Current Events
Lessons from Punjab
by DAVID MACARAY
Many years ago I lived and worked in Punjab, the robust and fertile northern state of India on the Pakistan border that is homeland to the Sikhs. Although India was exceedingly poor - far poorer than it is today (and despite their impressive economic gains, let's not forget that there are still 400 million illiterate Indians and a large segment of the population without electrical power) - it was a magnificent, wonderfully vibrant land.
When I returned home I was surprised and disappointed by people's attitudes toward the subcontinent. While everyone knew the country was poor, they made the mistake of assuming it was "backward," which it wasn't. Moreover, all those fantastic tales of elephants, snake charmers, and monkey worshippers (Hindus) made them think the Indians were "primitive," which they weren't.
In fact, upon returning to California, I was instantly struck by two specific ways in which the Sikhs, Punjabis and Indians were not only not backward or primitive, but were demonstrably more "sophisticated" than we Americans were.
The first was the way Indians went about their merchandising.
No Indian would be so gullible as to believe that an item marked $19.99 meant that it was selling for less than $20.00. The attempt simply wouldn't work. Not only would they not be fooled by the pathetic arithmetic, they would be openly contemptuous of any merchant who resorted to such an insulting gimmick.
But we Americans fall for that weak-minded psychology. We are lured by the advertisement that boldly claims to sell something for "Less than twenty dollars!" even when we know that, after sales tax has been added, we're going to be handing the clerk $22.00 and getting back a few cents in change. While we all know it's a come-on, we respond to it like Pavlov's dogs.
I can tell you that, based on what I observed while I was there, no self-respecting Indian - peasant or city dweller - could look at a $19.99 price tag without laughing not only at the naked transparency of the ruse, but at the audacity behind it. In New Delhi, customers were too sophisticated and shrewd to be influenced by so infantile a device. Shirts were marked Rs=20 (twenty rupees), and books sold for Rs=7. No tricks, no gimmicks, just straightforward business.
The second thing was their relationship to name brands. You could get city Indians to pay a couple of rupees for a nice, decorative ceramic mug with, say, a flower design on it, or a rainbow, but no way in hell could you get them to pay for a mug with a company's label on it. Why would they pay for a coffee mug with "Starbucks" plastered on it?
The same with T-shirts. If Heineken were giving away T-shirts with their name on it, most Indians would gladly accept them. In an ideal world Heineken would be paying these people-paying them to walk around like human billboards, advertising Heineken beer. But because India is a poor country, and free apparel is free apparel, no one's going to quibble about wearing a little free advertising.
And that's where Indians draw the line. Unlike Americans, who proudly pay for the right to walk around sporting brand names, no Indian is going to pay a company to advertise its product. That would be nonsensical. It's one thing for Starbucks to ask them to accept a free coffee mug-in order to take it to work and show it around-but expecting them to buy the damn thing with their own money would be ridiculous.
Yet, America's retailers have convinced us to do exactly that, and to do it willingly, gleefully. They've gotten us consumers to pay for the privilege of advertising their products. Say what you will, but that kind of mindless subservience seems a bit "backward"- even compared to monkey worshipping by Hindus.
[David Macaray, a Los Angeles playwright, is the author of "It's Never Been Easy: Essays on Modern Labor". He served nine terms as president of AWPPW Local 672.]
Courtesy: New York Times
March 9, 2010
Conversation about this article
1: Gurujot Singh (Espanola, New Mexico, United States), March 09, 2010, 7:02 PM.
Okay, aside from the 19.99 gimmick and the fact that westerners are proud to advertise for corporations [and pay for the sheer pleasure of doing so], there are a lot of other things to take into consideration. In India, Rs.7 is not Rs.7, everything is negotiable. I've spent so much time haggling with shopkeepers, and it's stressful and time consuming. Go to Palaka Bazaar in Delhi where you can bargain for 40% of the listed price. Or, if you want to know how not to do business, try dealing with Air India (I have several lengthy stories of frustration). I take comfort in the US because things work and I know what to expect, because I know people are going to follow through with what they say. In India, walking in front of someone and staring at them is not considered rude. Nor is whistling loudly in someone's ear if they are in front of your rickshaw. I could go on, but basically, I don't think Punjab should be recognized because it is so sophisticated, but because it is the homeland of the Gurus. It has spots that are unique on the planet for their spiritual vibes, like Harimandar Sahib. And although you have to be constantly concerned of someone stealing from you or cheating you somehow, we can learn a lot from Indian hospitality to strangers. The biggest lesson I would take from Punjab is the seva attitude some people have. The amount of devotion and community selflessness is amazing.
2: Satinder Gill (Khanna, Punjab), March 10, 2010, 8:51 AM.
Very well said ... great observation. As for the previous post by Gurujot, I cannot help but comment. It is all about perspective. India, despite all the follies and foibles, is rambling along to keep up and not doing a really bad job at that. It takes a long time to alter the collective mindset and despite all the irritants in our daily life, there are shades of hope everywhere. Palika Bazaar could be an exception like so many other places, but that's where it ends. Haggling or negotiating in other places is passe ... Let sleeping dogs lie. Constantly comparing the East and the West will only bring unnecessary anguish ... for those of us who have the unique privilege of enjoying the two must feel truly blessed.