India has the distinction of being a functioning multi-party, parliamentary democracy for six decades (except for the brief period of the Emergency). The consistent functioning of democracy has indeed succeeded in empowering the masses of Indians and giving them a stake in the political system, well beyond the dreams of the founding fathers of the nation.

While democracy has taken root in India, it has run up against the traditional Indian value of the primacy of the family. To quote Prof Sudhir Kakar again, "Every Indian carries a deep-rooted belief that family ties are the most moral, durable and reliable of all social relations." As a result, there is the widespread creation of political dynasties, where children inherit the mantle of the fathers in the political party, yet have to win the favour of the electorate through campaigning themselves. While the Nehrus are India's most famous political dynasty, there are many, many other politicians across the political spectrum and across the country who follow suit.

Democracy and Dharma: Old values manifest themselves in the practice of democracy.

Prof Sudhir Kakar writes that in the Indian world view, social conflict, oppression and unrest do not stem from the organisation of social relations but originate in the adharma of those in positions of power. Institutions in India are thus personalised to a great extent. And there is a belief that social change implicitly means change of authority figures rather than a restructuring of institutions or of the prevalent networks of authority.

This is why we find the electorate regularly expressing its dissatisfaction with politicians by throwing out the incumbents and replacing them with members of the opposition. At the same time, they don't make any other changes in the structuring of political parties or of government institutions.

Money power and hierarchy: These two values have blended to create a huge emphasis on status and wealth display through lifestyle products.

In modern Indian society, money has become the measure of a man. While Indians have always worshipped Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth, and asked her to bless them with prosperity, in the past, status had many markers - caste, education, profession, ownership of land and so on. Many of these ensured that people had little upward mobility and their family status was fixed for their lifetime. However, with the liberalisation and monetisation of the economy, money and wealth have become the singular markers of status. This has had a liberating effect on the masses which can now seek upward mobility and are freed of inherited constraints, so long as they have the ability to make money.

At the same time, a deeply hierarchy-conscious mindset leads to the belief that the cardinal social sin is to be perceived to be of lower social status than where you actually stand in the pecking order. The outcome is a huge amount of badging — the use of products and brands to show off one's wealth and ensure that one is seen as `higher than' rather than `less than.' For instance, even the young elite women of Mumbai and Delhi are driven by the need to own bigger and bigger solitaires, of newer cuts to outdo each other and place themselves higher and higher in the social ladder.

(To be concluded)

References:

1. The Inner World - Prof. Sudhir Kakar, Oxford University Press, 1996

The Culture Code - Prof. Clotaire Rapaille

Newsletters # 85, 86 of Archetype Discoveries Worldwide, written by Prof. Clotaire Rapaille