Is there anything wrong with it? Probably not

Since the beginning, my artistic explorations have centred on the relationship between body and context. Growing up, I wasn't among the 'smart' or high-achieving types but instead leaned toward being contemplative and introspective, which shaped my ordinary life in meaningful ways.

While others often defined success by external achievements, for people like me, reconciliation held greater significance. Their pursuits were driven by the thrill of desire, while ours were shaped by the quiet fulfilment of contemplation.

Naturally, the vivid spectacle of desire results in tangible accomplishments, overshadowing the quieter process of contemplation that often involves restraint or withdrawal—traits that, in popular perception, are viewed as lacking leadership qualities. Yet, those who were contemplative could slow down and challenge the frenzied pace set by the 'smart' ones in the majority. For every high achiever, thousands of contemplative individuals questioned the meaning of that success.

Fortunately, we lived in a different era. Unlike today, where every child is expected to be a prodigy in performance and leadership, we grew up in a time that allowed space for less aspirational people. I'm not talking about a century ago, but just thirty years back—before the internet, computers, and cell phones transformed the world and made it an entirely different nation.

Today, everyone sees themselves as potential leaders, with the internet, social media, and smartphones as tools to validate their sense of entitlement—luxuries unimaginable thirty years ago. Change is inevitable, and each change in history fulfils a socio-cultural and political need. The most significant shift brought about by the internet and computers is that even the contemplative, slow-paced thinkers have become captivated by the allure of success stories and the thrills of online spectacles, finding joy in their newfound mastery over the digital world. The once-clear divide between the 'smart' and the contemplative no longer holds.

Print media, which was the domain of the contemplative in the 1980s, has now faded into obscurity. And despite having the world seemingly at our fingertips, the world feels more tragic, divided, and conflicted than ever—or at least seems to be regressing into darker times. Despite this sense of control, many find themselves lost in an existential crisis, unable to find joy in their accumulated material wealth.

Take, for example, a famous phone brand that recorded $560 billion in sales from 2014 to 2024, with 70% of its customers reinvesting in upgraded versions released twice or thrice a year. According to a study, an average user from 2014 would have spent 6 to 10 lakh just to keep up with these upgrades. Thirty years ago, this price, paid for the novelty of innovation, was the annual salary of the President of India! Ironically, those once-contemplative individuals are now among the biggest consumers of this material indulgence. This is just one story of material pleasure—millions of such brands are available for people to associate with, which become symbols of success.

Is there anything wrong with this development? Perhaps not. For the 70% of the world's population dependent on branded chemicals as medicines for survival, the prevalence of brands and products is an accepted reality.

From medicine to hospitals, food, clothing, careers, finance, education, housing, vehicles and bathroom essentials—brands now define our individual existence. There's nothing inherently wrong with this, as these brand identities define our body and its context today.

At my previous college, Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology, I taught a "Body and Context" course for foundation students. In one exercise, I asked them to count the number of contacts on their phones—an average of 300 to 900. When asked how often they used these contacts, it turned out that 99% had never been used. The same was true for the apps they had installed—they essentially carried a garbage bin in their pockets. Most of the innovations they paid for amounted to this digital garbage.

Our bodies, too, have become garbage bins—filled with non-essential things accumulated to boost our entitlements and privileges with these brand identities. Our current way of life has resulted in this accumulation of waste, and we take pride in it as our personal achievement.

As we accumulate more and more waste, nature has begun its response to climate change. Nature no longer wishes to tolerate our relentless pursuit of garbage accumulation. While we walk around, taking pride in our roles as living garbage bins, the climate has started quietly stripping away those possessions, one at a time.

Is there anything wrong with it? Probably not.

Yet, if we still need to lose touch with contemplation and reconciliation, there is still a chance for us to attain it. The only question is whether we should reconcile with our fate or embrace the promise we owe to future generations. The choice is ours.

Photo: from the class on design thinking at Vidya Shilp University