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23 August 2024 at 4:29:04 pm

Red Romance

For long, the Naxalite in news was recognisable by the gun. But the more insidious version of Naxalism has never needed a rifle. It has thrived in varsity classrooms and newspaper and magazine columns, fostered by men and women sympathetic to it. These academics and other members of the so-called intelligentsia have long enjoyed their status as ‘respectable dissenters’ even when their politics offered intellectual alibis for Naxals carrying guns. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent...

Red Romance

For long, the Naxalite in news was recognisable by the gun. But the more insidious version of Naxalism has never needed a rifle. It has thrived in varsity classrooms and newspaper and magazine columns, fostered by men and women sympathetic to it. These academics and other members of the so-called intelligentsia have long enjoyed their status as ‘respectable dissenters’ even when their politics offered intellectual alibis for Naxals carrying guns. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent Independence Day warning about “dimaagi Naxals” should therefore not be dismissed as another political label. His larger point was that an insurgency does not survive on ammunition alone. It survives on ideas and people willing to make violence appear morally fashionable. The most revealing feature of India’s Maoist movement was never simply its brutality. It was the strange attraction it exercised over sections of the metropolitan Left elite. The Naxalite with an AK-47 could be transformed into a romantic revolutionary while the policeman he killed became an instrument of an oppressive state. This was not merely naïveté. At its ugliest, it was the intellectual laundering of political violence. The fantasy of the romantic revolutionary has always been seductive. In this narrative, amplified through sympathetic media priding itself on telling ‘truth to power,’ India was not a constitutional democracy struggling with inequality and corruption but an inherently illegitimate state waiting to be overthrown. In the minds of this elite Left, Maoist violence has often been recast as resistance while attacks on infrastructure as blows against capitalism. The armed overthrow of the Indian republic was the liberation they craved for. Some of India’s most celebrated intellectuals have flirted dangerously close to that moral inversion. The issue here is whether intellectual prestige can be used to sanitise an ideology whose practitioners have murdered civilians, policemen and public servants and terrorised some of India’s poorest districts. A university cannot be the place where Maoist romanticism acquires the legitimacy of a fashionable campus cause. Professors who turn armed insurgents into heroic revolutionaries are not merely exercising academic freedom. If they knowingly excuse violence, they are helping to construct the moral vocabulary that makes violence possible. Let’s be clear here. A professor who criticises the Indian state is not a Naxal while a journalist who exposes state excesses is not an enemy of India. But an intellectual who repeatedly excuses, glorifies or rationalises political violence cannot hide behind the word ‘dissent.’ India has paid an enormous price for the Maoist fantasy. Thousands have died. Entire regions were held back by fear while development was obstructed. The people supposedly being liberated were often the first to suffer. The armed Naxal is now being pushed towards extinction. But the Indian republic cannot afford to leave behind the romantic mythology that made the gun respectable. A democracy can tolerate dissent. It should never be expected to tolerate the glorification of those who seek its violent destruction.

Good Work Isn’t Enough

Sales. The one word that sends shivers down the spine of even the most skilled professionals. You could be a phenomenal designer, a genius strategist, or a brilliant consultant—but when it comes to selling yourself or your services, suddenly the confidence evaporates. Sound familiar? You're not alone.


Many entrepreneurs and professionals struggle with the idea of self-promotion. It feels pushy, salesy, and sometimes even uncomfortable. And yet, no matter how great your product or service is, if you can’t sell it — or more importantly, if people don’t see it—your business won’t grow. That’s where personal branding becomes your best friend, your secret weapon, and your silent salesperson.


We often assume that good work will automatically bring in more work. To an extent, that’s true. Referrals and word-of-mouth can do wonders when you’ve consistently delivered excellence. But in today’s noisy digital world, relying only on referrals is like hoping someone passes your resume to the hiring manager instead of you emailing it directly. It might work. But it might not.


Personal branding is the bridge between your expertise and your income. It's what turns a name into a known name, a service into a sought-after experience, and a skill into a story people remember. Think about the brands you love — Apple, Nike, Tata. Their products are good, sure. But it's their branding that keeps them on top. People don’t just buy products — they buy into a story, a belief, a personality. The same goes for individuals.

When you brand yourself with clarity, consistency, and confidence, you attract clients without begging for their attention. You position yourself as a leader in your space. People come to you because they already feel like they know, trust, and respect you — even before they’ve worked with you. That’s not luck. That’s strategy.


Here's the good news. You don’t need to scream to sell. You just need to show up with intention. Personal branding doesn’t mean being everywhere. It means being where it matters, saying what matters, and doing it in a way that’s aligned with who you are. And when that alignment happens — clients don’t just buy from you. They remember you. They refer you. They return to you.


Too many people shy away from showing their face, their process, or their success because they don’t want to seem boastful. But here’s the truth: staying invisible doesn’t serve you or the people you’re meant to help. There’s someone right now struggling with something you’ve already solved — but they don’t know you exist. That’s not humility. That’s a missed opportunity.


It’s time to stop hiding and start owning your expertise. You don’t need to be a loud extrovert. You just need to be visible and valuable. That’s what great personal branding does — it transforms your business from one that chases leads to one that magnetically attracts the right ones.


And if you’re someone who’s genuinely excellent at what you do but find it difficult to talk about yourself or your work, I get it. That’s exactly why I do what I do. I help business owners and professionals like you build powerful personal brands that speak even when you’re not in the room. Brands that 5x your revenue without compromising your authenticity.


Here’s the exciting part: I’m currently onboarding only 2 high-end clients before the month ends. If you’re ready to finally stop hoping for business and start attracting it—this is your sign.


Let’s craft a personal brand that makes your sales effortless and your success inevitable.


Connect with me over:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/divyaaadvaani

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suaveu6


(The author is a personal branding expert. She has clients from 14+ countries. Views personal.)

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