Duryodhanization: Are villains born, made, or made up?

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Duryodhana was a man of strong character and integrity. Duhsshasana was respectful, generous and kind towards women. Shakuni was a simple man who loved his subjects unconditionally. Dhana Nanda, Aurangzeb and Hitler possessed admirable leadership traits.

'Duryodhanization' refers to the birth and processes of development of a villainous character-whether in works of history or mythology. In this book, Uppal ekes out the dark side of management and leadership by studying fascinating characters from the Mahabharata. He probes into what it really means to be a villain, and if villainous traits are inherent or cultivated.

Original and thought-provoking, the book draws from history, mythology and literature. and unpacks the process of villainization through the character of the legendary villain, Duryodhana.

Nishant Uppal is an associate professor at Indian Institute of Management Lucknow. He is a fellow in management in organizational behaviour and human resource management from Indian Institute of Management Indore.

It gives me immense pleasure to introduce this book, Duryodhanization, to my esteemed readers. This book attempts to explain the process involved in the making of a villain. It uses Duryodhana, a popular villain from the epic Mahabharata, as the central character to understand the process. Thus, the title: Duryodhanization. Although there are several famous villains in the world, in literature, and in the Mahabharata itself, the character of Duryodhana is especially intriguing. Thousands of versions of the Mahabharata, as well as books focusing on some of its characters, have been written over the centuries. None of them show Duryodhana in a positive light. The Bhagavad Gita from the Mahabharata, clearly states that every individual has daivi (good) and asuri (bad) qualities. However, there is nothing positive about Duryodhana's character in the Mahabharata. And this epic is considered to be the longest poem ever written, with over two lakh lines and eighteen lakh words. This is surprising and worth exploring further.

Following is a brief, chapter-wise description of the book. This is for the reader to understand the premise, purpose and conception of the book.

Chapter one introduces the concept of the making of a villain. I use multiple theoretical lenses to decipher whether villains are born, nurtured or merely made up. I use theories from a range of academic disciplines, such as psychology, genetic sciences, sociology, economics, etymology, history and management, to get a clearer understanding of the central concept of the book. Seminal research work, historical and modern, has been considered while exploring the process of Duryodhanization.

Chapter two defines some commonly acknowledged psychological dispositions. These include Machiavellianism narcissism, neuroticism, psychopathy and sadism, which make a villain a negative character or person. It also hypothesizes that these traits can be genetically transmitted and are contagious. I again use theories from various disciplines to support my arguments.

In chapter three we explore our central character, Duryodhana. I use various scientifically valid methodologies to analyse his actions as presented in the Mahabharata. I further map those actions along with the five negative dispositions described in the previous chapter.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a character is defined as villainous if his or her actions or motives are considered evil towards other individuals, nations, societies, environments or the universe as a whole. The essence of this book lies in the etymological and colloquial development and popular establishment of this definition.

Although today the term villain is used only in a pejorative sense, originally it defined entirely different phenomena and characters. The etymological development of the term villain follows this order: villa-villanus-vilain (or vilein)-villain. The first two terms of the sequence villa and villanus descend from Latin, and mean country mansion and farmland bound to the soil of that mansion, respectively. Subsequently, the French term vilain refers to a person of less-knightly attributes. One who was usually employed as a peasant, slave or farm hand.

In the Middle Ages, the French aristocracy was mostly dominated by men. In order to safeguard and monopolize their women, they propagated the physically laborious vilains as impolite and unchivalrous. They used various vehicles such as literature and executive gatherings to alter the meaning. The etymological development or deterioration of the term villain continued as various other pejorative meanings, such as despicable, shameful, morally corrupt, knave, scoundrel, boor and, finally, criminal, were added to it.

The process of degradation of a phenomenon is not unique to the science of etymology.' Scholars of sociology and cultural anthropology have acknowledged such degradations at a macro social level. For example, the degradation of the Vaishyas and the Shudras through the complex process of verticalization of the Indian caste system through the Middle Ages and thereafter. In a study of the Hindu varna system, Kavoori (2002) highlighted that over 700 years ago, a gradual deterioration came about in the status of the Vaishyas and the Shudras. These communities lost their equal status and acquired lower ranks than the other two varnas, the Brahmana and the Kshatriya. The study suggests that the varna system was originally horizontal in nature with a scientific division of labour and professions. It is believed that the advent of the Aryans in India and their influence over scholarly works and literature, such as the Manusmriti, is mainly responsible for the verticalization of the varna system. Manusmriti, a book that has been condemned for centuries, regulated the ideals of administration, social behaviour and the canons of justice. This established the supremacy of the Brahmanas and the Kshatriyas over the Vaishyas and the Shudras. Gandhi sincerely hated the practice of untouchability, the worst form of vertical varna system. He supported the conventional varna system, saying that, 'some (people) believe that I (Gandhi) am destroying varna ashrama. On the contrary I believe that I am trying to cleanse it of impurities and so reveal its true form' (Collected Works, 1921, vol. 20).

Book's Contents and Sample Pages