The Hypocrisy of Liquor Companies: Social Responsibility or Marketing Ploy?
Questioner: Namaste, Acharya Ji. I am Nityansh. I am a final-year student at IIT BHU, and currently, my placement season is going on. A few days back, a very large liquor company came to our campus to recruit the graduating students. The way they represented themselves seemed very hypocritical to me.
Some of the arguments that they put forward were that their product is something that promotes conviviality, that it promotes the joy of social gatherings and friendliness. Another argument was that their product contributes to the economic development of the country, that they are helping the farmers to grow. They also mentioned that they are spreading socially responsible drinking in the country.
But some of the advertisements of their brands don’t seem very responsible, like “Make it large” or “Men will be men,” and all these things. What was even more horrific was that their goal for the next decade is to triple their production. Currently, they are the second-largest producer in the world.
But the point I am concerned about is that I was very surprised that none of my peers questioned their false claims and hypocrisy. Instead, they asked about the abroad opportunities they would get, the technologies they are using, the product segment they have, and whether they are incorporating Industry 4.0 in it or not. These were the kinds of questions being asked.
Acharya Prashant: Nobody asked about CTC?
Questioner: No, actually, they show it later.
Acharya Prashant: That is the only and the first question to be asked. After that, no more questions remain. If the package is fat enough, no more questions.
Questioner: But it would be, it was a very large company, but I am very certain that nobody asked about their false claims and the claims….
Acharya Prashant: See, the claims are not false; they are just incomplete. Anything can be shown to have some so-called positive effects—anything, just about anything, right? War has so many positive effects, for example. Many of the technologies that you have today were either seeded or developed during the Second World War.
You could say, "When there is war, it leads to great of development of technology—initially for military use, and then it gets to more general use." For example, the technology that goes into missiles later contributes to the space programs of nations. Obviously, it can also lead to an increase in GDP. In many other ways, you can list the so-called positive effects of war. It arouses a nation.
Very poetically, you can say that the valiant spirit of a nation remains latent and asleep, and it is only the war call that awakens it. So, there have to be periodic wars—every 20 years, there must be a major war so that the spirit of the nation gets awakened.
All kinds of things you can enlist, but the thing is—the list is not complete. Similarly, alcohol can be stated to have these so-called positive effects. Yes, friends get together, and if there is alcohol, it brings about a certain felicity in the conversation. People open up, and there might be a grain of truth to the whole thing. But are you stating the full story? Are you telling the whole thing?
You know, there was a school of thought that said that limited consumption of alcohol helps the body in terms of health. That used to be the general wisdom and also something that medical science broadly accepted for many decades. In fact, there were cases where people who crossed the age of 100—the centenarians—when asked how they lived so long, would say, "One small peg every evening, that has contributed to my long life."
All that misery was there. But over the last 10–20 years, more and more research has proven that alcohol has no positive health effects. In fact, even a little alcohol is actually detrimental to health. Even that claim is gone now.
And when you look at the number of crimes that are committed under the influence of alcohol—was that mentioned in their presentation?
Questioner: No, definitely not. The crimes and all—nothing is mentioned.
Acharya Prashant: And when you count the number of road accidents that happen under its influence—you count that too—the complete story is different, right?
Questioner: "Sir, I want to ask—why are the students at such an important institution not questioning the work they are choosing?"
Acharya Prashant: You question only when you need an answer. No answer is needed; you already have all the answers. The answer is that "I need to have a fat pay package, a sexy girl, two cute kids, a house in India, and, if possible, settle abroad."
The answers have been supplied to you long back. You don’t need any answers; therefore, you don’t have any questions. Everybody has well-settled answers. Show me a question that is still alive. There is no question. The answers are all there—frozen, sealed, packed, done and dusted, permanently settled.
It is a very strange thing, but it does not matter whether you come from an IIT, an ITI, or any other place—it doesn’t matter. When it comes to inner life, we are all equally uneducated. There is great equality. We are all brothers and sisters because we are all equally ignorant. Ignorance is our father and our mother.
No questions inside. Outer life might be different. Somebody is rich, somebody is poor—their outer lives will be very different. Hindu, Muslim—outer life will be different. Indian, American—outer life will be different. PhD and illiterate—outer life will be different. Man and woman—outer life will be different.
Inner life—exactly the same. What is inside? Nothing. Just a massive darkness, a lifeless vastness, unending nothing inside. It doesn’t matter who you are—the richest person, the poorest person, the biggest scholar, or totally illiterate—inside, there is a total absence of self-knowledge. Nobody has any questions.
The rich one wants to marry, the poor one wants to marry—do they not? The rich one is rich because he wants money, the poor is poor so he wants money. Where is the difference? Show me. We all have very definite, ready-made answers.
Nobody will ask an answer. In fact, if somebody asks a question, that is probably to impress the interviewers. It is a very typical thing—you ask a smart question to the panel making the presentation, or the interview panel, and they go, "Wow! Smart chap! He asks great questions!" But you will never ask a question that offends. Your questions will be like a foot massage, not bullets.
Asking you a question, what do you do? You bend, and you start offering pedicure services. "This is my question."
What is the question? "How does it feel, sir?" This is the question.
This is never the question. (pointing a gun to shoot a bullet.)
"How does it feel, sir?" (tone changed)
I have been feeling it for 21 years. (pointing towards the heart.) Because I have questions.
Now, I am shooting the same question at you—"How does it feel, sir?" (tone changed, pointing a gun to shoot a bullet.)) Nobody will have that.
Questioner: "Sir, before joining IIT, I was very joyful. I thought that I would meet people who are very brave, who would follow their path of passion and their interests. But here, I am seeing that 99% of people are just chasing the highway of success. Nobody is going towards a naked sky of freedom. So, I'm very shattered. My hopes are very..."
Acharya Prashant: You were not joyful—you were fanciful. I don't know how somebody can enter an IIT and think that he will meet bold and courageous people there, aiming for the naked sky of freedom. What kind of witless daydreaming is this?
People spend 2 years, 4 years in places like Kota—to demonstrate their boldness? And spend several lakh rupees to get into an IIT—is it because they want to pursue a path of courage? Isn't the preparatory IIT phase itself a very clear augury? How can you be so deluded?
You enter there through the admissions process so that you can exit through the placement process. Simple. There are only two things relevant—at least in an Indian college campus—the admissions office and then the placements office. Everything in between is just time-pass. Everything in between matters only to the extent it helps in your placement.
You have the CGPA system there as well, right?
Questioner: "Yes, yes."
Acharya Prashant: So, you have audit courses, right?
Questioner: "Yes."
Acharya Prashant: Who wants to excel in an audit course? Tell me.
Even if you want good grades, even if you study hard in a particular course, it is to secure good grades. And good grades would decorate your CV. You will then serve it to the buyer and demand a higher wage for yourself.
That's all. And that's not something that happens only in an IIT. That is something that happens even before the IIT. That is something that is embedded in the preparation process itself.
And why is it there in the preparation process? Because it is there in the family. And why is it there in the family? Because it is there in the culture and in the air. Who values knowledge? We value money.
You don’t go to an IIT for knowledge—nobody does. You go there for name, fame, a green card, money, a bride—these are the things. You can sell footwear, you can sell…
Imagine a computer science graduate—what is he doing? Selling shoes, selling this Coke, that Fanta, that liquor—and being paid through his nose so much. Questioner: "Sir, I had an image before that IITs are institutions where innovation is promoted. But I didn't find anything here. It is also an image that exists in society, which inspires people like me, who didn't come here for placements and all..."
Acharya Prashant: IITs are not dropping from the heavens. They are springing from the soil. Does the soil care for innovations?
India is one of the least creative countries in the world. It broke my heart that day, you know. I have been a Sholay fan, and I have been watching videos that tear Sholay apart—scene by scene, frame by frame—and tell us which scene, which frame, is copied from which Western movie. Exact. Some of the most famous scenes of Sholay—they are true copies of Westerns.
kitne aadmi re the kaaliya. It's not original. Nothing is original. Not Thakur, not Jai, not Veeru, not Basanti, not Gabbar—not even Sambha.
Do we care for innovations? We don't even copy well. So, nobody bothered to even serve a copyright notice. It's such a poor copy—why bother?
Creativity does not come with fear. We are very afraid people. You know what we are afraid of? The unseen. The unknowable. Nobody lives in the reality of the fact. We live in constant desire and constant fear of something unknown—the future, the afterlife, heaven, hell, ghosts, gods. Fluff is what our life is all about.
And then we say, "We are emotional people. We live in dreams. We are not materialistic. We live in intangibles, intangibles, intangibles—like… like ghosts."
To innovate, first of all, you have to give respect to this world, right? This world. We have been taught that this world means nothing. Jagan Mithya. And that does not mean that we have actually grown in detachment from this world. That simply means that we have become hypocrites, pakhandies.
We drool after this world but pretend as if we have nothing to do with the world. You innovate when you want to improve something here, right now. Why will you innovate if your real abode is somewhere else? Do you innovate in a hotel? No, because you are soon to check out. You have been told that life on this planet is like checking in and checking out of a hotel. Who innovates in a hotel? Who wants to improve life in a guest house? You have been told that your real life and your real home is elsewhere.
That's why instead of being creative, we have become jugaadu. In a hotel, the maximum you do is jugaad, right? The fan is not working—what do you do? Somehow, you just try to put the thing together for the night. That’s jugaad. You don't want to come to a lasting solution. You don't want to go to the roots of the problem because you are to check out tomorrow, and then you will reach your real home. Where is your real home? Some other uni…
You very well know. You have been convinced by some priest that you will become a dog in your next birth. So, starting from this one, you have started befriending dogs so that when you arrive in their middle, they don't bully you.
Don't take care of what matters. Take care of all intangibles and abstruse things. That's what matters. At the same time, keep salivating after unearned goodies. Not that all this has led to any kind of sublimation of desire—the desire holds. The desire stands as aggressive as it is, as naked as it is. Just that you don't even want to work for fulfilling the desire. You want to then fulfill the desire using all kinds of nefarious means. Why create? Just jugaad. Why earn? Just steal.
You come from an Institute of Technology. India, it is being said, has already lost the AI game. Forget the US—we are behind even China by six years. In terms of technology, what do we have?
Apps. That's technology for us. This is technology—you want matar paneer at 2 a.m., and technology comes to your rescue. That's our technology.
And then we say, "You see, unicorns! Look at the tremendous valuation!”
Cute apps!No, that's what Indian technology is about. We say this is technology.
Fear. A lot of fear. Somebody is watching. Somebody is above me. Let me remain subjugated and afraid. Let me do small things.
"Can I make a teeny-weeny app for you? This will bring you fresh milk every morning. Boot polish app. Meditation app." You choose an option, and it will give you some music. Second option, some Babaji starts speaking. Third option, the sound of a waterfall. Fourth option, the sound of birds chirping. This is technology.
And you will match the world in AI? Not that we are genetically inferior or something—not at all. The same Indians, when they venture out and get a conducive environment, they do not just as well as but actually better than people of other nationalities. It's just that the environment here, the very culture, is suffocating. You are made to feel small and little.
How dare you venture out? How dare you think big? Just bow your head down. Just keep surrendering. Your task is to be devoted. Devoted to whom?
Whosoever is in power. Just be devoted. Keep lying low. That's not how greatness comes. You cannot have greatness in an environment where you can't ask questions, where you are stuffed with beliefs ever since you attain two years of age.
I suppose even in IITs, they are trying to teach the Indian belief system now?
Questioner: "Sir, in this semester, I have a course on Neeti Shastra, in which they teach all the Neetis—Chanakya Neeti, Shukra Neeti, and all kinds of stuff. And all these propagandic things. One of the things is that the teacher said that rebirth is true, that there is evidence of rebirth. I questioned them..."
Acharya Prashant: If you are being exposed to Arthashastra from Chanakya, that is one thing—fine, that is one thing. But in the same way, if you are being fed with concepts of rebirth and all these things, then that's a totally different thing. Yes, that is something that will infeeble you.
Greatness does not ride on beliefs. Greatness comes by dismissing beliefs. And if you can't outrightly dismiss them, at least question them.
Questioner: "Thank you, Acharya Ji. You have been a guiding light to me since three years. I am very grateful to you. You are my hero, and I am just following you. I am learning from you." Thank you, sir.
Thank you so much for improving my life. Thank you.
