40 Effective Communication Lessons from Indian Texts and People

Ipshita Bansal

 

1.      Module : Effective Communication Lessons from Indian Texts and  People

                        

2.      Learning Outcomes

 

3.      Introduction

 

1.     1.4.  Kautilya’s Lessons for Effective Communication

 

5.      Effective Communication Lessons from Ramayana

 

6.      Excellence of Communication in Dohas ( two line verses )

 

7.      Inspirational Communication of Vivekananda

 

8.      Empowering Communication of Mahatama Gandhi

 

9.      Summary

 

Module: Effective Communication Lessons from Indian Texts and People 2. Learning Outcomes:

By the end of this module, students will be able to

 

• Get insights about the lessons they can learn about effective communication skills from Indian traditional texts and famous people of India.

 

3.  Introduction

 

India, over a period of more than five thousand years of documented history has had a civilization of eternal values and culture of unbroken continuity. It is a land of rich traditions and knowledge systems, inspirational texts and great people who have not only inspired and shown the way to the Indians over the centuries but also to the people the world over.

 

In this module we will discuss the effective communication lessons we can learn from our ancients texts like Ramayana and Arthashastra, Dohe of Kabir and Rahim,as well as Indian luminaries like Swami Vivekanand and Mahatama Gandhi.

 

This is not an exhaustive list and these are a few examples of texts and peoples form whom we can learn lesson on effective communication.

 

4.  Kautilya’s Lessons for Effective Communication

 

Vishnugupta, popularly known as Kautilya or Chanakya, was the prime minister of Chandragupta Maurya (313-289 BC). His Arthashastra is the most extraordinary and elaborate treatise on political economy throughout the Ancient period. Kautilya’s object was completely practical and he composed the Arthashastra for the socio¬economic welfare of the man living in this world, without giving any weightage to the eternal world which man had not seen.

 

Kautilya’s Arthashastra is remarkable for its dealing with a vast variety of subjects and its elaborate and detailed considerations of the diverse aspects of ruling a state. It is divided into 15 books known as adhikaranas and 150 sub-divisions known as prakaranas.’

 

Kautilya’s Arthashastra was primarily written as a guide for the king who should be able to rule with justice and equity to ensure protection and prosperity of his subjects. It encompasses instructions about such topics as the training of the heir, duties of a king, diplomacy, how to form alliances, how to attack a powerful king, how to deal with revolts in the rear, administration of law and order, punishment for concealed income, administration of justice, regulation of industry, trade, commerce etc. There is hardly any area of human endeavor which Kautilya does not analyse in depth giving real life answers to every conceivable hypothetical situation.

 

Principles of Effective Communication

 

In Arthashastra we come across the principles of effective communication. Kautilya believed that, to get a message across an individual can utilize both the verbal as well as non-verbal medium.

 

Excellences of Effective Writing

 

Arrangement of subject matter, connection, completeness, sweetness,

 

exaltedness and lucidity constitute the excellences of writing.

 

Among them, arranging in a proper order, the statement first of the principle matter,

 

is arrangement of subject matter.

 

The statement of a subsequent matter without it being incompatible with the matter in hand,

 

right upto the end, is connection.

 

Absence of deficiency or excess of matter, words and letter, description in detail of the matter by means of

 

reasons, citation and illustration (and) expressiveness of words is completeness.

 

The use of words with a charming meaning easily conveyed is sweetness.

 

The use of words that are not vulgar is exaltedness.

 

The employment of words that are well known is lucidity.  II/ 10/ 6-12

 

Kautilya gives six principles of effective writing –

 

(i) Proper arrangement i.e. logical building up of the structure of the content, starting with the mention of the most important or prime theme of the subject matter.

 

(ii) Connection i.e. linking the subsequent themes with the previous ones without the next being incompatible with the previous one, right up to the end.

 

(iii) Completeness i.e. the written document being ‘just right’ in content without any excess or deficiency of matter, words or letters. It implies that the message has to be precise but at the same time complete in its meaning. Whenever necessary the matter should be explained in detail with the help of reasons, examples and illustrations.

 

(iv) Sweetness i.e. using beautiful words for conveying messages.

 

(v) Exaltedness i.e. use of sober language and avoiding the use of words which could be offensive.

 

(iv) Lucidity i.e. using such expressions and words of the language which can be understood easily by the people for whom the message is meant to ensure easy understanding.

 

Defects Of Writing

 

Absence of charm, contradiction, repetition, incorrect (use of a) word,

 

and confusion—these are the defects of writing.

 

Among them, (the use of) black leaf, unattractive writing,

 

uneven and faint letters constitute absence of charm.

 

The incompatibility of the later with the earlier is contradiction.

 

Statement a second time of what is said without distinction is repetition.

 

The wrong use of gender, number, tense and case is incorrect (use of a) word.

 

The making of a group where there should be no group and not making a group where there should be a

 

group, this reversal of qualities is confusion.   II/ 10/ 57-62

 

Kautilya enumerates five defects of writing –

 

(i) Absence of Charm i.e. unattractive writing on the inadequate surface, words and letter not being clearly visible. All this shows the casual approach in communicating.

 

(ii) Contradiction i.e. incompatibility of themes within a subject matter. This makes the communication message disjointed and the receiver of the message is not able to understand, what the sender of the message is trying to convey.

 

(iii) Repetition i.e. conveying the same thing more than once without any distinction between the two or without the addition of any new idea in the later statement. Repetition makes the reading uninteresting and the reader loses interest so the purpose of communication to convey the message, is not achieved.

 

(iv) Incorrect use of a word i.e. using the wrong gender, tense and case. The use of right word in the wrong context also changes the meaning of the text leading to ambiguity.

 

(v) Confusion i.e. not grouping similar themes and grouping dissimilar themes together. This creates confusion in the mind of the reader and he is not able to view the message in the right perspective. The meaning gets lost on him.

 

All the points that have been given by Kautilya for effective’ written communication are very much applicable for written communication as well. Proper arrangement of themes, linking of ideas, completeness of an idea, lucidity, usage of good language etc. are considerations that have to be kept in mind before encoding a verbal message.

 

Non Verbal Communication

 

Kautilya states that a message can be sent across through non verbal communication also i.e. making use of facial expressions and body language. He explains it with the help of example of how minister should take cues from the king’s facial expressions and body language to know king’s opinion about him.

 

And he (minister) should observe his (kings) gestures and expressions.

 

For a wise man shows, with his gestures and expressions,

 

a reversal of the pairs of feelings viz- liking and hatred,

 

joy and distress, resoluteness and fear.           V/ 5/ 5,6

 

A communication message becomes stronger and clearer if words are accompanied by corresponding facial expressions and gestures. But if words and body language contradict each other in encoding a .message then the impact of the message is weakened or in some cases / the receiver of the message may even become confused e.g. a reprimand accompanied with a smile. Sometimes in sensitive situations when one cannot make use of the words, the message can be conveyed by judicious use of expressions and gestures.

 

For example, to show satisfaction–

 

Pleasure at (other’s) sight, offering a seat, taking pleasure in (other’s) talk, paying regard to (the other) in matter that are to be communicated, appointment to a task with a smile, touching with the hand. V/ 5/ 7

 

to show dissatisfaction–

 

Anger at the sight (of other), not giving him a seat and not looking at him,

 

change in complexion and voice, contraction of one eye, or lip,

 

consultation with another, going away suddenly, indifference…            V/ 5/ 9

 

So we see that Kautilya discusses all forms of effective communication.

 

5. Effective Communication Lessons from Ramayana

 

Ramayana, the great Indian epic provides many examples of ‘effective communication. For Example, in the Ramayana, when for the first time Hanuman meets Lord Rama and Lakshmana in the forests and introduces himself, Lord Rama was greatly impressed with the way Hanuman communicated, and he admired the effective communication skills of Hanuman.

 

In one of the slokas of Ramayan, Lord Rama explains the significant characteristics of communication skills of Hanuman, which astonished him the most.

 

They are:

 

Hanuman spoke for the required level; i.e., he spoke very concisely, not too short and not too long.

 

Lucid and unambiguous, this is how his speech  possessed clarity.

 

He spoke with no grammatical errors.

 

His choice of words was very much suitable and apt.

 

Hanuman spoke with the right, pitch, tone and volume.

 

His pronunciation of words was not only correct but his speech sounded as pleasant as a soothing music.

 

The words spoken by Hanuman went directly to the heart.

 

Hanuman is the great example of showcasing the effective communication skills; as an orator and even as a listener.

 

Similar examples of effective communication we can see in the dialogues between Rama and Lakshman, between Ram and various rishis during his forest stay, between Lakshman and Ravan at time of Ravan’s death when Ram send Lakshman to him for learning Rajdharm, between sita and Haniman in Ashok Vatika. There are numerous examples in Ramayan from which we can learn about effective communication skills.

 

6. Excellence of Communication in Dohas ( two line verses )

 

Dohas or dohe are two line verses written by great saints like kabir and Rahim. Doha’s touches us all in different, yet intense ways. It can be emotional, educational, inspirational and developmental. We can learn a lot about ourselves, others and about the human values just by understanding the deep meaning of Doha’s as it acts like ‘Ghagar mai Sagar’ i.e ocean of knowledge in an earthen pot.

 

One of the important aspects of Doha’s is its readability. Unlike long articles or books, Doha’s tend to be shorter which means even the busiest person can make time to read and relate it to one’s own life. Doha’s are very relatable for people of all educational backgrounds.

 

i. Kabir ke Dohe

 

Example – 1     Self Awareness and introspection

 

Bura jo dekhan main chala, bura na miliya koi,

 

Jo dil khoja aapna, mujhse bura na koi.

 

Meaning:

 

When I searched for evil in this world, I did not find any. But when I peeped in myself, I realized that there is nobody worse than me.

 

Explanation:

 

This doha beautifully explanes in two simple lines the importance of being aware of oneself. Kabir said that he explored the world for the dreadful person, for that evil personality which is to blame for all wrong deeds in the world. But he was not able to find that wicked person all the way wherever he searched.

 

Then he introspected and critically examined his owns mentality, his own thoughts, opinions and views. And there concealed within he found the real evil which grew more and more unnoticed. So before judging others one should judge oneself first.

 

Example –2      Patience

 

Dheere dheere re mana, dheere sab kuch hoye,

 

Mali seenche sau ghara, ritu aaye phal hoye.

 

Meaning:

 

Everything is accomplished slowly and gradually by keeping the patience. Even if a gardener waters a tree through hundred pitchers of water, still the fruits will grow only after rainfall.

 

Explanation:

 

Kabir here using the metaphors of fruit and rain explained that human beings are always in a hurry to acquire more in less time, and due to this nature of wishing for victory in very short span of time we invite ill health, stress and frustration. Therefore, it is vital to have patience and continue with one’s work as results will appear in due course of time.

 

Example -3  Merit orientation

 

Jaati na pucho sadhu ki, puch leejiye gyan,

 

Mol karo talwar ka, pada rahan do myan.

 

Meaning:

 

One should not ask the race of the gentleman rather his knowledge should be understood. As the value of the sword is more than the covering shell.

 

Explanation:

 

Here, Kabir gives a deep thought on knowledge. He says that we must not judge a person by his clothes, caste and appearance as it doesn’t make a person big or small but their knowledge and soul (kind heartedness) do. These are the real assets they carry and are the real gems of a person. So focus should be on the real self of the individual and not on the physical appearance.

 

Example – 4     Effective Communication

 Hiye tarazoo toil ke, tab mukh bahar aani

Boli ek anmol ha, jo koi bole jaani.

 

Meaning: One must understand that words are like priceless gems. Hence, one should speak words only after weighing them deep in one’s heart .

 

Explanation:

 

Speaking or communicating is priceless for the people who actually knows what, when and how to speak.

 

The words and the way we speak is how we react in various situations.

 

A person who knows the real value of speech is the man of wisdom as he thinks and analyses before he speaks even a single word.

 

ii.   Rahim ke dohe

 

Example 1- Taking Action after proper consideration

 

 

Bigri baat bane nahi, lakh karo kin koye.

 

Rahiman phate doodh ko, mathe na maakhan hoye.

 

Meaning:

 

Because, if something wrong has taken place, it is not possible to make it right even after million attempts, same as it is difficult to make butter from the curdled milk.

 

Explanation:

 

A man should act after having proper consideration. Rahim explains that even many attempts will not be able to alter those situations which have gone wrong, just like butter cannot be produced from curdled milk. Thus, it is a vital lesson for life that one should not let the situation go out of control.

 

Example -2 Small is as important as big.

 

Rahiman dekhi baden ko, lagho na deejiye daari,

 

jahan kaam aave sui, kaha kare tarwari

 

Meaning:

 

Rahim says that one should not throw small objects just by looking at larger ones. As, where the small needle is required, the sword is of no help.

 

Explanation:

 

Rahim says, for sewing clothes the small needle plays the important role, and even the big sharp sword is of no use in this process, because, a small needle can’t be replaced by a large sword. In the same way, we should not underestimate the importance of small things or should not take too lightly to the people who r have low status in society, as the work or tasks they do are of equal importance as those done by the elite people.

 

So we see that Doha’s are treasure trove of worldly wisdom stated in short and simple form, easy to understand and remember. These are the important characteristics of effective communication.

 

7. Inspirational Communication of Vivekananda.

 

Vivekananda understood the essence of communication while travelling the world.

 

Vivekananda iterated that, people produce thoughts. He gave this message in his lectures that “I am talking to you this evening and it is producing thought in your brain. By this act of transmission we understand that my thoughts are being transmitted into your brain and your mind, and producing other thoughts. This is an everyday fact (CW, Vol.9, 2009).” Vivekananda during his lectures logically presented his idea and never aimed at forcing his thoughts over others in order to make followers. This habit he cultivated by reading books, journals and newspapers (Tejasnanda, 2010).

 

Vivekananda’s articles in Udbhodan used simple rather than formal style and people were impressed with the simplicity of the words yet they had a powerful impact and conveyed the message with its desired meaning (Majumdar, 2004).

 

Vivekananda be it at Chicago conference or at informal lectures that he gave at various places appealed to people. Athalye (1979) illustrates the above idea in his book Swami Vivekananda, “With pleasing personality and conversational powers when Vivekananda use to beg for food, people instead of giving food use to welcome him and request him to spend time with them so that they could also gain some knowledge”.

 

His communication style was motivating and inspirational. He used simple words and straight forward style. This helped him to connect with people and inspire them to act in positive ways.

 

Some of the quotes taken from his lectures and writings will illustrate this—-

 

If the mind is intensely eager, everything can be accomplished—mountains can be crumbled into atoms.

 

Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life – think of it, dream of it, live on idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success.

Stand up, be bold, be strong. Take the whole responsibility on your own shoulders, and know that you are the creator of your own destiny.

 

You cannot believe in God unless you believe in yourself.

 

Arise, awake and do not stop until the goal is reached.

 

These words of Swami Vivekanand show how effectively he communicated with people using simple but strong language to motivate people especially youth, even to this day.

 

8. Empowering Communication of Mahatma Gandhi

 

Communication as a skill can be honed. It requires focus and determination. This can be easily understood by following the journey of the life of Mahatma Gandhi. He was not a born communicator but was a very shy person right from his childhood to his young adulthood in England where he had gone to study law.

 

During his stay in England Gandhi once stayed with a vegetarian family, there he met Mr. Howard the author of The Ethics of Diet. He invited Gandhi to speak at a meeting for the promotion of vegetarianism. Gandhi thought to express his views but how to do it was the question. He thought, “I do not have the courage to speak” [Gandhi, 1927, p. 56] and so he decided to set down his thoughts in writing. He went to the meeting carrying the document, & stood up to read it but could not. He says, “My vision became blurred and I trembled” [Gandhi, 1927, p. 56]. So the speech had to be read by some one else. This shows his shyness and stage fear, but he was aware about this and tried again and again to speak to remove his hesitation.

 

Mahatama Gandhi used his shyness to be a thoughtful communicator. In fact he saw the positive side of it. He said, “My shyness has been in reality my shield, it has allowed me to grow. As a man of few words will rarely be thoughtless in his speech, he will measure every word.” [Gandhi, 1927, p. 58] Since he was shy he spoke less but very thoughtfully measuring ever word making his communication with the masses very effective. With economy of words, his messages contained soul-searching questions and heart-winning answers. Gandhi said: “Trust is my God”. Lack of transparency leads to lack of trust, and this lowers the credibility of the leader. Gandhi called secrecy the enemy of credibility.

 

Gandhi had all qualities of a great communicator and leader and he motivated millions of people even outside India that too when there was no television or internet. Gandhi was a good listener and empathetic communicator. On returning from South Africa he first toured India extensively that too in the third class railway compartment to have insights into the needs and wants of common people before preparing any action plan. Gandhi succeeded in reaching close to the people by overcoming all barriers of communication. He was a patient listener and never took hasty decisions. Gandhi’s scanty clothes on his body that remained only half-covered, spoke of a body language which identified him with the poor people shivering in winter and sweating in summer.

 

Gandhi evoked people’s right to freedom of communication with each other as a doctrine of natural justice, which is clear from his following statement: “If the luxury of wires be denied to us, we must manage with the post. If the postal communication be also stopped, we must use messengers. Friends travelling to and from will oblige us. When the use of railways is denied, we must use other methods of conveyance. No amount of slowness imposed can checkmate us, if we are sure within.” [MIB 1921-1922]

 

To enhance effectiveness of communication, Mahatama Gandhi used people’s language to communicate with them. Pratap (2009, p.65) described “Gandhi’s interaction, both lateral and vertical, with different classes of people having diverse backgrounds, convinced him that the masses have great potential to effect social change and renaissance. He also knew well that both language and semantics could be at times a strong barrier to communication. Hence, for harnessing the potential of common men in expediting the process of change, he thought it imperative to communicate with them in their own language, in which they could comfortably express views and understand issues.”

 

Gandhi empowered common people by providing necessary inputs through oral and written communication, so as to enhance their awareness, knowledge, to acquire the ability to differentiate between right and wrong, identify threats and opportunities and recognize one’s rights and responsibilities. For this, he thought it essential that the sources of information were reliable and access to these sources was open to all, not restricted to a select few. His communication, oral or written was clear and concise hence effective. He addressed the masses, wrote articles and travelled all across to deliver his message and wherever he could not make his presence, he sent letters, greetings and condolences.

 

Gandhi was conscious about the necessity of print media for enhanced communication and therefore he accepted the responsibility for the publication of many daily, weekly and monthly publications in four languages i.e. English, Hindi, Gujrati and Tamil.

 

Mahatama Gandhi used his silence also, to communicate. “Silence is the womb of language. Silence conceives, prepares, and gives birth to language. A state of silence is not merely an emptiness of sound; it is the fullness of unspoken intelligence. Silence is the pure potentiality of language. Words or sounds are material expressions of this potentiality. Just as the noisy surface of the sea is held together by the vast unruffled depths of water, silence integrates language into meaning and understanding.” [Chatterjee 2002, p.105] Gandhi’s silence conveyed a specific meaning that was no less effective than words from his mouth.

 

Gandhi was a great communicator; he achieved amazing success in communicating with people across the globe that is why “his name has been chosen, nearly sixty years after his death, as the brand ambassador ‘Apple Gandhi’ for Apple Macintosh and as ‘Telecom Italia Gandhi’ for Telecom Italia.” [Pratap 2009, p.68]

 

Great leaders not only listen to the external things but even to intrinsic calls. What made Mahatma Gandhi’s leadership successful was a dedicated purpose and his listening to his inner call, which helped him to be more self aware. He listened to his conscience and reflected and contemplated deeply on past experiences for the future learning’s. Gandhi was like an expert therapist; he listened patiently to the grievances of poor people, and helped them to live a better life.

 

9. Summary

 

In the module we appreciated that communication as a field of study did not develop in modern times in western world but thousands of years back Kautilya documented the principles of effective communication in Arthashastra. We can learn lessons of effective communication from our great books like Ramayan or Mahabharata as well as from the simple dohas written by kabir , Rahim or Tulsidas. In modern times our great leaders like Swami Vivekananda and Mahatama Gandhi set important examples of inspirational and effective communication. As stated in the begning, this is not an exhaustive list and these are only a few examples of texts and peoples form whom we can learn lesson on effective communication. There are many more texts and people to learn from.

 

So we should always try to learn from our own indigenous sources of knowledge.