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Perception is Reality Chief Brand Architect, Big Biking Commune Pvt
R Ramasubramaniyan

Ltd, Bangalore
rama@bigbikingcommune.com
IMDR Batch – 1986-88

WOKE’……. ‘SECULAR’……… ‘HINDUTVA’………’CASTE’….. ‘SAVARKAR’

I am sure any of these words immediately that help us easily identify and understand the larger
trigger a different set of ideas and thoughts that point of view.
reside in your brain; it is these thoughts that then Labels – The words I have mentioned above are
decide your response. A set of preconceived ideas, more like a label; they summarise the entire idea/
notions, interpretations, assumptions, validations ideologue in one word. This label is distilled from
is what these words go through and shape how we the core ideology that forms the Framework through
react and respond to them. I am sure you will come which we view things. At a corporate level, you have
across many such words that immediately trigger a labels like ‘ESG’, or ‘DEI’, or ‘SDG’ that enable a
set of ideas that you start to interpret, depending on corporate to take a loan, expand globally, or navigate
the lens you are using to process them. the business environment. All of them are labels that
This lens is called ‘Perception’; it is the lens we use sit within a larger idea that allows these words to
every moment to see reality around us. It influences espouse their core belief around which the ideology
how we process information, remember things, gets framed.
interpret and understand things, and respond and act Ideology – It defines the boundary of a
on them. Perception is what helps us navigate our certain idea/value/belief system. Basically, a set of
daily world and engage and interact with people, common denominators that a large base of followers
society, and helps us take decisions. But this article is find attractive to subscribe to. Currently, ‘WOKE’
not about ‘Perception’; it is about how ‘Perception’ is gaining traction as a dominant ideology that is
forms in the first place and how it influences you at framed around the concept of giving voice to what it
an individual level or at a group level, societal level assumes are oppressed people groups cutting across
or at a corporate/business level. Perception is all- race, religion, sex, culture, etc. Similarly, ‘DEI’ is
pervasive; you cannot deny it, you may be ignorant framed around diversity, equity and inclusion in the
of its functioning but it is what helps us navigate the corporate world.
reality of the world we live in.
So, the first step to understand how Ok, so how do all these fit into the ‘Perception’
‘Perception’ evolves and coalesces into a solid touch lens?
point is to look more closely at the words I have Well, perception runs on four key pillars that define
mentioned above. They all are a kind of ‘Labels’ how we view the world/events/realities. I call it the
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