MANJUNATH – Was he an idiot? Or are the rest of us Idiots?

After watching Manjunath – The Movie last night, my mind seems to be stirred with thoughts on what is the real definition of ‘duty’.

Here is the official trailer of the movie to give you the context:

Being a B-School graduate, working in the corporate world, this story is about each and every one of us. This story touches the lives of every young ‘educated’ Indian who has dreams of ‘making it big’ in his/her career.

But the bigger question that emerges in my mind is what is the real definition of ‘making it big’? What is our real ‘duty’?

The movie reaches its inspirational peak when Manjunath sources his courage from the ‘guiding light’ of the Bhagwat Gita. These are some of the shlokhas (Excerpts from Chapter 2, Verse 31-37) that elucidate the consciousness of ‘duty’ in mankind:

sva-dharmam api cāvekṣya

na vikampitum arhasi

dharmyād dhi yuddhāc chreyo 'nyat

kṣatriyasya na vidyate…

…hato vā prāpsyasi svargaḿ

jitvā vā bhokṣyase mahīm

tasmād uttiṣṭha kaunteya

yuddhāya kṛta-niścayaḥ

TRANSLATION: Considering your specific duty as a kṣatriya, you should know that there is no better engagement for you than fighting on religious principles; and so there is no need for hesitation… O son of Kuntī, either you will be killed on the battlefield and attain the heavenly planets, or you will conquer and enjoy the earthly kingdom. Therefore, get up with determination and fight.

These shlokas say that one must never hesitate or fear from doing one’s ‘real duty’. For a middle class young Indian who has ‘slogged’ to get into a premier B-school and worked hard towards landing a high-paying job, what do you think is the ‘real duty’? Before we answer this question, we need to look deeper into the culture that is ingrained in Indians since childhood.

What unites the great Indian middle class is the ‘dream’ – the dream to rise above their ‘mediocre’ lives. Many middle class youngsters in India have grown up seeing some of their ‘richer’ uncles being ‘worshipped’ by their entire family. They have grown up watching extravagant bungalows and lifestyles in Bollywood movies and their definition of an ‘ideal lifestyle’ has been shaped by these factors.

The milestone of success for most Indian youngsters today is to ‘own a house’, interspersed with some touch of luxury in the form of expensive cars and exotic holidays. Although these are physical manifestations of ‘success’, the social benefit of ‘brag value’ designations in ‘brag value’ companies acts as an icing on the cake. This manifestation of ‘success’ is not solely for self-satisfaction. It is for the satisfaction of the Family – because, in India, the Family comes before the Self.

So, now we move back to the question - what do you think is the ‘real duty’ of a young Indian B-school grad?

Is it his duty towards his family’s aspirations of rising above the middle class?

– If yes, then Manjunath was truly an idiot. He failed at his duty of being the ‘ideal son’ to his parents. He gave up his life which wasted a great source of potential monetary and ‘brag’ value to his family.

Is it his duty towards his conscience and personal integrity?

- If yes, then Manjunath was not an idiot. What he did was the right thing to do. We all have one life to live, which is quite short. Can we afford to waste this life in pursuit of just money and compromise on our personal integrity? Or do we choose to just move with the tide and 'hope' that the next generation wakes up?

I would like to quote an interesting classification of mankind shared by my husband. There is a hierarchy of 3 types of people in this world:

1. ·         The lowest level men are those who spend most of their energy in concentrating on the possessions of their neighbours – their desires are always comparative - directed towards beating their neighbor’s possessions.
2. ·         The average level men are those whose desires, although directed towards the self, are confined to material possessions in terms of maintaining/ enhancing their physical body and upgrading to luxury.
3. ·         Then, there are the highest level of men, whose desires are directed towards the self, but beyond material possessions. They seek wisdom, enlightenment and peace. This ‘peace’ can emerge only if our conscience and personal integrity remains satisfied.

Manjunath definitely belonged to the third and the highest level of mankind.

As the shloka says ‘either you will be killed on the battlefield and attain the heavenly planets, or you will conquer and enjoy the earthly kingdom’

This truly depicts where Manjunath is today. He was killed on the battlefield and attained the heavenly state of bliss – the mental state where your conscience is at peace.

So, do you really feel he was an idiot? Or are the rest of us idiots?