Brands: Hollowness of mind

                        Living in the 21t century, I and many others like me have witnessed the coming of the age of brands. I am from a country where the basic economics lay in the barter system, which for all it many drawbacks used to work. Now we live in a system where everything is under a name. A brand is just a symbol which stand for desirable qualities.
                      The funny thing about brand though is that although it stands to represent certain qualities, most of its products usually fail to deliver. It is sad that it has permeated all sections of our lives. It is not just prevalent in FMCGs( Fast Moving Consumer Goods), clothes , etc but have invaded areas which were personal. Brands are now part of sports, music and even the education system. I mean if you are from Lady Shriram you have to be good right? I actually three years in Delhi, the capital of my nation, where some of the most offensive and distrusted brands of our nation (aka politicians) reside. In Delhi, brands are big. I mean everyone wears Gucci glasses, Hilfiger watched and Aldo shoes. In fact the craze their is quite addictive. At one point I had only branded clothes in my cupboard, I had stopped eating, saving money to go shopping that bad was my addiction. Now I live in a different city, and looking back it just seems foolish somehow.

                  The worst thing about a brand is that it can be quite misleading. I have been a part of some of the country's most prestigious educational institutions. They are known to have a high brand value in the market. Guess what, they failed to meet my expectations. I had hoped to meet the crème de la crème of the society, sharp minds, active citizens, people who would inspire me to do great things. Joining some institutions I imagined I would walk the in the shoes of some of my personal heroes. That is the folly of a brand, it doesn't let an outsider gauze the hollowness inside.

             My disappointments range from simple shaking of my head to despair. The expectations I had were mostly slaughtered like a turkey is on Thankings Giving, with a lot of fanfare and show. The fact remains that it is slaughtering. My sister tells me that I shouldn't have had so many expectations, that my class is representative of the society outside. Thus, for me now the society as a whole comprises of - spoilt brats used to having their way; diplomatic and highly sly optimists; doped out wringers; confused about their sexuality individuals; groups based on "benefits"; confused identities; some really desperate ladies who need a good lay, love sick puppies; money, attention and power crazed people and quickly turning cynical realists! Of course there is a certain level of senile randomness and control freaks added for the mix of it. That is the society that I am to look forward to?

           I had hoped that this would be the case with just one or two of the top institutes in the country, but apparently, this is prevalent across the country and across the various professions. MBA institutes are rumored to be worse, and if by some of the accounts that I have heard are true even more debauchered  than what I deal with everyday. And all of this is covered with a blanket of formality, wrapped in softness of social politeness and shaded by the umbrella of brand. Thus, I wonder now, is all acceptable as long as it has the stamp of a brand? Are we all just spaces available for some alien brand?