Games Indians Play

As I see my blog evolving, I am beginning to believe that a majority of my posts would comprise book reviews and the like. And when I visit many Indian blogs, I find that most of the blogs let out a collective groan on why we are the way we are. So, I thought I should kick off my book review posts with the review of a book that carries the tag "Why we are the way we are" as the subtitle. Yup, I am refering to the book "Games Indians Play: Why we are the way we are" authored by Prof. V. Raghunathan, former professor of IIM Ahmedabad, who headed ING Vysya for sometime and who is now a part of the top management team of the fast-growing GMR group. Those of you who are into off-the-track hobbies may also be interested in knowing that he has the largest collection of antique locks.

Ok, coming to the book - while the title of the book succinctly captures what the author wishes to express, I am afraid that the book in its final form does not do justice to the title. The book was a racy read but not fully satisfying. I don't think most of the Indians would have any problem in recognising and probably identifying with the situations that the author talks of; however, we may have a problem in the way it is written, that is in employing game theory. At one level, it appears as if the author makes observations about game theory and behavioral finance on one hand and observations about Indians in general on another hand but does not try to connect them. While the application of game theory is very very interesting, I would have also loved to see the concept of "bounded rationality" being applied to analyse why we are the way we are. Also, the application of game theory itself is inadequate - the concepts like Prisoner's dilemma etc. are all fine but why do they apply to the mindsets of Indians alone? A huge let-down was the incomplete treatment of pseudo prisoner's dilemma, relegated to the appendix; I would have liked to see and know if the pay-offs in the Indian context are akin to pseudo prisoner's dilemma when compared to pay-offs in the context of other developed economies. If so, what is the cause and what is the solution - is it liberal institutional reform by the government or does it have to do with inculcation of value systems through education? I thought of several such questions while reading the book but sadly, it did not proffer any answers. I did enjoy one part of the book immensely and that was the parallels that game theory seemed to have with Bhagavad Gita - especially the "do the right thing" part. I am always amazed by the ways and means through which people use the versatility of Gita to make their point. Of course, the best example in my mind would forever be the way Mahatma Gandhi utilized Gita, what was essentially a call to arms, for propagating non-violence.

All in all, "Games Indians Play" is an interesting read, especially if you do not have too many expectations to start with. Unfortunately, I had lot of expectations as I still remember fondly a book written by Raghunathan many years back - it was on the Indian economy and capital markets and was one of the first books I read as I was plodding myself deep into management education. What I liked about that book was its witty style, with pot shots at the controller of capital issues (now replaced by SEBI) and cheeky references to famous quotes from "Alice in wonderland" as applied to Indian economy invariably followed by obligatory yet humorous apologies to Lewis Carroll. "Games Indians Play" lacked that witticism. Or it is possible that I am being unfair about the book - I had read it sometime back and luckily took some random notes on a scrap of paper; luckier still, I could find that scrap of paper without much drama as I was trying to post it as a blog. So, while I may be using the words on that scrap of paper, I may not fully be capturing the exact feelings I had when I was reading "Games Indians Play."


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Freewill or Destiny?

It is strange that we often do not have the time or the inclination for important questions in life - it is probably a reflex reaction of not wanting to deal with uncomfortable issues - which, while important, are perhaps not urgent. However, I believe that I should reflect on the name of the current URL of this blog - freewillanddestiny.blogspot.com - before proceeding to publish other posts. It emerged from the issues that I was grappling with at the time I started the blog - Do we have a freewill? Or is it all destined? Viewing "Forrest Gump" around the same time was instructive - the opening and closing shots in the film capture a feather in the breeze (now you know how my identity on the blogosphere has emerged). In the film, Forrest goes with the flow, lacking the faintest idea of what he wants to do in life, BUT doing his best that he can. Jenny, his love, apart from having a clear idea on what she wants to achieve (a singing career) , goes on in life to seek and find "harmony." Jenny clearly shows freewill but gets exhausted (some could say that she failed, but I don't want to get judgemental here); Forrest has spectacular successes and it looks like it is all destined. Or is it? Are destiny and freewill mutually exclusive?

I beg to differ. Think of the time when you were asked to address a gathering. When is it easier to talk - when you are given a brief or when you are free to choose the topic? I would bet that, more often than not, we would go with the first option. It is very difficult to operate without a structure in place. Think of all the great achievers in any field - poets, scientists, classical musicians - they were those who built on an inherited structure and transcended it later on. Even those who did not built on such a structure, like Srinivasa Ramanujam, became famous only after adhering to, and then, surpassing the structure. Destiny is probably indeed like that structure - one needs to acclimatise oneself to it so as to overcome it and let freewill kick in. And how do we do it?

Probably the best way to do it is to do it the way our scriptures have ordained and Forrest demonstrates - without attachment. As I was commenting on a blog, it is very difficult to understand the nature of attachment. Almost 15 years back, I remember asking a Swamiji from Ramakrishna Mission as to how it is possible not to be attached. He said, "Please be attached to your work, who is not asking you to? But only, immerse yourself in it so much that your attachment gets dissolved." I did not understand it fully then. While I may not be practicing it, today, I feel I understand what he said better - "Be immersed in your work so much that you are not bothered/ do not have time to worry about the results." Incidentally, Bhagavad-Gita doesn't tell us not to have attachment with the work; it tells us not to have attachment with the fruits of our actions. The journey is many a time more interesting and important than the destination. Thus, one need not probably be overawed by questions regarding freewill and destiny - one just needs to go about doing his work with sincerity and commitment. May be, just may be, a majority of people have already figured this out and hence do not engage with the debate, freewill vs. destiny


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