Redefining strength from muscle to mind

This year, one of the leading world resources for the English language, the Cambridge Dictionary, added 6,000 new words to its online edition. This update reflects the dramatic influence of social media, Internet jargon and generational trends (popularised by Gen Z and Gen Alpha) on the English language.

Familiarising myself with buzzwords like “skibidi” and “lewk” had me yelling out, ‘gibberish.’ But checking again, the word “delulu” caught my fancy, as it turned out to be a short form for delusional.

In a country like India, steeped in patriarchy, it would not be surprising to think that strength is automatically linked with physical strength, which is attributed to a man. This strength can even be used by some to claim a special ability to offer protection to others, from the size of one’s chest.

But this is not just today. Our language and popular culture are replete with words like “Iron Man”, “Strong Man”, and “He-Man”, creating an association of physical strength with mental capabilities, which makes one wonder if we are all “delulu”!

Across the world too, one has seen the rise of so-called “strong men”. When power comes to one’s hand, is physical strength really needed, or do strong-arm tactics actually rule the day? In President Donald Trump’s United States, newer examples are seen every day of the browbeating of people that the Republican government doesn’t like while glorifying those who employ the language of violence.

In Russia and even beyond its shores, President Vladimir Putin, with his KGB background, has seen the physical end of those who would oppose him, the most well-known one being that of Alexei Anatolyevich Navalny—a Russian opposition leader, anti-corruption activist and political prisoner who died in 2024. The greatest worry for democracies is how rulers are likely to feed off one another’s strongarm ideas to have their way.

The last ten years of BJP government in India, despite tall claims, have still not brought peace. The latest example is that of Ladakh, where the strong arm of the law has been used to beat down people and where the infamous UAPA, which ensures a minimum of a year in jail without bail, has seen the activist Sonam Wangchuk put in jail for his “provocative” speeches.

For a party that has no hesitation in using dog whistles with words like ghuspetiya before the Bihar elections, this is ironic. With a BJP coalition being in power there presently, how strange it appears that the word ‘intruder’ should enter your vocabulary, as also the need to weed them out via the use of SIR, just when elections are round the corner.

If the government’s claim that the opposition will allow outsiders who will take away the jobs of the Biharis is true, then the obvious question is, ‘How did illegal immigrants enter the state despite a strong, double-engine government? Hope the average Bihari will say dal mein kuch kala hai, implying that it sounds like fishy business.

After the striking down of Article 370 in Kashmir, using harsh measures like the blocking of the Internet, did peace come? The tragedy of Pahalgam is a reminder that the loyalty and affection of the people have to be won by something more than constant publicity and propaganda.

In this context, it might be opportune to remember the Mahatma, beyond Gandhi Jayanti, to make a show of public respect. Sadly, with each year, India appears to be moving further and further away from his message of peace and non-violence.

Lifting the veil of delusion from our minds should be the realisation that it isn’t the strength of a broad chest that can bring peace but the strong heart that beats within and feels for all the people that can do so.

Unlike today’s leaders who project themselves as saviours, Gandhi worshipped the God of humility. He understood in practicality that people would empower one who humbled himself and that a renouncer would obtain both spiritual and political power, in the words of his grandson, Rajmohan Gandhi.

Gandhi was fearless and refused security, unlike today’s leaders, who would be lost without strongly armed men offering them high-level protection.

Gandhi could probably be the one person who might remove the “delulu” of what strength really means. To quote his American friend, E Stanley Jones, also an author and evangelist, “Gandhi was of East and West, the city and village, a Hindu influenced by Christianity, simple and shrewd, candid and courteous, serious and playful, humble and self-assertive” – a sweet savour… But, while the savour is sweet, the preponderating impression he leaves is not sweetness but strength.

(The author is an independent writer)