The directors of an Indo-German engineering firm decided to go in for a transformation. They replaced the managing director—a Seventy-something seasoned chartered accountant—with a 50-something engineer who, as the head of another engineering company, had used the products of the Indo-German concern. The new incumbent introduced modern processes, began work on fresh products, tinkered with the workforce, and set different work standards. The directors watched the developments for a few months and pointed out a gap—the company needed to change its logo to communicate the transformation to the world.
The onus to suggest a suitable replacement of the logo fell on me. I was asked to come up with an appealing design that must remain visible on myriad surfaces of contrasting shapes and sizes and convey a strong message about the change in the company. The firm, already a market leader renowned for its ethical values and robust products, had a good number of repeat customers. I had to ensure that the new logo, while reflecting a new image, must not be construed as a signal of departure from major existing strengths and lead to a loss of clientele. It took professional agencies and me some months to come out with options that fulfilled the requirement. The directors debated over the options and finally chose a design that continues to be in use for the last seven years.
When I mentioned the exercise to the company's agent in France, he remarked, "We don't go into so many intricacies. We just select a good, attractive design, and that's it!" That may be true for his company, but it's common knowledge that the logos of world leaders such as Amazon, Baskin Robbins, Fedex, Toyota, Vaio, etc., are much more than "good, attractive designs;" each of them conveys a story.
And so does the flag of India. It is not a simple 'tricolour' or a 'tiranga', terms often used to describe it. True, the flag has three prominent colour bands, but with a 'dharma chakra' at heart, its design is more complex than, say, those of the Hungarian or the Italian flags. It carries a statement of the ideals every model citizen of India must follow spiritually, mentally, and physically. Display of the flag must neither be confused with allegiance to a particular individual or sect, nor should it be misunderstood as an indolent expression of patriotism. Sincere adaptation of the flag can solve many problems and make living a joyful and fulfilling experience. If we wish to solve our problems, we must look at the flag for guidance—it has rich potential to serve as a true saviour.
Let us consider some day-to-day problems and put the above statement to test. How about road rage, fake news, shortage of money, verbal and physical violence, and unfulfilment of promises or delay in meeting them?
Road Rage
Subhash Waghmare, a pillion rider, was beaten to death on Lavasa Road in Pune on May 8, 2022, by three persons after an altercation about overtaking of motorcycles (ABP News).
Jagbir, a Haryana Roadways bus driver was killed in a road rage incident, leading to the suicide of his distraught son in Sonipat (India Today, September 08, 2022).
The union road transport minister Nitin Gadkari informed the parliament that 215 thousand cases of road rage and rash driving were recorded in India in 2021 (Deccan Herald, March 24, 2022).
Displaced anger, stress, intoxication, impatience, hatred, inflated ego—all major road rage inducing factors emanate from our frame of mind. The second, the third and the seventh spokes of the 'dharma chakra' in the flag show us a way to avoid road rage. The second spoke stresses upon maintaining good mental health, the third emphasises upon peace and harmony within ourselves and all around, and the seventh spoke demands forgiveness towards all creatures. Road rage becomes unthinkable for a true practitioner of these values.
Fake News
On September 25, 2022, an Indian news channel, in an exclusive break, informed about a coup in China. Many experts shared their learned views about the development on media. Actually, no such event had actually happened, the confusion was created by fake news!
As per a BBC report, fake news in the first half of 2020 mislead many Covid-19 patients into undergoing unscientific treatment and dying or suffering for long durations. Mutton and poultry products were wrongly believed as the catalysts of the disease, and shops selling such products were forced shut in many areas. Unfounded news about Tablighi Jamaat spreading Covid-19 disrupted communal harmony across India. False reports on the Citizenship Amendment Act upset people and deadly religious riots flared up.
As per the National Crime Records Bureau, 2020 witnessed a three-fold increase in fake news over the previous year in India. A large proportion of this news related to religious and political issues, spreading suspicion and hatred.
Fake news may help its perpetrators for some time, but it inflicts immense damage to the psyche and the wellbeing of innocent people. The sixteenth spoke of the 'dharma chakra' in the flag warns us against believing rumours, insisting that only truth deserves to be followed. The twenty-fourth spoke promotes acquisition of wisdom and its proper utilisation. And, the fifth spoke recommends us citizens to practise high morality in our professional and personal conduct. Will a person with high moral standards stoop to the level of generating and spreading false and harmful information? No! And, will people following truth with proper application of wisdom fall in the trap of the rumour mongers? Again, no!
Shortage of Money
Manikuttan, his wife, aunt, and two children were found dead in their home in Thiruvananthapuram on July 2, 2022. Manikuttan was hanging by a rope and the remaining four persons had been poisoned. Inability to pay debts is stated to be the reason behind the mass suicide (Tribune).
K Surya Prakash, his wife Akshaya and two children—aged 7 and 11—were found dead in a hotel in Nizamabad on August 21, 2022. Surya Prakash was found hanging from the ceiling while the remaining three family members had died due to poisoning in a suicide pact due to money-related issues (Telangana Today).
As per the National Crimes Record Bureau (NCRB), of the 153,052 cases of death by suicide reported in India in 2020, 11.3% were of self employed people, 10.2% of the unemployed, 9.7% were of salaried employees and professionals, and 7% of farmers. Shortage of money or poverty and bankruptcy was one of the factors that had driven these people to kill their children, spouses, parents, and themselves. It would be safe to assume that the financial problems of these segments were created either by the individuals or by their employers, customers, stake holders, and friends and influencers.
But why do people face shortage of money? Are all our expenses devoted to bare sustenance or do we splurge money to flash lifestyles that we cannot afford? Buying of houses, automobiles, gadgets, jewellery, and clothes; embarking on foreign jaunts; eating at expensive restaurants—just to keep up with the Joneses—can be a sure recipe for shortage of funds. The first spoke of the 'dharma chakra' suggests following a simple lifestyle. The eighteenth spoke goes a step further, and recommends optimum utilisation of money. It does not require a genius to deduce that living within one's means and not wasting money prevents financial troubles.
Verbal and Physical Violence
Nikhil Dohre, a class ten student in Auraiya, committed a spelling error. The infuriated teacher, Ashwini Singh, beat Dohre who succumbed to the injuries on September 7, 2022 (India Today).
Irritated over the delay in dinner preparation, Anuj Kumar in NOIDA hit his wife Khushbu on the head with a tawa, leading to her death on September 26, 2022 (Times of India).
BBC, on the basis of a NCRB report, informs that incidents of crimes against women were the highest in the six years from 2016 to 2021.
There is a biological explanation for violence. It's natural for a mother to become aggressive when someone endangers her child. People trying to protect their belongings from thieves may use force. A soldier defending the nation is provided with arms for a purpose. However, one must exercise wisdom to differentiate between good and evil, and maintain good mental and spiritual health as prescribed by the second spoke of the 'dharma chakra.' Love towards all creatures, cordial relationship among all citizens, and brotherhood in the country—as suggested by eighth, the ninth and the tenth spokes—make the issue clearer. A follower of these principles will surely not indulge in verbal and physical violence.
Unfulfilment of Promises and Delay in Meeting Them
Rao Inderjit Singh, minister for statistics and programme implementation, informed the Rajya Sabha on August 7, 2022, that 721 out of the 1568 infrastructure projects being monitored by the government were running behind schedule. These included railways, power, atomic energy, coal, and petroleum projects worth trillions of rupees (The Times of India).
Many students vying to get into Delhi University colleges have been forced to join Karnataka colleges as their wait for the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) results continues. With Bengaluru colleges completing admissions and commencing classes, students are left with no choice but to join them, even though there is no clarity on fee reimbursement. The long delay in the CUET results has put students in a dilemma (Times of India, September 04, 2022).
Construction works of 480 thousand homes worth Rs.448 billion are stuck or delayed in seven major cities of India (Hindu Business Line, June 12, 2022).
We are very familiar with the topic. There is hardly a day when we don't face inconvenience due to failed promises. We may also be the creators of many delays and impossible commitments. Most delays occur due to insincerely projected deadlines, impracticable tasks, conflicting interests, lackadaisical approaches, and misplaced priorities. Can we learn something from the flag to mend our ways? Of course, we can! The fourth spoke of the 'dharma chakra' calls for sacrifice of personal comforts for the nation and society. The twelfth and the thirteenth spokes stand for welfare activities in and development of the nation. The fourteenth spoke recommends industrial progress of the nation, while the twenty-first spoke stresses upon co-operation. The twenty-second spoke signifies honest discharge of duty. I have already mentioned about truth while discussing fake news earlier. With no falsehood in promises, honest discharge of duty, focus on the welfare, progress and development of the nation, disregard of personal agenda and full involvement of all related agencies, can't the situation be improved miraculously? If many other nations can work with greater efficiency, we can definitely learn and improve.
The 'dharma chakra' has twenty-four spokes, but I have mentioned only some for the sake of brevity. In case you are not familiar with the significance of each spoke, a good book can be of help. We can give the flag a place in our hearts and lead a happy life with much improved conditions all over, or exploit it for cheap gimmicks and temporary gains—the choice entirely lies with us.
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